In a concise and enlightening article about churches' involvement in the politics process, Marvin Olasky warns readers, "Overall, it's not the task of the church as church to take political stands or provide political information." Olasky goes on to quote the 450-year-old Belgic Confession: "The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults."

The above quotation gives pastors plenty of preaching material. Imagine if we taught more Christian doctrines, church history, and corrected faulty thinking and actions. We'd sure have fewer chestless parishioners who espouse heretical notions.

Today's BreakPoint with John Stonestreet deals with this sticky issue. You might also check out some of the resources listed at the bottom of the commentary.