I, like many Christians, watched in disbelief this past September at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina as the delegates not only voted once, but three times, to deny the reinstatement of God into their platform. Just minutes later, Mark Alen Siegel, Chairman of the Palm Beach Democratic Party and nine time State Senator from NY made the hideous statement that, “ The worst possible allies for the Jewish state are the fundamentalist Christians who want Jews to die and convert so they can bring on the second coming of their Lord.” Almost immediately, thanks to the power of online media and talk radio, Siegel was asked to turn in his resignation. He also was removed from the campaign program, forty-eight hours later that was put on for Obama’s visit to West Palm Beach Florida. Problem solved with the hope that this was just a solo opinion out of the almost one million residents of Palm Beach County.
However, recently with the exposure of Dr. Deandre Poole, a Professor at Florida Atlantic University, who insisted his students write and stomp on the name of Jesus as a part of a class assignment, one might wonder if there is a pattern of anti-Christian sentiment in Southern Florida? Even more interesting is the fact that Dr. Poole currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Palm Beach Democratic Party. Yes, the same party that just seven months ago had Mark Allen Siegel as their Chairman.
This could just simply be a coincidence; however, I must question the principles of an organization that puts into leadership people with such radical, anti-Christian attitudes -- especially in light of the national press attention on the Palm Beach Democratic Party following the DNC. Why would they continue to knowingly keep in power individuals with such extreme beliefs? Could it be because the majority of their membership might also embrace that same ideology?
On the flipside, I believe Christians in America are looking for opportunities every day to show our support and stand up for our faith.
How can we forget August 1, 2012 when thousands of people across the country stood in line for hours to support Chick-fil-A when it came under fire for its views on marriage? Or despite Hollywood constantly trying to persuade us that traditional family values have morphed into a Sodom and Gomorrah lifestyle, American viewers have overwhelmingly shown their support for shows like the History Channel’s “The Bible” series as well as A&E’s Duck Dynasty, which ends every episode with a prayer.
Christians today have not become more timid as some might like to portray us. Rather, it seems those on the other side have become more bold in trying to desecrate our faith. They have used the vehicle of political correctness to make Christianity look like the religion of hate and used bullying techniques to try and scare away any future followers. They have attacked our religious symbols and celebrations, made children embarrassed to pray in school to Jesus, and removed the Ten Commandments from the hallways of our local governments.
Mathew 27:46 “My God, my God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?’ cried Jesus in his last few moments before he died on the cross at Calvary. Today, almost 2000 years later, considering the pattern of anti- Christian actions, unfortunately not isolated to those Democrat residents of Palm Beach County and the Democratic voters at the DNC, many Christians wonder if there is a line where God will ever forsake us?