A friend of mine wrote a great blog post on the intersection of politics and Christianity in America. It eloquently sums up much of what I feel on the subject. Here’s an excerpt…check it out!
Modern Christianity has transformed itself from a grassroots movement that sought to change society by changing lives, into a Political Action Committee trying to enforce morality through legislation, a plan that might change the nation’s actions but can never change its heart. Even if it succeeded, it would only create a nation of pretty tombs, gleaming rocks full of dead bones.
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Hey Ryan – I would agree with the principle of what your friend has written, but still have a burning question. If politics are, quite literally, the issues of the people, and Christians are a group of these people, would they not want to take part in the political process? And if Barna’s numbers are correct (45% of Amerians, or 101 million, in 2006 identified themselves as “born again Christians”, http://www.barna.org), that is a lot of people who would be disenfranchised if they did not participate in the political process.
Further along those lines, if people are involved in the political process, but do not represent their own values, what good does that do?
Nonetheless, I see too much dependence on the government by Christians on a number of fronts – they look to it for change, policy, legislation, and many other things, many of which they should not. But I have to stop now, otherwise I’ll cross the line and argue the supremacy of the free market versus government involvement.
Suffice it to say, the Christian message, and the true change it brings, is passed person to person, on the individual level, and is not a policy, and therefore not a government, issue. So your friend is right on that point.
Bret,
I think the main thrust of the post is not that Christians should not participate in the political process, or seek to elect leaders who represent their values, but rather that Christians shouldn’t spend so much of their lives in a panic over the latest legislation, election, or alleged attempt by those in power to destroy truth and righteousness in every form.
From the post:
“…many Christians have alienated the very people they are supposed to be reaching by focusing their considerable energies on opposing same-sex marriage, Roe vs. Wade, and gun control instead of building real, genuine relationships with those around them…”
This is the main issue with American evangelicals today: they’re far more focused on political issues and change from the top-down rather than relationships and change from the inside-out.
Interesting thoughts, though I disagree with your statement “This is the main issue with American evangelicals today: they’re far more focused on political issues and change from the top-down rather than relationships and change from the inside-out.”
That’s probably true of the people you see on the news. James Dobson is certainly a prime example of the highly politically powerful Christian evangelical.
But he’s only one. And while there are no statistics I know of to back this up, my significant anecdotal knowledge of evangelicals – the real people, not the political operatives – is that they will vote for the representation of Christian ideals quite consistently, but do not get strongly involved in the political posturing preceding votes.
This is much like every other politically inclined group: A very few attract a lot of attention, while the vast majority quietly vote their values. Christian evangelicals are no different.
Bryan Ellis
FreeRealEstateTraining.com
I think the burning point of your whole society, politics and religions included, is the lack of esteem.