It is no hyperbole to say that the vast majority of today’s churches do not remotely resemble the New Testament pattern. In the first place, the Church was never intended to be a government corporation! Yet, that is exactly what every 501c3 non-profit “religious” organization is: it is a government-created corporation. In the eyes of the government, pastors, elders, and deacons are not pastors, elders, and deacons; they are corporate officers.

In speeches all over America, I have surprised many Christian people when I say, I would rather vote for an unbeliever who would preserve, protect, and defend the US Constitution, than vote for a believer who would NOT preserve, protect, and defend the US Constitution.

Last weekend, we had people visit us here in the Flathead Valley of Montana from at least eight states: Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. And since my family and I moved here last October, people have moved here from at least a dozen states. And many more are in the process of moving or trying to move.

Today’s column is being written mostly by my only daughter and oldest child, Sarah Beth Baker. Sarah is married to a structural engineer who owns his own engineering and consulting firm. She is the homeschooling mother of three children. She is an accomplished pianist, poet, and songwriter. She is also a dynamic ladies speaker and has conducted several ladies’ conferences. Sarah is also the publisher of Northwest Montana’s Seniors’ Scoop Magazine. She and her family live in the Flathead Valley of Montana. What follows are Sarah’s words.

Let’s settle one thing first: God has never used a majority to achieve anything substantive or revolutionary. It has always been a tireless, committed, and courageous remnant that He has used to accomplish things considered noteworthy and lasting. Any dead fish can swim downstream!

As with Romans chapter 13, Jesus’ instructions recorded in Matthew 22:21, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s,” are likewise much misinterpreted. The same people who love to quote Romans 13 to justify their cowardice in the face of oppressive government also use Jesus’ words in Matthew 22 to do the same thing.

Recently, a student from a prestigious university wrote me with a short list of questions for a thesis he is writing, which is entitled, “The Effect of the Evangelical Movement on the 2008 Presidential Election.” He reads my columns and was motivated to ask me to contribute to his report. I am using today’s column to answer his questions.

I thought I knew what persecution and hardship were, but after my family and I moved to Montana late last year, I found out that I didn’t have a clue what they were. I do now! Furthermore, it was not the “devil’s crowd” that did the persecuting and who created the hardship; it was “God’s people.”

For all intents and purposes, the modern American Church is pathetically impotent! Not only has the American Church failed to influence the nation to any significant degree, it has proven itself to be ineffective in influencing its own membership!

America was birthed in the spirit of liberty and baptized in the blood of patriots and tyrants. Leading the charge in America’s fight for independence was a courageous group of patriot-preachers that came to be known as the “Black Regiment.”  There is little doubt that without these stalwart Christian pastors, this country would not have come into existence. (I extended this call for a modern-day Black Regiment 5 years before Glenn Beck ever mentioned it.)

To a packed out crowd of over 500 Montanans who had assembled in minus zero weather to hear me speak, I made the statement, “Not all Christians are our friends, and not all non-Christians are our enemies.” Indeed, being able to identify our friends is more than half the battle.

A bedrock principle of Natural Law (the Law upon which Western Civilization rests) is the primacy of truth. Without a desire for, and appreciation of, truth, society cannot sustain itself. Lies, deceit, duplicity, etc., are more than moral evils; they are the bane of freedom and liberty. Take away truth, and one is left without honor, justice, or decency. Truth is the cement that holds the bricks and stones of a sane and civilized society together. Remove the former and the latter will crumble.

I challenge Christians to objectively look at the great stories of Bible heroes (in both testaments) and observe how many times they are noted for either being martyred for defying a civil authority, or, perhaps, for being delivered from death for defying a civil authority. The stories of defiance to civil government (in one form or another) comprise a great percentage of all the stories contained in the Bible–perhaps even a majority of them.

After several weeks of moving and settling in, many readers have been writing me asking for an update on our move to the Flathead Valley of Montana. First, let me say, we love it here! The scenery is spectacular, especially now that winter has arrived. What the snow does to the landscape in this mountainous region is breathtaking! Driving through the mountains is like driving through Narnia. I have never seen such beauty.

Almost immediately after Adam’s fall, Lucifer and his minions collaborated with evil men to usurp God’s authority and sovereignty. And nowhere is God more sovereign than in the heart and conscience of man. In the spirit world, the First Commandment (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”) is the battleground that is most fought over. The war for man’s heart and soul is never-ending.

I submit that a good many in America are, like Rome of old, carelessly frittering away their God-given liberties, foolishly clamoring for nothing more than government handouts and never-ending entertainment. Millions and millions of Americans (especially males) are literally intoxicated with sports. Sports are no longer a great American pastime; they are now a great American obsession.

In the same way that Jefferson and Company patiently suffered up until that shot was fired that was heard around the world, we who love freedom today are likewise patiently suffering “a long train of abuses and usurpations.” In fact, I would even dare say that these States United have become a boiling caldron of justifiable frustration and even anger.

Ever since God called Abram out of Ur, God's people have always possessed a "Pilgrim Spirit." Think of it: Abram was called by God to leave the only country and home he had ever known, his family and friends, and his culture and way of life. To make matters worse, he did not even know where he was going. And, of course, Abraham is known as the "Father of the Faithful." Virtually all of God's children since Abraham have possessed an innate pilgrim spirit.

Only the most willingly ignorant people (most of whom are educated beyond their intelligence, as my dad used to say) would argue with the fact that the generation who founded this great country believed that God had providentially established and protected what became known as the United States of America. The public sentiments in this regard are irrefutable.

By now, readers of this column should be aware of the decision my family and I made to leave the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches, and move to the majestic Rocky Mountains: the Flathead Valley of Montana, to be specific. Mind you, Pensacola, Florida, has been my wife's and my home for 35 years. It is the place where each of our children was born and raised, and still resides today. Rest assured, each of my family is aware of the cold weather climate to which we are headed.