I am starting this blog in hopes of starting a conversation within the
Christian community.
The issue that I want to explore in this blog and particularly during
this election cycle is this: What is the role of the Christian in American politics
and more specifically in American political parties?
We should establish up front what this blog will be:
This blog is my 100% best effort to produce well researched, true
information to add to our discussion.
This blog is meant to be a conversation between Christians of all
backgrounds, but everyone is welcome to participate regardless of faith, opinion,
or background.
We should also talk about what this blog will not be:
This blog will never endorse a political party or candidate.
This blog will never allow the questioning of someone’s faith based on
a political belief.
This blog will never exclude anyone who is genuinely interested of the
subject at hand.
Why this topic?
One thing that I see in churches and in Christian relationships is how
political beliefs and political party affiliation are driving wedges between
Christians around our country. This is not something that is unique to a
specific political party or to a specific church, but is an all-encompassing
issue that I feel is not being addressed in the Christian community out of fear
of backlash.
The colloquial wisdom says that polite conversation should never
include religion or politics, and while we certainly have a dearth of social civility
when we discuss these matters, I still feel that we need to examine these ideas
as a Christian community. The church should be the safest place to bring issues
of politics and religion under examination but we can’t because political ideology,
affiliation, and identity have become a religion.
People are not able to separate their religious values from their political
ones, because politics has become a false idol within the hearts, minds, and churches
of many Christians. I have seen too many Christians try to fit their religious
beliefs into their political beliefs, instead of forcing their politics to
reflect their faith. I have seen too many Christian say that they are willing
to support the lesser of two evils as long as it keeps the greater evil from
winning. I have seen too many Christians tear down politicians who the bible
says that they should be praying for (1 Timothy 2:2), respecting (Romans 13:7),
and submitting to (Romans 13:1). I have seen too many Christians, within the
same denomination, professing the same beliefs, have relationships damaged
because their political conclusions were different. (see Matthew 18:6 and 1Corinthians 10:32-33)
Different political conclusions are not the issue, different political
conclusions within a body of believers shows the strength and health of the
group, instead it is the damage to faith and relationships that comes from people choosing to value their political
convictions above the convictions of their faith.
People put politics before faith for a very simple reason, our brains
cannot differentiate between religious and political thought without training.
If we look at studies on political participation, we find that the same areas
of the brain light up during both political and religious discussion.
Furthermore, there are studies that show correlations between different braincompositions and political party affiliation.
The meanings of these two pieces of
evidence are this: 1. our brains do not automatically distinguish between
political and religious thought, and 2. our brains are designed for political
diversity within an otherwise homogeneous group. If we accept both of these
ideas as true then we must consciously train our
minds to understand the differences between political and religious thought and discard any political leaning that does not match our faith. If
we do not, our brains and our human nature will push us toward a political Christianity
that is both a false religion and inherently exclusive to those who’s brain
compositions correlate most strongly to our own.
This is where the danger comes. If we look at 1st
Corinthians 12 the idea is very clear:
12 There is
one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is
the same with Christ. 13 We were all
baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t
matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all
given the same Spirit to drink. 14 So the body is
not made up of just one part. It has many parts.
15 Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong
to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 16 And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t
belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the
whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18 God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it
to be. 19 If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 20 As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.
21 The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head
can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body
that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with
special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with
special care. 24 The parts that
can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of
the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. 25 In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All
of them will take care of one another.26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one
part is honored, every part shares in its joy.
27 You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.
Yes, this even includes political beliefs.
My next post will be on the roles of God and Government in the Christian Life.
My next post will be on the roles of God and Government in the Christian Life.
