The world won't be won to Jesus through universal health care any more than it will through mandated prayer in schools.
The discussion in the comments of the first part of CT's review of Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's Jesus For President is interesting.
I haven't read the book and I don't know anything about the authors. But this quote from the book is right on:
We are seeing more and more that the church has fallen in love with the state and that this love affair is killing the church’s imagination. The powerful benefits and temptations of running the world’s largest superpower have bent the church’s identity. Having power at its fingertips, the church often finds “guiding the course of history” a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness, and sacrificial love.
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5 comments:
Interesting quote. Could it be history repeating itself? Look what happened to the church when Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire.
But what does this mean practically speaking? If I vote, if I actively try to get people elected whom I believe will promote policies that I think are good, if I think that America should defend her citizens against terrorists, am I having a "love affair" with the state? We talk about "the church" doing this and "the church" doing that, but as a Baptist Protestant (in spite of my current E-Free affiliation) I believe that I am the church. SO for which of my sins, and they are many, am I being accused of straying from my first love to worship of government?
One quotation from the review: "Taking Jesus’ yoke means we will be “liberated from the yoke of global capitalism [while] our sisters and brothers in Guatemala, Liberia, Iraq, and Sri Lanka will also be liberated.”
What does that mean?
Sherry, it doesn't mean we shouldn't vote or even that we shouldn't campaign for a candidate or participate in government.
It's about where we place our trust. Christians who vote their conscience are not cheating on Jesus with politics.
Christians who believe amassing political power is the way to build the kingdom are.
As to the quote, I believe it refers to not just think of the ramifications of kingdom thinking on our country but think about how the way we vote here affects others.
Hahaha. That's good.
And I think Sherry's question is a good one, and sometimes we get distracted by what we're actually doing when we vote. Not casting a ballot based on our faith in an individual, but choosing the best option of the two. I don't know about you, but a politician is the last person I would trust. Well, or maybe a preacher (JUST KIDDING)!!!!
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