#ReimagineCHRISTIANITY...My Politics Reflect My Identify, Affect My Ministry, Hinder Unity
- Left? Center? Right?
- Where Are You On The Spectrum?
Phil Miglioratti @ The Reimagine.Network
Being conservative or liberal is a as much a function of our personality, as it is determined by our politics.
- {Personality: temperment - nature - persona - self-percpetion -identify}
Our party affiliation is based on our affinity with it’s positioning on the spectrum of presuppositions; right or left or centric. We relate because are pre-disposed to that perspective on fundamental ideas about human nature and how the world should work.
Christians, while agreeing on the Gospel of Christ, appear on all points of the spectrum. Some are guided by a liberal viewpoint. Some have a conservative default. Some find their sweet spot in the center.
As a trust colleague stated, "there is not a straight line from Biblical theology to political ideology, and therefore Christians will fall within a broad range of political opinions."
#WhatsMyPoint?
The current culture wars expose the shallowness and selfishness of our Christian thinking.
We evangelicals think and vote as if our partisan perspective is always the best (and only acceptable) choice for every citizen regardless of their persuasion.
Which leads us to fear the other party as an enemy to be eradicated, which gives birth to hate. Politically, this has become standard operating procedure. An election strategy to gain power to control.
Tragically, some of those partisans we fear/hate are saved-by-grace believers. Sisters/Brothers in Christ.
Theologically, we are rejecting Christ’s prayer:
“I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.” John 17:21 CEV
Have we given ourselves permission to ignore this prayer?
Party allegiance can supersede our identity in Christ, compromise our evangelism, and breed disunity in the Body of Christ.
Once again, my colleague brings clarity: "Christ’s prayer for unity means our focus ought to be on Christ and the gospel. Elevating political ideology up to the level that it is allowed to be the litmus test for inclusion in Christ’s Kingdom is in error."
This rejection of our Lord’s prayer in John 17 makes sister/brotherhood in Christ less important than my commitment to the systems and standards of a temporal kingdom.
No, I do not believe all Christians must agree on every issue.
But that’s the point.
We are spread out across a conservative-liberal landscape. Each faction must be the “yes, but…” respondent to the other. Each have truth, but never the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Dialogue, even disagreement, must be viewed as “iron sharpening iron.” Good ideas become stronger. Unintended results are mitigated. Cooperation trumps control or conflict. Excess is hindered.
Conservatism alone protects/preserves past progress. Liberalism unbridled leads to freedom-without-accountability, all-for-one but no expectation of one-for-all.
So if we think our spot on the spectrum is the only spot where people think honestly and know truth, we are dangerously unwise.
Christian’s who see political power as a means to proclaiming and protecting the Gospel are achieving the exact opposite. God’s divided House of Prayer presents diametrically opposed petitions “in Jesus’ name.” The lost, those with less, those who look (seek) hear a confusing/confounding message as we wage war in front of them.
We have yet to see what God will do if we prioritize “Thy Kingdom come” over red or blue.
This is not a call to a “kumbaya” singalong, rather a hope we will reimagine the role of true evangelicals; believers who are Christ-followers seeking God’s kingdom first, not a blue or red one.
Maybe this is the path to the Great Commission in this era.
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Featred Contributor Jim Morgan of @Meet_The_Need
As Christians, have you ever considered how Jesus would vote in a presidential election or what party He would join, if any? I have – and those thoughts haunt me every four years. The last thing I want to do is cast a vote that doesn’t align with His will.
Jesus wouldn’t just vote along party lines or based on a single issue, as so many Christians do today. It’s not that simple. A close study of the life of Jesus reveals that His views don’t confine Him or conform to one party or issue. To illustrate the point, it’s necessary to break the issues into the two that typically drive our allegiance to parties or candidates – Economics and Social Norms. Each of us is either deeply concerned about the economic direction or moral direction of our nation, and we tend to vote accordingly.
NOTE: There are several political parties and ideologies in America today, but for purposes of this discussion let’s focus on the primary two.
Economics
Social Issues
Democrats are generally considered “economically legalistic” meaning they entrust government with greater liberty to invoke regulations, programs and taxes. Republicans are considered “morally legalistic” meaning they cling to traditional social norms and oppose attempts to redefine them.
It’s possible to be an economic conservative and social liberal – with fewer rules on both fronts; in other words, smaller government and looser moral standards. It’s also possible to be an economic liberal and a social conservative – with more rules on both fronts; in other words, bigger government yet upholding a more strict moral standard. However, it seems few fall Americans fall into either of those combinations. Today, most Democrats are both economic and social liberals – giving government more liberty to act and citizens more latitude to live according to their own moral compasses. Republicans today are typically both economic and social conservatives – with greater restrictions on governments and citizens to act however they wish.
However, what if we define “economic liberal” not as asking the government to care for the poor, but as asking churches and Christians to do so? Suddenly we begin to get a glimpse of where Christ would likely land – an economic liberal and social conservative.
Was Jesus a Liberal?
Yes, but only in terms of economics – generously serving and caring for those in need of help and hope. (Matthew 20:28)
Clearly, Jesus was more about heart than rules. Jesus was first and foremost a servant. He led with compassion, healing and feeding everywhere He went. Jesus expected His followers to do the same, and the Church did for the better part of 1900 years.
However, the government has usurped (and/or churches abdicated) the front-line compassion role in America over the past century. Jesus warned us of the potential abuses when political leaders wield too much power, assuming responsibilities that His Church was intended to have. The government cannot provide hope, only help. At the same time, Jesus did not deny the authority of government in society. In fact, Jesus went so far as to subject himself to the legal system and pay taxes, because He is the One who put those rulers in place (John 19:11, Romans 13:1). Even when political leaders forget their intended roles as public servants, Jesus calls His followers to persist in serving others (Matthew 20:25-26). However, the perception prevails today that Democrats are more inclined than Republicans, churches or Christians to help struggling families.
Was Jesus a Conservative?
Yes, but only in terms of social norms – holding His followers to a standard of behavior consistent with His intentions and will for our lives.
However, again here, Jesus was more about heart than rules. Even the rules themselves were about heart for Him. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Love (heart) is the driver of the rules.
Jesus also spent his time with “sinners” because they were most in need of the “great Physician” (Mark 2:17). He didn’t condemn those “sinners”, but instead rebuked those who condemned them. In fact, Jesus was so much about heart that He felt it necessary to emphasize that He did not come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17).
Jesus was vocal about sin, but waited until He had demonstrated His love and compassion first before speaking out about it. That’s the proper sequence Jesus modeled for us. He knew society wouldn’t listen to what He had to say about morality unless they understood that He cared about them.
Should Christians be Liberals or Conservatives?
Disciples of Jesus Christ are Christians – not Republicans or Democrats. What’s important is that we each examine ourselves and make sure we’re not more about rules than heart. Are we morally legalistic or genuinely driven by concern for the eternal fate of non-believers? Let’s ask ourselves how we feel about non-believers. Is our concern for whether others obey Christian rules based in love and concern for their salvation, or in self-righteousness? I’m sure most of us believe our political stances are grounded in love, yet somehow that’s not the message coming across to society today.
If churches and Christians want America to return to being socially conservative, they must return to being economic liberals, not leaving the responsibility for caring for poor, helpless, lost and hopeless to the government.
Jim Morgan
President
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JMorgan@MeetTheNeed.org
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When believers disagree, whether it be in a local church, in a group of churches, or in an entire denomination of churches, at least four things must be remembered. When it is all said and done, Jesus wins. Re-read the back of the Book. I’m not sure that once in heaven, we will be able to look back, but if we can, I am sure we will wonder why we spent so much time disagreeing and so little time on the second thing to remember, which it our primary task and our great commission, to make disciples, who make more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Third, we must agree to disagree without being disagreeable. Speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) far exceeds character assassination. Finally, we must remember that the enemy is not our fellow believer but much larger than that. We must use our energy against the “principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The well-known quote is often attributed to Augustine: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
Dr. Dan R. Crawford, Senior Professor, Chair of Prayer Emeritus; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Former Head of Task Force for the Teaching of Prayer in Theological Education for America’s National Prayer Committee. Administrative Consultant for the Valley Baptist Missions Education Center.
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Phil Miglioratti