photo by CaptSpaulding
As Election Day 2008 draws near, I am increasingly engaged in political conversations with friends. Some of these discussions have been about specific candidates like Obama, McCain, and Ron Paul. Or we debate about significant topics such as abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia.
I used to care a lot about political issues. I'm that guy who would watch C-SPAN in my free time. Yeah, that guy. Politics was truly my passion.
But then Christ revived my soul, and I lost my passion for politics and gained a passion for God and His righteousness.
Once I became a Christian, I began to recognize what is truly important. Jesus did not leave His church here to make the world Christian or to establish Christian governments. Instead, He left us here to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [He has] commanded [us]” (Matthew 28:19-20). He did not leave the church here to rule over all nations, but to serve them.
A pastor friend introduced me to Sermon Jams, which are mostly just some interesting sermons mashed with a cool beat. Alistair Begg, Pastor of Parkside Church near Cleveland, makes the point in one of the Sermon Jams that we, as Christians, are not supposed to "reconstruct our society by coercive, legal, and political means." He said that those who do so are "like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, out with the swords, ready to chop the people’s head off. And Jesus is putting ears back on all around and saying, ‘Guys, have you learned nothin' in two thousand years? Didn’t you read what I wrote in the book, ‘My kingdom is not of this world!’’”
Check out the Sermon Jam here.
I don’t want to overstate my transformation either. I strongly believe that Christians have a responsibility to take part in the political process. We are to be involved in our republic as good citizens by educating ourselves on issues and candidates. We should also be actively engaged in supporting just causes, like defending the lives of unborn babies.
However, we should resist becoming partisan simply for the sake of being partisan. I certainly lean toward the conservative side of the political spectrum, but that doesn’t mean that my first priority is to defend the Republican Party.
In America, the terms "Republican" and "Christian" have become virtually synonymous. While this is not surprising, since at the very least the Republican Party is by-and-large Pro-Life, this perceived connection is dangerous.
I fear the more non-believers associate Christianity with the Republican Party instead of the life of Jesus Christ, the more likely those non-believers will be distracted by the worldly agenda, peccadilloes, and scandals of the GOP. We cannot let the glory of Christ in the Gospel be affected by the machinations of the Republicans, or any man-made political ideology for that matter.
For His sake,
JT
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2 comments:
We have had some conversations in this vein in the past, so you know where I stand for the most part. I love this write up! Insightful and timely.
Nice work.
I absolutely LOVE and ADORE that Begg sermon jam and listen to it every month or so as a reminder. It's so easy to look desperately for a fix for this fallen world but we are deceived when we look to government as the solution to that problem. We, as Christians, need to change hearts not regimes. A population of truly converted and changed hearts will impact society in a much more meaningful and powerful way than legislation ever will.
Support candidates that will assure freedom so you can freely pursue your true mission on this planet.
That was a good word. I love this topic as well and think it is one that has several layers to it. It is fascinating to see the relationships people assume or create involving the kingdom of heaven and the kingdoms of this world. Thanks for introducing it!
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