Politics & Preaching (III)
Posted Wednesday, May 11th, 2005 at 3:45 pm
This article about the bad mix of politics and preaching is humbling. I know this is an extreme example of manipulation, but still. As much as I want to be faithful to preach biblically and engage on relevant political issues (not just pro-life/pro-choice), it is humbling to recognize the limits and the dangers of overstepping faithfulness from the pulpit.I’m also challenged in my thinking about what role the church universal is supposed to play in the political sphere - whether local, national, democratic or other. I’d be curious to hear different thoughts.
May 11th, 2005 at 7:28 pm
Since I haven’t lived in the United States in over four years, I am thankful that I have not had to listen to political debate focused solely around whether being faithful means being a Democrat or a Republican. The churches I have attended in Germany, England, and Singapore are all truly multi-cultural and multi-national bodies of Christ and I am glad that we don’t discuss whether God is a Dem or a Rep, because honestly, that is a self-serving, naive, Ameri-centric attitude that is the cause of much hatred of Americans outside of the U.S. (A suggestion for Americans travelling abroad - never begin a sentence, “In America, we….” Chances are they’ve already heard it and would prefer not to hear it from you again until you’ve spent some time trying to understand their perspective.)
My experiences have taught me one extremely valuble lesson: God does not call on us to let politicians change the world around us. God calls on us to be open to Him using us to change the world around us. If a pastor in the South finally convinces Americans that God is indeed a Democrat or Republican, the next logical step is convincing the world that God is an American. Personally, I think this effort wastes plenty of time that could be spent sharing the Gospel and showing that God is a God of love who wants to be in relationship with all of us regardless of what we believe.
May 12th, 2005 at 9:29 am
As a Christian, I’m actually frightened by the spook politics that is corrupting the US church. It is scary to see how being Christian equals being Republican in a majority of otherwise diverse Christian circles. I’m not about to say that being Republican equals being the devil, but the blanket approval of the Republican political worldview is scary. I hope that God blesses America with more discernment & humility, lest we fall by the wayside of past history (doesn’t it repeat itself) that other “Christian” nations fell to at the hands of demonic,or democratic, or whatever, leadership (read=Constantine, Crusades, Hitler) who confused their “highest authority in the land” political positions as being blank checks of authority from God to step in as God. As if God would ever let any single individual attempt to have his unique, singular authority.