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Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell were businessmen, not Christians. Neuhaus misread the situation. Clergy did not abandon the public square. They were pushed out of it by their own soi-disant leaders, non-Christians who had gotten themselves placed in denominational leader positions. Think Gramsci.

Mark, in addition to that, you misunderstand The Church and Her relationship with the churches. The Church is a Spiritual Community, in the world but not of it. The churches are corporations, in the world and of it, living tax free whilst taxing their members withal!

Our unity is in The Spiritual Community. There only is neither Greek nor Jew, nor man nor woman, nor south nor north, etc. In this world, there is neither unity nor equality, all are different, never will be united, never can be, so those qualities should not be sought in this world of politics. For this reason our Founders observed that the tool of governance they bequeathed their descendants relied for its strength and efficacy on The Church, The Spiritual Community, and not on politics.

Politics, the public square, can never support a free nation. Why else would Leftists place such emphasis on it? If you place your hope in politics, in the public square, you subvert your own freedom and throw the game to Leftists.

The churches contribute to society’s and the country’s welfare when they are disconnected from the public square, aka politics. Spiritual practice is upstream from politics and culture, both. Spiritual practice belongs to The Church and is the only legitimate activity for the churches. Spiritual practice is also the only leverage men have on politics. Politics have no welcome in The Church or in a properly functioning parish church.

For this reason, the latter is called a Sanctuary. Sanctuary is a church’s one and only purpose. Only as a Sanctuary from politics can all be welcome at a church. The Church is inclusive, never exclusive, but the churches are par excellence exclusive, never inclusive. Locke offered a political correlate of this spiritual truism, to wit, tolerance is extended to the tolerant, never to the intolerant.

Clergy stay away from the churches now because they are run by and filled with non-Christians. Clergy have no reason to be present in the churches today. Or the public square. If clergy are present either place today, it is by the Grace of God and for no other reason.

Church attendance does not measure spiritual practice. Most people in the pew and virtually all persons at the altar today are non-Christians allergic to spiritual practice and itching for politics. Thus what you see, Mark, but not for the reason you think you see it.

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The tendency to compare yourself with others is very wrong. No two things or no two men are identical. Even identical twins grow in distinct ways of life. No one of the million leaves on a tree is exactly the same as another. Botanists are aware of this feature. Billions of human beings are on the earth, but where is the ‘press’ which has given each of them a novel imprint? This is the glory of God! Millions of boxes are manufactured by a company; all are identical, and all can be locked and opened by the same set of keys. Man is created by God, each with a distinct nature, quality, potentiality and destiny. How, then, can anyone compare oneself with another and either exult or despair? We say someone is tall and feel dejected because we are short. And at other times, we are proud that we are better than others. When we come to think of it, all this is very silly!