The current American President has the unfortunate task of explaining constantly to the nation that our government was founded with religious freedom and neutrality toward religious faiths.  Being Black, he appears to have drawn the wrath of many in my area suggesting he is seeking to denounce our Christian heritage or worse, establish a Muslim state.
     From Rick Scarbourough's famous naval chaplain to First Baptist Houston's guest speaker Judge Roy Moore, the argument is being made that the ABC's apply to our country now. That is, "Anything But Christian".  Recent local court rulings like the Santa Fe School District prayer case incite the fears that government is seeking to ban believers from the public square.
     Author Walter Capps called school prayers the cultic celebration of civil rituals.  To some their sacred official state religion is being banished to the underground. "Secular" has come to mean degenerate or infidel. The Pentagon's decision to cancel Franklin Graham, (a decision backed by Baptist's ethicsdaily.com) only added fuel to the fire that persecution is coming for believers in the country.
     Francis Schaeffer and R. J. Rushdoony proclaimed that neutrality was not a valid option.  You were either gathering for, or scattering against as an institution.  Part of the recent problem is the dwindling of the evangelical church. The evangelical church has been on the decline while prosperity gospel, positive thinking movements and experiential groups have taken over in strength of numbers. The result, like that of The Family movement, tends to focus on social and political power in contrast to personal conversion.
     The traditional evangelical church never got excited about meeting with the Methodists and United Church of Christ to host a national day of prayer. Sharing the communion cup with such was officially discouraged. One of the neglected tenets of the Southern Baptist statement of faith is the idea of closed communion.  Many of its own churches have moved away from such and the trend continues.  The other neglected belief system is separation of church and state.  The reason why Richard Land, unofficial spokesman of the Southern Baptist Convention, claims to have more in common with the Pope than with Jimmy Carter is a case in point. Joining forces to cross over doctrinal lines to unite together to fight the coming secular state is more important that what one holds as truth.
     I just received a slick ad in the form of a magazine with the title, Pastors Beware.  The ad is an attempt to get you to attend their church financial tax and law conference.  The cover shows hands on prison bars. The implication is to become aware the IRS is seeking to prosecute ministers and churches. The sarcastic warning says, "Protect yourself from a prison ministry".  The Church Management & Tax Conference of Chattanooga, Tennessee has come upon a timely scare tactic to increase attendance at their $139 seminars.