# Woe to those who call evil good



## JM (Aug 5, 2009)

Pastor Joe Wright opened a new session of the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 1996 with the following prayer…

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of your Word and called it moral pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbors’ possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and p0rnography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us O God and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by you, to govern this great state. Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the name of your son, the living savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.


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## dr_parsley (Aug 5, 2009)

JM said:


> Pastor Joe Wright opened a new session of the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 1996 with the following prayer…
> 
> Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and seek your direction and guidance. We know your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we’ve done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.



He has clearly lost his equilibrium if he can't even quote the whole verse.

Calling good evil is generally under-rated, but it's also very serious.


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## Wannabee (Aug 5, 2009)

dr_parsley said:


> He has clearly lost his equilibrium if he can't even quote the whole verse.



You mean like Jesus did? 

Luke 4:19
19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Isaiah 61:2
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,​

The idea that we must quote entire verses is misguided. We must use them responsibly and as intended. But verse breakdowns are not inspired. And I've often preached on half a verse...

Great prayer. Thanks JM.


Blessings,


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## LawrenceU (Aug 5, 2009)

dr_parsley said:


> JM said:
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> > Pastor Joe Wright opened a new session of the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 1996 with the following prayer…
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Come on man! That is gnat straining. 

I know Joe Wright, but that is beside the point. Suffice it to say, he is one of the boldest pastors I know when it comes to lovingly yet clearly addressing sin - both in and out of the church.


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## dr_parsley (Aug 5, 2009)

LawrenceU said:


> dr_parsley said:
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I think someone is unbalanced if they are too much crusading against calling evil good and not enough crusading against calling good evil. We need both. One without the other simply will not do. I don't know the man, but if I were to preach on that verse I would feel definitely obliged to use the whole verse for the sake of balance. It is too easy, especially for us puritan-minded folks, to focus on the problem of calling evil good and to overlook the problem of calling good evil. We might say, after all, what harm does a false positive do? Even if a good gift is trod underfoot in disgust, we haven't lost anything. O, but think of the giver.

My comments are not really aimed at Joe Wright, his use of half this verse set me off because use of only half this particular verse is a common failure. I would love to see people getting hot under the collar against the SIN of calling good evil. I could be wrong, but I anticipate much weeping and gnashing of teeth over this sin on the last day.


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## christiana (Aug 5, 2009)

I've been listening over and over to the sermon by George Whitefield narrated by Max McLean on The Method of Grace, the text from Jeremiah, Peace, Peace, when there is no peace! It is truly fantastic as he challenges you to look into your heart and determine the reality of your peace. He clearly shows those like in our culture today that wear the christian label but are truly not genuine believers! Such a wonderful sermon! Its also on sermonaudio but not by MaxMcLean.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1123082016282


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## LeeD (Aug 5, 2009)

Solid prayer and encouraging. I had read that year's ago and it is good to see it is still being passed around today.


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## LawrenceU (Aug 5, 2009)

dr_parsley said:


> LawrenceU said:
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Oh believe me, he does address the sin, not the problem, of calling good evil. To properly understand the context of that prayer, and it was a prayer, not a sermon, you have to know what was going on in Kansas at the time. Many legislators and liberal ministers were calling the abominable sin of abortion good. He was directly addressing that.


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