(Thanks, L. :)

Reader Lance writes and/or sends us:

***************************************************************************

Still Silent Shepherds—An Open Letter To Post-Pandemic Pastors
https://shaneidleman.com/2021/06/14/still-silent-shepherds-an-open-letter-to-post-pandemic-pastors/

"If your Pastor (or whatever) cowered during the last few years of crazy. Leave that Church. In all likelihood, he/she/it (yes, there are some 'its') is a member of the 501C3 Clergy Response team and not to be trusted. Walk away, quickly, at a backwards sprint since you don't want to take your eyes of of them until they are out of range." (my comment).

QUOTE
Granted, I’m sure that most pastors believed that they were helping people by following all of the political mandates. If we had the black plague on our hands and a high death rate, I could see the need for drastic measures. But we didn’t, and most pastors didn’t want to hear opposing views. Whether it was vaccines, masks, or obedience to the government, “Don’t confuse me with the facts,” seemed to be the prevailing view. Were they more worried about liability insurance than spiritual liability?

Sadly, it appears that most pastors are not spending sufficient time in prayer while looking to God‘s Word for strength and direction. Instead of allowing brokenness and humility to guide them, they choose pride and political correctness. As a result, they lacked boldness, fortitude, and spiritual strength. And that’s exactly why most of them did not challenge governmental oppression. They did, however, lash out at Spirit-filled members and pastors who lovingly challenged them. Talk about a mixed message!

I understand that some think that “loving your neighbor” means submission to the government to a “T,” but what about loving your neighbor who is living in fear? What about loving the families trapped in abuse and addiction? What about loving those caught in sin, depression, and suicide? What about loving all your members who are dying spiritually because of pastoral cowardliness?

Additionally, our governing document is the Constitution, not leaders who oppose it. It does beg the question: “Was our silence because of true concern, or because of a lack of boldness via the filling of the Spirit?” Most of us know the answer, we’re just ashamed to admit it. END QUOTE

Cheerio!
Lance...

***************************************************************************