Trusting in Politics or Living Out Faith?
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008Cal Thomas wrote a provocative piece last week about redirecting the religious right away from failed political solutions toward Christians putting their efforts into the greater power of God’s kingdom, basically living out their faith.
Too many conservative Evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of government to transform culture. The futility inherent in such misplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simple question: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuade conservatives to live by their standards? Of course they do not. Why, then, would conservative Evangelicals expect people who do not share their worldview and view of God to accept their beliefs when they control government?
He Continues:
Suppose they (Christians) followed the admonition of Jesus to “love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans,” not as ends, as so many liberals do by using government, but as a means of demonstrating God’s love for the whole person in order that people might seek Him?
While I see Christians on both sides of the “isle,” I have emphasized the notion of voting according to worldview much more than being partisan or jumping on a certain band wagon of celebrity endorsements. Each party’s platforms say a lot about worldview.
Case in point: voting by values is not a left or right decision. Which values have higher priority? Both parties can be labeled pro life, because one party holds a value of life in protecting unborn children in the womb, while another party values life through the ending of war. Some hold the value of “peace not war” higher than the value of “life over choice.” Its worldview, no one is going to change their views, so why argue about it? Just agree to disagree. Cal Thomas says we have failed to persuade anyone, so let’s do something else!
I have often wondered if a committed Christian can even be an effective president. Why? How can you live out “love your enemies” or “turn the other cheek” and still be able to lead as Commander in Chief of the military? We might talk about “just war,” but Bonheoffer said it best, “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Perhaps out of context, but the point is valid, we should give up our rights, look out for the interests of others more than ourselves… our model is Jesus who went to the cross, and Christians through the ages who have died for their faith (after all, the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church).
Trusting in a political solution is to settle for a lesser power, which is really no power at all. Mr. Obama is not the savior and the democratic platform is not divine Scripture. The power of God transforms lives, and the only way we can transform our society is to live out what we say we believe before a watching world.
