From: "Jim & Edna Lake" ([email protected])

Since the Church's power comes courtesy of God and God is sovereign, then it is safe to conclude that He is ultimately in control. We breathe and our hearts beat because of His benevolence. If we make decisions that are not in keeping with His plan and His will, we lose the power that is necessary to change lives for the better. A good example of this would be the Southern Baptists who have lost whatever testimony they might have had to the world, by their political infighting at their big conventions. They may have numbers and political power within their own ranks but it seems the real power of God is long gone. I believe God holds each of us responsible for our own actions and while we may cause others to stumble by our behavior...in the final analysis...we all have access, opportunity, and hope because of the redemption of Christ. God's will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. No one can interfere with His ultimate purpose...not a wayward President, not an arrogant political denomination, not a fallen angel and certainly not the fad ridden, luke warm, feel good church of the late 20th Century. You attribute power to a group of powerless people who are nothing without God. And so often...we are nothing. President Clinton, you and the rest of us need to begin to fear the Lord God Almighty; I have heard on good authority that wisdom starts at that point. "God be merciful to me a sinner." -- Jim Lake

From: Pastor Charles Kitner ([email protected])
My Bible tells me to love my enemies and to do good to those that despite my feelings, use me. It also says that we are supposed to be the children of blessing ... and ought to be blessing and not cursing. Does this mean that we condone sin......not in the least but I can't seem to see where we as the body of Christ are called to condemn a person and place ourselves above Christ who has not come to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. I cannot judge a man and I am not called to do so. I am called by my Lord and savior to love ... for God is love. Oh I know He is also the God of righteousness, and He is holy, but it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict of sin righteousness and judgement, not me. Stephen, when he was being stoned for his witness and preaching of the Lord, looked into heaven and saw Jesus standing at the Father's right hand and asked that God not lay the sin of his murder to their charge....as Jesus did from the cross. So if God will forgive, who here on this earth in this earthen vessel of flesh can dare think that they can do any different and still be doing the will of God. The consequences of the sin may happen, but God would accept Bill Clinton if he will honestly repent and call on the name of the Lord for his salvation....believing that God raised Him up on the third day so he could have life and be saved. -- Pastor Charles Kitner

From: mwilson ([email protected])
Have you been watching too much Benny Hinn on TBN? Your friend, --Mark Wilson

From: NORM ([email protected])
Just from my own personal opinion, I think we get into a very frightening area when we allow ourselves the power to condemn a person. I guess I would find it hard to believe that God would allow us that luxury. Where does the final authority on earth come from then? Is it the Pope who decides that Bill Clinton or anyone else is beyond forgiveness? Does it now come down to a majority vote? Do we get all the professed Christians together and if we have a 2/3 majority, then Bill Clinton is bound? So, I guess, again personally-without having consulted scripture yet, I find it extremely hard and even disturbing that we could ever consider ourselves vain or even foolish enough to even want such a responsibility Where is the 70x7 for Bill Clinton? --Jason Feltz

From: GENE SCHENCK ([email protected])
I do not believe that God has given us the power to send people to eternal destruction where the worm dieth not or the fire is not quenched. As long as there is life I believe that the Bible teacheth that there is hope unless one has committed the unpardonable sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost! -- Gene Schenck

From: [email protected] (David E Drury)
Three reasons why "binding" the sins of Bill Clinton and Damning him would be inapplicable to the present situation: a) The Church hasn't done anything "collectively" since the ascension. Even if a group decided for binding the sins of a person and effectually damning them to Hell we could never get a quorum to meet on the issue much less a collective damning of the President by over 20,000 religious bodies. We could do this if we still all lived under the Pope. But the Pope bound the sins and damned to hell people for primarily political reasons, so I'm not sure if we want to go back to that system, even if kicking the president around a bit with the church power sounds fun. (maybe Ken Starr is the Pope?!?)

b) We already missed our chance to damn Bill because he has already been forgiven by Kingdom people. Countless preachers used the first hearing of this event as an opportunity to display what forgiveness the church and God can have. So preachers were forgiving Bill all the way back in February -- prior to his asking for it. Gordon McDonald (pastor of the church I attended in Mass. and the sinner referenced in your Tues. Column) is already meeting with President Clinton frequently to work through the restitution, forgiveness, and restoration process, something McDonald is somewhat acquainted with. So, if we wanted to have a "LET'S DAMN CLINTON WORLD CHURCH COUNCIL" we should have had it in 1992, in order to beat all the eager forgivers to the punch!

c) This whole thing is a joke anyway. Few would doubt that Clinton is already on the prickly path to hopeless never-never land. In other words, why should we concern ourselves with damning the "Already-Damned." Isn't this futile -- like cursing a duck, telling it to remain a duck. Because if it walks, quacks... you get the point. Proof that this is a joke: when all the "I have sinned" pleas were first put out by the President, the first people he invited to come counsel him were "a priest, a minister and a rabbi..."

So the real question is what we do with our own people -- the "already-convinced" sinners, and you pointed this out. Now that's a harder question. What do you think? ~ Dave Drury, (some-relation) (BR)(BR)(HR

From: "Ray Pritchard" ([email protected])
Good question. Only God has the ultimate power to send a person to Hell. I would say that the church has the authority (right or power if you prefer) to declare what God has already said He will do. We can declare that God will sent impenitent sinners to Hell and that forgiven sinners will go to Heaven. We can even say something like this: If Bill Clinton refuses to face his own sin--to confess it and truly turn from it--then we have every right to treat him as an unbeliever, regardless of whatever else he might say or do. And if he is truly an unbeliever (apparently masquerading as a Christian), then we have the authority to declare that he is going to Hell unless he truly repents. But there are several important "ifs" in that statement. We need to leave those "ifs" in place lest we end up trying to play God.

For the record, I have no idea where Bill Clinton stands with the Lord. I wish Tony Campolo and Gordon MacDonald well, and I hope they can lead our President in the path of true repentance. Regardless of his spiritual state, I do believe the country would be better served if he resigned. -- Ray Pritchard Calvary Memorial Church Oak Park, Illinois

From: [email protected]
Keith, I've never thought Clinton was worthy of being President. Just about everything I stan