Speaking at the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel last Friday, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Jack Hibbs claimed the “Silent” church is to be blamed for America being a “post-Christian nation”
Addressing the audience at the annual event which gathered hundreds of Christian conservative leaders and pastors, the 64-year-old pastor contends gatherings like the summit are important because the Church “has been marginalized” and “set aside” in the United States.
Hibbs was quoted by the Christian Post as saying that the Church has been viewed as something irrelevant. “And listen, let’s be honest,” he said. “Much of that accusation against us is true. Somehow, the Church has gotten out of the lane of being the salt and light that God has called us to be.”
Hibbs spoke at length on how the church has fallen short of its responsibilities. He stressed further the need to involve God in politically charged topics.
“‘You can’t talk about marriage because that’s a political issue.’ Really? I thought that was in my Bible. ‘You can’t talk about abortion because that’s a political issue.’ Really? I thought that was in my Bible. ‘You can’t talk about gender. It’s a political issue.’ Really? I thought that was in my Bible. Do you kind of get the hint of what I’m talking about here,” Hibbs said.
“Everything that you do as a human being and as an American is based in the Scripture. There is no place to set both aside,” he added.
Speaking further on the need to spread the gospel as commanded by Jesus he noted that “That’s how we qualify for salvation.”
“And this nation used to preach the cross,” he continued. Now, you raise Jesus in the public square, and you better have a helmet on. Why? We are a post-Christian nation, and we are starting to reap the detriment of that position. But how did we get here? We got here by being silent.”
The pastor added that “all blame must be laid at the foot of the Church.”