The War Pastors

by Van Robison

Many pastors in the world today support war as if they are following Jesus Christ by inciting their congregations to be war mongers. Proclaiming war, some pastors quote various Old Testament verses as if those verses apply to life on earth today (supposedly a fulfillment of prophesy). Most of those verses are taken out of context to their historic setting and are often twisted to fit modern day imaginations. All the verses quoted to "justify" modern day war are not found in the teachings of Jesus Christ, but the writings of Old Testament authors. It is utterly amazing how even one single human being could sit under some pastors, who are war mongers, let alone multitudes who often sit in these types of congregations. You wonder why these pastors don't quote Jesus Christ??? Instead they quote some ancient, archaic verses in the Old Testament that have no fulfillment in life on earth, since Christ. God speaks to His people today through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2), not through OT verses that have no more purpose. Some very ignorant preachers need to sit in the pews and let others who understand Jesus Christ teach them a few lessons. And some of these pastors think they are God's prophetic gift to mankind?

It is beyond appalling the things some preachers preach. It doesn't matter what kind of bombastic personality a pastor has, or what kind of booming voice. It doesn't matter if they can quote every verse in the OT from memory. It doesn't matter if they are a "doctor" of theology. Those characteristics are no sign of truth. Many preachers on television bounce around all over the stage, act like they know what they are talking about, sweat, wipe their brow, and boom out verbal sayings that all too often have no reflection on the truth as taught by Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if they have been a pastor or senior pastor for fifteen or twenty years or more. So what does that mean? If they are promoting war, killing, death and destruction from Old Testament verses that have no modern day fulfillment, they are not preaching Jesus Christ. And that makes them false pastors and teachers.

There is no one who ever lived that has a right to override anything taught directly by Jesus Christ (especially if they come teaching in the name of Christ). If Jesus Christ said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself", does that mean "go to war with your neighbor, take his property and kill all the men, women and children?" Some modern preachers seem to think so. Who is your neighbor? Answer: All human beings. If Jesus Christ said, "Love your enemies", does that mean you have a right to hate your enemies and drop bombs on their homes and property? If Jesus Christ said "Take up your cross daily and follow Me", does that mean there are exceptions, such as war? Does being patriotic to a nation take priority over the teachings of Jesus Christ? Many preachers seem to think so, and they teach contrary to Jesus Christ.

Millions of churchgoers seem to think pastors are God and so they follow their god-pastors who sometimes preach anti-Christ teachings. Some of these well known war-pastors are on public television promoting death and destruction to their neighbors. Of course you may say, "Well, what about the book of Revelation?" Frankly, I don't know any preacher on earth who understands the book of Revelation (maybe just a little bit), and there are as many interpretations as there are people who talk about it. Jesus Christ taught His followers to love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Are there any excuses for Christians? Where did Jesus Christ teach His followers to take up their machine guns and gun down other human beings, because it is a fulfillment of prophesy? Where did Jesus Christ teach that His followers are to be patriotic to human governments and take up their weapons and kill others? If you are martyred because you follow Jesus Christ, you are secure for eternity because Jesus Christ guarantees your salvation. Do war pastors and their clones willingly get on the cross with Jesus? Should Christians be conscientious objectors even if they put you in prison or shoot you? What would Jesus do? Would Jesus join the Army, take up an automatic weapon and "defend freedom", or would He be nailed to the cross instead? So are we to follow politicians and their endless wars or do we follow Christ?

The world is full of weird religious (churchianity) teachers who promote all sorts of things that have absolutely nothing to do with the truth in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The reason so many are mislead is because they think these false preachers represent Jesus Christ. You have to wonder if many of these churchgoers ever read what Jesus clearly taught as the principles of character that His followers are to live by. Many churchgoers prefer bombastic pastor personalities to Jesus Christ. They prefer celebrity television pastor personalities to Christ. They prefer wealthy and very rich pastors to the True Shepherd. Some preacher clowns on television are so far off the truth taught by Jesus that no one but the most dumbed down human beings, could possibly be so misguided as to support these frauds. Many people are simply deceived by the emotional atmosphere of false teachers.

The war pastors, the false prosperity pastors, the pastors who love control, power and authority over others, the false tithing pastors, the pastors who make their followers sign contracts pledging allegiance to the pastors (and to financially support them), and the pastors who live off the backs of poor widows, orphans, the elderly and people on social security, and working families--are all a pitiful bunch. How many of these false pastors really follow Jesus Christ? How many of them are like Jesus, "the Son of man has no place to lay His head?" How many of these comfortable pastors, like Jesus, sleep out under the stars because they have no place to lay their head? Not one! Instead, they rob others so they can live in comfort.

No one who claims the name of Jesus Christ has a right to cast aside the teachings of Jesus, and place priority on Old Testament verses that have no modern day fulfillment. There is no possible way that Jesus Christ would quote OT verses (if He walked our streets today) as having weight and authority over His own teachings. Jesus came to fulfill all the prior prophesies spoken about Him (and He did), not to have His teachings trampled upon by deceivers standing in pulpits declaring war on other human beings in the name of "freedom", "security" and "democracy" or "fulfillment of end times." Nothing and no one takes priority over the direct teachings of Jesus Christ, except in the minds of false prophets, false pastors and their very deceived followers. Whatever anyone preaches, if they proclaim the name of Jesus Christ and their preaching is not in alignment with what Jesus Christ taught, they are simply wrong--even if they are a megachurch pastor and make millions from their dumbed down sheep.

War pastors are abusers and deny Jesus Christ--all the while they preach in the name of Christ. If those who listen to these abusers have ever read the teachings of Jesus Christ, they should know better than to financially support these characters. That war pastors and false preachers have a following at all is proof that many people have no sense of real truth whatsoever. War pastors are so utterly blind to the real Jesus Christ, they can't see straight. Any human being who proclaims to be a Christ follower has an obligation to live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love and peace, not war and killing). If war pastors really followed Christ, they would get on the cross with Jesus and toss down their war mongering. There are many war pastors who themselves are simply indoctrinated with propaganda, which is not the truth of Christ. They in turn, teach a false Christ. Many sheep gloss over what Jesus taught "For many shall come IN MY NAME, saying I am Christ; and SHALL DECEIVE MANY."

War pastors are guilty of defying the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom they proclaim to represent.