Are We Trying to Have our Cake and Eat It Too?

 Woman denied handing out pagan books at public school 

When the Buncombe County (North Carolina) School System called Ginger Strivelli’s bluff, the Pagan mother of a student at a Weaverville elementary school didn’t back down.

In December, school officials had allowed a local chapter of The Gideons International to make Bibles available at North Windy Ridge Elementary. When Strivelli’s son came home with one, she complained and asked to drop off some Pagan books at the school.

According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Principal Jackie Byerly initially said, “If another group wishes to do the same [as the Gideons], I plan on handling that the same way as I have handled this.”

But when Strivelli showed up at the school with her books, she was informed that she couldn’t leave them because “a new policy is being crafted.”

When will people wake up and do some real thinking? A new policy is being crafted that will probably state that no materials can be handed out at the school. What are Christians afraid of? I will tell you what I believe the problem is - most believers truly doubt the sufficiency of Scripture and the Sovereignty of God.

We as believers need to know that this is not the Kingdom age where Christ rules with a rod of iron and works of unrighteousness are smashed. What I mean is what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. If we want the right to distribute "Christian" material or bibles on state, federal, or municipal property, then everyone else must have the same right. Are we so foolish as to think we can have and eat our cake at the same time?

I happen to believe that God's Word is fully sufficient to counteract any pagan material that the Devil can come up with. I also believe that God is so sovereignly powerful that He can at any time and in any manner overrule the works and powers of darkness. We have never been called to legislate righteousness. Our duty is not to prevent the distribution of pagan material but to witness to the reality and power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to be both salt and light in a darkened and decaying world.

When we attempt to prevent the cults, occults, and pagans from distributing their material we run the distinct risk of being denied the opportunity of distributing "our" material. All we do is make our commission that more much difficult. You didn't see Paul drafting legislation demanding that the Athenians take down all the idols that filled the city. He simply recognized their deception, formulated a plan, preached Christ and proclaimed the gospel.

I believe Satan has developed a plan to "silence" Christian witness by deception causing believers to be distracted from their primary responsibility of being effective witnesses by attempting to legislate righteousness. In my opinion this is really the end result of Arminianism and Dominionism.

Arminian theology lends itself to the belief that even though God is "all powerful," he is restricted by man's actions and activities. Dominionism states that we as Christians are responsible to take over the world and make it a Christian domain. Neither is biblical nor do they lend themselves to our true mission of making disciples.