If you have not read anything from Will Campbell I strongly recommend reading him. A book of his I am currently reading is titled Up To Our Steeples In Politics. With this book in mind I offer the following:
I am currently and have been for quite some time struggling with the apparent disease of mixing politics and Christianity (or any faith for that matter). My fear is that this tension has been highly overlooked by many followers of Jesus, but I now begin to ask why? Why has love for a particular political party overshadowed one's love for neighbor (especially a neighbor who thinks differently)? Why and how has political allegiance intermarried with allegiance to our Lord? Why has one particular political party been considered pro-Christian and the other(s) anti-Christian? Why have we as the people of God living in this country sold ourselves to Americanism? Can this be changed? Should it be changed? And if so, where do we begin?
The more I come to understand more and more about Jesus (I know the song more and more about Jesus just came to your mind) the more I see a tension between what ALL political parties say is right and true and what our Lord says is right and true. Is it enough in this day and age to pay our taxes, obey the driving laws, take care of your loved ones AND others as well (I think Jesus meant what he said in Matt. 5:46-47) as best you can, and with all that commit ourselves to the life and teachings of Jesus without selling ourselves to a particular political party? Is this oversimplifying life here in America? Or am I missing something?
I think that when we read Paul's "I fought the good fight" that we thought we were supposed to pick sides and fight those who were on the other side of our stand, and then do it the in the name of God.
ReplyDeleteopps, we messed that one up!
I think Christians are greatly impacted by the media who wishes us to believe that the Republicans are the Christian party and the Democrats are demons. With the recent revelations from former Vice President Cheney, from former first lady Bush's book, and President Bush's campaign chair one has to think that the Republicans merely hide behind religion as a means of garnering votes. Frankly one must consider that most of these folks are following after the devil and Christians must find the agenda of Christ as that which they follow.
ReplyDeleteWell said. Finding the agenda of all parties is the key and at the same time the most difficult part. We seem to get half (or sometimes less) truths from all sides and they all have agendas. They want their particular party in power. As followers of Jesus we are cross bearers, towel carriers, feet washers who should be more content with being last than first, living sacrificially rather than in pursuit of power.
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