O’Reilly, Maybe Stick to Politics
by Dan York
As a disclaimer, I have no problems with Bill O’Reilly’s political stances or him as a person. I am in no way attempting to insult him or attack his character and don’t want to. Family members of mine enjoy watching his television program and occasionally I am made a spectator. What disappoints me tremendously is that he, who claims to be a Christian, would host an atheist on his show and then, like Jon Stewart succinctly puts it, tell him “another thing that he can’t @#$#%&$ believe.” O’Reilly tells the atheist that Christianity is not a religion but a philosophy. He has also added that “Christianity is not an organized religion…you don’t have to believe Jesus in order to admire his view on life.” Are you serious?!? Christianity is first and foremost an organized religion!
This American mentality fundamentally goes against what Jesus told Peter and his apostles: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19 ESV). That’s right—the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Christianity proclaims that men are guilty and depraved sinners judged in Adam before God’s holy covenant-law and under the wrath of God. Out of the Triune God’s sheer mercy, the Father sends Jesus Christ, his Son, who is God and man, as the Mediator to redeem his church from their sins taking them upon himself and absorbing the wrath of the Father on their behalf. He then dies and is buried. Because of his perfect obedience, He is resurrected unto newness of life and ascends to the right hand of the Father and is coming again to judge the living and the dead—this time not as a humble man but as the glorified Avenger and Judge. He is calling and commanding all to repent and believe in the gospel, which is, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for sinners. Just read the Apostles’ Creed! There is no getting around this for us as Christians. This is our religion. This is what we believe and confess. This is the Christ who we love. We don’t defend Christmas, which is a man-made holiday, but we defend Christ and what he has commanded us to teach! Christ in turn feeds us in his organized church with his Gospel ministry through preaching and the administration of the sacraments. We have a right to eat and drink of spiritual food that this world has no right to partake in unless it repents and believes.
The most hilarious part of O’Reilly’s argument is he is trying to defend Christmas against atheists which is supposed to be about the celebration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ! It is saddening that Jon Stewart, who is Jewish, is more able to speak of what Christianity believes and then is able to admit that he will not be part of “its after-party” (i.e. the new creation in heaven). We Christians should be unashamed of confessing our faith before men. We should be unafraid to say that we are awaiting our risen and exalted Messiah, who is coming to judge the living and the dead, and when Christ who is our life appears, then we will also appear with him in glory (Col 3:4). How else will sinners repent if they do not hear what God has done in Christ? They won’t.
To get more context, you can watch this video and read this article:
