Welcome to ChristianRemnant.org. It is our hope that you will join us in our effort to embolden your pastor to speak out against the evil that has engulfed our country and to lead his congregation in the fight to take back our country for Christ. To facilitate the battle against evil our website will provide links to important articles as well as provide important information and commentary. We hope that you will visit regularly. We welcome your feedback which can be sent to JR@ChristianRemnant.org.
“But We Have Never Done It This Way”
I’m a retired pastor and I know that one of the biggest gripes of pastors is that congregations are resistant to change. The resistance to change also applies to many pastors. Given the state of so many countries in the western world something drastic must happen if we are to prevent the continuing decay of culture and morality. The biggest change must happen within the pulpit. Over my eighty years of life, I have never heard a pastor consistently start an intercessory morning prayer for government leaders. I’ve never heard a pastor pray that God would restrain and bring world leaders to submit to the authority of scripture, especially by name. I’ve never heard a pastor preach sermons that were common in the early days of America’s founding. During my days of pulpit ministry I was also numbered amongst those guilty of the above omissions as well. According to historian David Barton:
“In earlier generations, American ministers stood in the pulpit and called candidates and parties by name, set forth their positions, compared them to the Bible, and then advised that a Christian should or should not vote for a candidate or party based on what the candidate said compared with what the Bible said. The topics of early published sermons demonstrate that the church truly believed-and taught the nation-that there was nothing in life that the Bible did not address, directly or indirectly.”
The earliest such published election sermons began in 1634 and continued right up until the twentieth century when pastors accepted the notion that the Church should not be involved in politics. Pastors need to return to preaching a Biblical world view addressing all aspects of our society as their predecessors did. They also must begin praying for our national and world leaders as we are admonished to by scripture?
We must and we can address the issues before us or this nation will no longer be under the blessing of the Lord. Let’s return to the ways the Founding Fathers did in America, the same way the prophets did in the Old Testament. They spoke to the power of kings courageously.
Gerald Teal
Copies of sermons given during the period 1730 – 1805 can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/sandoz-political-sermons-of-the-american-founding-era-1730-1805-2-vols
IT IS TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST EVIL
Recently the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Kennedy vs Bremerton School District in favor of the plaintiff, Joseph Kennedy. Coach Kennedy was fired for kneeling in prayer on the field after games. The Bremerton School District maintained his praying on the field after games was a violation of the separation of church and state. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor stating that his praying was protected by the freedom of speech and free exercise of religion clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In the decision the Court went far beyond simply affirming coach Kennedy’s Constitutional rights. The decision also redefined the Courts template for adjudicating cases involving religious liberty. To fully appreciate the significance of the Court’s decision it is necessary to be acquainted with the situation which existed prior to this decision. The brief summary which follows will provide the context for the Court’s decision.
For most of its history the Church in the United States has fulfilled Jesus’ instructions to his followers to be Salt and Light; to make disciples of all nations and to occupy the culture until He returned. As a result, Christianity and a Biblical world view has dominated the culture in the United States for most of its history. This all began to change in the mid twentieth century. It began with Supreme Court decision, Everson vs. the Board of Education decision (1947), in which the Court determined the U.S. Constitution requires a separation of church and state. The Court based its decision on a letter written by Thomas Jefferson and not the U.S. Constitution which does mention any separation of church and state. Then in 1962, after 186 years of praying in schools throughout the United States, the Supreme Court, in the case of Engel vs. Vitale, ruled that school prayer was unconstitutional. In 1971 in the case of Lemon vs. Kurtzman the Court established the template it would use in cases involving religious liberty. This template, known as the Lemon Test, provided that government involvement with religion is constitutional only if: (1) the primary purpose is secular (2) it does not promote or inhibit religion (3) there is no excessive entanglement between church and state and (4) it does not endorse any one religion.
Perhaps more damaging than the outrageous Supreme Court Decisions is the fact the Church in the United States has accepted Satan’s falsehood that they must not get involved in politics. The fact is the Church has, since our inception as a nation, been involved in matters that involved politics. The Black Robe Regiments of the American Revolution, the Abolitionist Movement of the nineteenth century and the Temperance Movement of the early twentieth century which led to Prohibition are but three prominent examples. The acceptance of this falsehood has had dire consequences for the United States. Christian morality and the Biblical world view now no longer dominate arts and entertainment; education; business; the media; government and the family. The acceptance of this lie has resulted in the failure of the Church in the United States to fulfill Jesus’ instructions to occupy until He returns. The extent to which the Biblical world view has been removed from the culture is exemplified by the placing of a Satanic Statue atop a courthouse in New York City in 2023. It was met with silence from Church leaders. Concomitantly is the Church’s refusal to speak out against the transgender movement; the celebration of homosexuality; the trafficking of children, the corruption in our government and the persecution of Christians around the world. In effect the Church has self-imposed silence on itself on these issues simply because they have a political component.
The larger victory in the case of Kennedy vs. Bremerton School District was the Court’s discarding the Lemon Test and replacing it with a template consisting of tradition and history. The Supreme Court which issued the outrageous and ill-founded separation of church and state doctrine; the decision which ended prayer in school and the case which legalized homosexual marriage is now leading the way back to establish the religious freedom we have enjoyed throughout most of our history.
It is time for the Church leadership to reject the proposition that they must eschew issues which are political and begin to boldly speak out against evil. Church members must encourage their pastors to speak out against evil and lead the way to taking back the culture for Christ.
Two final thoughts. While Supreme Court decisions are important, they are not the source of our freedoms. The Founding Fathers enshrined our freedoms in the Bill of Rights as a reminder to government that our rights come from God and they are sacrosanct. The second thought is embodied in a quote from the German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Silence in the face if evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.
For those interested in a discussion of the significance of the Kennedy vs. Bremerton decision please visit The Pastors Summit, Constitutional Rights and Legal Strategy by clicking on the link below.
Gerald Rahelich
Regarding our mission…
…sounds impossible doesn’t it with all the cards seemingly stacked against us with every institution in our country now marching in lock step with the woke agenda, even the mainline Protestant churches. Do we really believe Matthew 19:26? Well, some pastors during the American Revolution did. Written sermons by some of our founding clergy challenged the men of their congregations to join the militia. Some of them led their own parishioners into battle. The record shows that many of the sermons of the day were unabashedly political. These sermons says historian David Barton were considered “occasional sermons’-that is, they were sermons preached because of a specific occasion. Others he states were annual sermons” preached on a particular subject. One such annual sermon was the Election Sermon. The first documented election sermon was preached in 1634 in Virginia. The last unfortunately was preached at the beginning of the 20th Century. Issues, names and parties were addressed. Parishioners were advised to vote according to Biblical guidelines. Barton states:
“Today, this type of sermon might make many listeners uncomfortable, but…IT SHOULDN’T…because
not only was it a traditional practice of American Pulpits, it was also a traditional practice set forth in the Scriptures.”
Today we need preachers who are prophets as well, calling officials of government out when needed and warning people that elections have consequences especially if one doesn’t vote. Only one third of Evangelicals in recent years polls show, actually voted in Presidential elections. Why? Could it be that because their pastors don’t demand that government leaders speak the truth? And when government censors free speech why is the church silent? But how can preachers become prophets if they are afraid that they will lose parishioners? If they are too afraid of those in the pew disagreeing, how can they possibly have the courage to face the consequences of speaking truth to government officials who want to see the demise of Christianity in America?
I thank God that Gerald Rahelich, a lay member of the congregation that I am a part of as a retired pastor now in my 80th year, came to faith in Christ 10 years ago. He is also an octogenarian. He’s a retired high school history teacher who knows the damage of the “disinformation” now prevalent in classrooms regarding the founding of America. One of our goals for this website is to inform pastors first of all of the real story of the founding of this great nation. I am so glad to be Gerald’s friend and partner in this venture to wake up the American church. I am reminded of the promise in scripture given to old men like us. Acts 2:17
I’ve seen what has happened in the country of my birth, Canada. One man in Canada now in power for 10 years is on the brink of realizing a life long dream of a totalitarian state. He makes no bones about it!
And yet I think of the Apostle Paul. Could it be possible that the conversion of one man or woman at the top of government radically changed could swing the pendulum, bringing the western world to it’s knees in repentance?
Are we on the brink of destruction or on the brink of revival? We would love to hear from you. You may contact us at JR@ChristianRemnant.org.
Gerald Teal
RETURN TO OUR ROOTS
On April 29, 1607 at Cape Henry Virginia, before moving on to settle in Jamestown, Robert Hunt erected a cross and made the following declaration:
“We do hereby Dedicate this land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth.”
In 1630 John Winthrop delivered a sermon while he was at sea on route to America. His sermon proclaimed that the colony they were about to establish in America would be a City Upon a Hill watched by the world. The reference to the City on a Hill is from the parable of Salt and Light, which Jesus included in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus stated, “you are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” John Winthrop was telling his fellow travelers that the Christian community they were about to create in the North American wilderness would be an example to the rest of the world.
On April 30, 1789 in New York City George Washington gave his inaugural speech in which he acknowledged the role Providence had played in the creation of the United States. He stated that:
“…that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
The following quotes from John Adams, the second President of the United States underscore the importance of God and Providence in the founding of the United States of America:
“I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the world.”
“Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government on any other.”
These can be no doubt about the role Providence has played in the creation and development of the United States. Even the Iron Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, acknowledged the role Providence played in his famous statement: “God has a special Providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America.” Concomitant with Providence, has been the sense of mission which has permeated the American psyche. Since its inception the United States has been imbued with the mission to spread the Gospel and freedom. This sense of mission was the impetus behind the movement known as Manifest Destiny. Throughout most of its existence the United States has worked to fulfil Jesus’ instructions to be Salt and Light; to make disciples of all nations; and to occupy the culture until he returned. As a result of this and the dedication of this land to God, God has raised the United States of America above all nations making it the freest, richest and most powerful nation in the world. Then in the 1960s things began to change and the United States began to turn its back on God.
In 1952 when President Harry Truman left the Whitehouse he traveled home by train as a private citizen to his home in Independence, Missouri without any secret service protection. He received no salary or pension after leaving the presidency other than his army pension. After leaving the White House Truman had many lucrative offers to sit on corporate boards and serve in symbolic no-show positions. He refused all offers stating: “I could never lend myself to any transaction, however respectable that would commercialize on the prestige and dignity of the office of the presidency.” Compare the above with the likes of Presidents Clinton and Biden and their willingness to sell their office for personal profit. The comparison of the virtuous attitude of President Truman to the overt corruption of Presidents Clinton and Biden typify the moral decline in the United States of America in the seventy years since Truman left office. In those years the worship of God has been replaced with the worship of power and money.
The decline in morality in America can, to a large part, be attributed to the failure of the Church to honor Christ’s behest to be Salt and Light and to occupy the culture until Christ returns. Since the middle of the twentieth century the Church has abandoned its historical role of speaking out on all aspects of the culture. The acceptance of the proposition that the Church should eschew all involvement in politics has severely limited the influence of the Church. As almost all aspects of the culture have a political component the self-imposed prohibition to speak out against issues involving politics has led to the removal of the Church from the public square. The Christian worldview no longer dominates the media, entertainment, education, business, and government. Stated succinctly, the Christian world view no longer dominates the culture.
To complicate matters is the misunderstanding many Christians have about Christ’s commandment to love our fellow man. Many Christians have interpreted that to mean to be accepting and affirming of our fellow man. If we truly love our fellow man, we would want what is best for him. Faith in Christ is the best thing we can want for our fellow man. Therefore, if we love our fellow man, we should reject any sinful behavior. While Scripture tells us we are not to judge people it also tells us we are to spread the Gospel, condemn sin and rebuke sinners.
If we are to take back the United States of America for Christ we must return to the traditional and historical role of the Church. We must speak out against evil, corruption and sin in the same way as the Black Robe Regiments spoke out against the tyranny of George III during the American Revolution and the way the Abolitionists spoke out against slavery in the period leading up to the Civil War. In today’s culture it means speaking out against abortion, the celebration of homosexuality, homosexual marriage, the transgender movement, and corruption within our government. It is absolutely appalling that we have a President who claims to be a Christian but supports abortion and the transgender movement as well as has the gay pride flag flown at the White House and at our embassies around the world. In addition to speaking out against evil, we must repent and seek God’s Providence.
The Church is in dire need of bold leadership. Too many pastors are afraid of speaking out against evil. Thanks to the present Supreme Court Decisions we now enjoy more religious freedom than we have had in the last fifty years and the silence of pastors is entirely self-imposed. Many pastors fear losing members of the congregation if they speak out against evil. We need to demand they overcome their timidity. If they refuse, we should make their fear of losing members of the congregation a reality by finding a church with a pastor that is willing to speak out against evil. If a church with a pastor that is willing to speak out is not available in your area consider meeting in one another’s homes as the early Christians did rather than attend a Church which remains silent and is moribund.
We can take back America for Christ through prayer (as a congregation each Sunday and individually throughout the week); by repenting and asking for forgiveness; by exercising Biblical citizenship which requires getting involved in local elections and voting only for candidates who have a Biblical worldview; by using our power as consumers refusing to buy products of “woke” companies whenever possible; by educating family and friends; and by bolding speaking out in defense of Christian values.
As bleak as things may look we should remember that all things are possible with God!
Gerald Rahelich
Israel and the United States
God has raised two nations above all the other nations of the earth, Israel, the nation of His chosen people which has given the world its savior, Jesus Christ, and the United States of America, blessed by Almighty God to be the Shining City on a Hill, an example of Christian civilization to the rest of the world. The United States, from its inception, has been the epitome of Western civilization’s values and has striven to fulfill its mission to spread the Gospel and act as a champion of freedom and justice in the world. Today, the United States is under assault by Satanic forces as is evident by the celebration of homosexuality, the legalization of same sex marriage, the transgender movement, the promotion of abortion, rampant promiscuity, corruption at the highest levels of government and a rejection of God and His word. While the United States is being weakened by Satanic forces attacking it from within Israel is being assaulted by radical Islamic terrorists.
The Satanic attacks on Israel and the United States reflect an all-out assault on the Judean-Christian ethic and its embodiment, Western civilization. The evil which has descended upon the United States and the attacks on Israel emanate from a common source, Satan. There is a link between the Marxist left which is attempting to destroy America and the radical Islamist terrorists who are attacking Israel. This link is the subject of David Horowitz’s book, Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left. Mr. Horowitz points out that the Godless left is willing to support radical Islam because they both want to destroy Christian/Western civilization albeit for different reasons. Therefore, the left is supporting the radical Islamic terrorists attack on Israel, the nation of God’s chosen people, while it goes about promoting division, chaos and Godlessness in the United States, the nation dedicated to God by its founders which God has blessed and made the greatest nation in history.
The willingness of the media to blame Israel and support Hamas as well as the outrageous antisemitism on the college campus and by certain groups within the United States indicates the degree to which the left has infiltrated academia and the media as well as the failure of our immigration policies. It is imperative that we in the United States repent and return to God and biblical values. Our strength as a nation comes from God and a biblical world view and a strong United States is vital to Israel’s survival. Let us all pray for Israel, the United States and for the survival of Western civilization. Let us also demand from our pastors that they take the lead by speaking out against the evil that has overtaken our country and for the deliverance of Israel. Lastly, on election day remember which party and which elected officials stood with Israel and which stood against Israel.
Gerald Rahelich
Christmas the Season of Hope and Celebration
“For there is born to you today, in David’s city a Savoir, who is Christ the Lord. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men”. Luke 2:11; 14
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
As we celebrate the Lord’s birth let us rejoice and give thanks to God for making grace available to all through his Son, Jesus Christ.
May you and your family have a blessed Christmas!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024
Wishing you a Happy New Year! May God’s light guide you throughout 2024. As we enter 2024 let us strengthen our resolve to fight the evil that has overcome our nation through prayer, our vote and how we spend our money. Let us boldly proclaim the Gospel and encourage our pastors to speak out vociferously against the celebration of homosexuality, the trans gender movement, abortion, and the corruption in our government. Let us resolve to follow Jesus’ commandments to be Salt and Light, to make disciples of all nations and to occupy the culture until He returns. Have a blessed New Year.
ELECTION 2024
The upcoming election will arguably be the most consequential election in American history. Christians in the United States have it within their power to determine the outcome of this election. In the 2020 election it is estimated forty million people who identify as Christians did not vote. Of the forty million, fifteen million were not even registered. As a result, Joe Biden was elected president. In some states the margin of victory was less than twenty thousand votes. Clearly, the forty million Christians who chose not to vote elected Joe Biden President of the United States. Although Joe Biden professes to be a Catholic, he and his administration have advanced an ungodly agenda. President Biden and the Democratic Party have supported such ungodly policies as:
1- The celebration of homosexuality.
2- The transgender movement.
3-Abortion and infanticide.
4-Attacks on Christians and religious freedom.
5-Attacking parental rights and the family.
6-Allowing an open border which has allowed the trafficking of children on an unprecedented level.
7-Supporting the terrorist organization Hamas.
8-Blaming Israel for the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023.
9-Attacking our God given right of free speech.
10-Engaging in “lawfare” against its political enemies.
The above policies embraced by Democratic Party are a direct result of the party being taken over by godless Marxists. This election will not only decide the future course of the United States but also of the Western World. Christians can no longer afford the luxury of not voting or waiting for the perfect candidate. Unfortunately, most of the leadership of the Church has failed to acknowledge or speak out against the evil fostered by the Democratic Party. Therefore, as members of the body of Christ, we must fill the vacuum brought about by the lack of leadership within the Church. We must encourage our pastors to speak out against the above-mentioned evils. We must educate family, friends and fellow Christians and encourage them to join fight against these ungodly policies by praying and voting. We must not only vote but we must vote for those individuals whose views are closest to our Biblical values. At the present time that would preclude voting for members of the Democratic Party which supports abortion, homosexuality, the transgender movement, the attack on parental rights and the family, and terrorist groups such as Hamas. Christians have it within their power to determine the outcome of this election through prayer and voting. Let all Christians vote for righteousness and win back this country for Christ.
Gerald Rahelich