Saturday, February 15, 2020

Christianity and Politics


  He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Isaiah 44:20
 
Conservative Christian involvement in politics has been going on for a lot of years now. In my memory, it seemed to have started with Jerry Falwell and his Moral Majority which functioned from 1979 through the late 80's, according to Wikipedia. Since then, the Christian conservative right has been building steam, culminating in what we see today- conservative evangelicals neck deep in politics, THE most corrupt, greed-filled, worldly system on the planet. And now the movement has a name- Christian Nationalism. How could so many church people have been deceived this thoroughly?

To be carnally [politically] minded is death.
Rom. 8:6 KJV



Christian Nationalism


To understand the drive behind this quest for power, you have to understand Christian Nationalism.  And to explain this, I will use a quote from the book The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, an investigative journalist who has researched this movement thoroughly.
 [Christian Nationalism] is a means through which a small number of people . . . harness the passions, resentments, and insecurities of a large and diverse population in their own quest for power.  The leaders of the movement have quite consciously reframed the Christian religion itself to suit their political objectives and then promoted this new reactionary religion as widely as possible, thus turning citizens into congregants and congregants into voters. (p. 7)
Ms. Stewart has seen the workings of the Christian Nationalism machine. She's been to meetings, has seen where the money comes from, and has exposed their agendas and their exploitation of well-meaning Christians across the country.
Movement leaders understand very well that this access to conservative Christians through their churches is a key source of their power, and for this reason they are committed to overturning regulatory, legal, or constitutional restrictions on the political activity of churches. (p. 7)
Christians, you are being used.
 
This movement is based on the mistaken notion that the US was founded as a Christian nation, something that's not hard to dispute if you just think about it. A bunch of arrogant colonists decided to bull in and take over countries all over the world, subjugate the native populations, commit genocide, force their culture on them, and to cap it off, haul in slaves. All in the name of God. Doesn't sound very Christian to me. 
 
To see how subtly this notion has been foisted on us, just consider almost every sanctuary in the country. There is an American flag right up there at the ALTAR. We have been influenced, in essence, to worship the country along with our God. This adulterates our faith which should be purely for God.
 
For more on that topic, read The Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd, a book I VERY highly recommend. And actually, if you are interested in looking into any of this, you ought to read this book first to dislodge any convictions you may have that this is a Christian nation. This is the foundation, the base upon which the rest of this is built.

Now I will explain my views on why the whole concept is so very contrary to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.


Control Issues

This can all be reduced to one question- who is in control? Do Christians think this will make their lives easier? Control the government, have an easier life? And it truly is a matter of control. Christians clearly want control of government. 

Was Jesus an advocate of control? Hardly. That’s the devil’s wheelhouse. And He certainly wasn’t an advocate of controlling the government of His day. Jesus’ followers were expecting Him to do just that but He didn’t. He loved them all, and showed them a higher, better way- the way of love, forgiveness and serving.

But somehow that just doesn’t fit into the conservative agenda; it has become far more important to demonize and defeat the other side and take control. Does this sound like Jesus at all? He told us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, but the Church seems to be completely consumed with the pursuit of political power. Are conservative evangelicals pulling the strings, or is Jesus? This quest for worldly power and control is disturbing.
Power corrupts, and when a church leader who already has significant influence gains an audience or role as an advisor to someone with significant political power, it becomes difficult to remain a person of faith and character. Usually, the political agenda and the religious agenda are merged. Then, the politician sounds as though he shares the church leader’s values, and the church leader is associated with platform positions that are not defensible from a Christian perspective... (1)
Puppet is free clipart from clker.




Faith vs Fear
Merriam-Webster's definition of "partisan"- a firm adherence to a party, faction, cause or person; especially: one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance.
Partisan politics are just that- partisan, requiring adherence to one party, necessitating the rejection of the other. Political involvement breeds disdain and often outright hate for the other side, all fueled by fear. Both sides are guilty of sowing fear of what the others will do if given power. Suspicion and conspiracy thinking abound.

Where is the faith in any of this? It boils down to faith vs fear. In my opinion, you can’t have it both ways. You are either operating out of fear of what the other side will do, or you’re operating in faith, believing God in spite of what the government does. The Kingdom of God and the Great Commission are completely lost in the quest for power, a quest driven by fear.

The fear campaigns have raged for years, sucking in all those who choose to listen, breeding hate galore. The groundwork got laid decades ago, and now each side absolutely hates and demonizes the other. Christian? I don’t think so. Christians have very effectively planted their faith in the political system, in politicians, and in an earthly government, striving for control, and thoroughly convinced they are right. And all of it has been motivated out of fear. The Church has drunk the Kool Aid.

True Christianity is not fear-fueled. Perfect love casts out fear, and thus doesn’t live its life motivated by fear of what the other side might do. All this political action is clearly motivated by control and fear. We gotta have control, or the others will destroy us!

Scared man is free image from clker.




 The Strife Factor
   
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [there is neither Republican nor Democrat] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:28 KJV
 
Again, it’s PARTISAN politics, meaning you take one side or the other. The Bible doesn’t speak favorably of those who promote strife and division, and this is all this political movement does- it exploits Christians in order to control government, multiplying the divisiveness in our society. And for Christians to join in and compound the strife is deplorable- it is thoroughly contrary to the Kingdom of God.
 
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Cor. 1:13 KJV

But that’s not the worst of it. This whole conservative, evangelical and primarily white movement is creating a huge division in the Body of Christ, and the devil is loving it- he is exploiting all this to divide and conquer. Church- you are being used!

People that fall into this kind of thinking will just assume that if you aren't for one side, then you MUST be for the other side. A politicized brain will think along party lines and just can't seem to think outside that strife-ridden hate-mongering political box. Tunnel vision is the result with the only goal in mind being political power. What happened to the Kingdom of God in all this? Frankly, it got shoved to the side in favor of worldly power now. They have lost their first love.
Rom. 16:17-18- Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. [Politicians perhaps?]

1 Cor. 3:3- For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

James 3:16- For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [there is neither Republican nor Democrat] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Donkey elephant image is free clipart from Wikimedia.





Hate Thine Enemy

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:35 KJV

In the Name of Jesus, the Church is promoting hate, strife, divisions and a morally superior attitude that the world sees as incredibly hypocritical. They want control because they fear the other side, and hate is the nasty by-product of all this. And as far as I can tell, Christians have managed to justify this underlying hate without really even acknowledging that it's there.

I find it amazing that well-meaning, otherwise sound thinking Christians can see the "other side" as so thoroughly evil, and exude such hate toward them, and not be even slightly convicted. Like I said, the groundwork for this was laid decades ago, hate and fear having been sown for all things liberal. The attitudes have been pervasive and justified for years, and the ridiculous thing is, one side is no doubt just as guilty as the other of sowing fear and hate. And who knows how much, either way, is actually true? But you gotta believe every negative thing you hear about the other side! But anything negative about my side? Lies, it's all lies! No, it's manipulative politics and a power grab.
 
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye not be consumed one by another. Gal. 5:15 KJV
 
Angry man is free image from Pixabay.



Herd Mentality

The way Christians have flocked to this mindset has been, to me, mind-boggling. The reasoning they use is all very consistent, with most using the same logic, the same arguments, the same attitudes.
 
With so many big names involved, and the talking points all gone over in churches across the country, it's like a complete take-over of the American church has been pulled off via YouTube and social media. Church leaders are all in lockstep, influencing their congregations who are falling into line without questioning any of it.

Just because everyone else is doing it, does that mean you have to?

To challenge any of this brings a response that is impossible to reason with. And from years of experience, that kind of knee-jerk reaction is suspect to start with and immediately makes me wonder what's behind it all. Priorities have been shifted from bringing the love, forgiveness and grace of the Kingdom of God to a dying world to a dogged determination to control government and squash the other side whatever the cost.

Jesus said that the way is narrow that leads to life (Matt. 7:13-14). Herd mentality leads to error; we are called to be led by the Spirit, not by what everyone else is saying and doing.

Again, just because everyone else is doing it, does that mean you have to?

Sheep herd is free clipart from clker.

The beauty of the cross and the magnetic quality of Calvary-quality love has been smothered in a blanket of self-righteous, self-serving, moralistic posturing. (2)




 Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

By their fruits you will know them.
Mt. 7:20

This has gone on long enough. Christians have no business justifying their fear, their hate, their promotion of strife and division, and their desire for control. We have been shown a higher way- the Kingdom of God. We are to demonstrate that Kingdom by loving, not hating, by sowing reconciliation, not strive and division, and allowing Jesus to be the Head of His body.

Political leaders are just that- political. By definition they are partisan, full of strife and division, power hungry and full of the hate that goes with it all. We have no business promoting this worldly way of doing things. And again, Jesus rejected this mindset. He was offered this kind of worldly power in the temptation; He chose the way of love, the way of sacrifice, the way of reconciliation. He resisted the devil. But the American church has chosen to bow the knee and in so doing, has compromised itself.

The cost for this depth of involvement in worldly politics is the fruit of the Spirit. Where is the love? the joy? the peace? the patience? the kindness???? When political domination takes over your thinking, the fruit of the Spirit disappears. It's like the people on the "other side" don't qualify as humans, as God's creations. They are demonized and hated, and all this is justified in their thinking. 
 
Political races turn into holy wars, a complete contradiction in terms. There's nothing holy about a war. People deceived by this thinking believe that they are fighting for God, but He provided a better way, and His name is Jesus.

Jesus said, By their fruits you will know them (Mt. 7:20). Is a political mindset destroying your fruit? I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't vote; that's between you and God. It's a matter of how deeply you sink yourself into the world's way of doing things. What I've seen is not the real Church. Is the Kingdom of God your priority or is political domination? Has patriotism completely overshadowed the cross?

Biblically speaking, it is idolatry and spiritual adultery- church people putting their trust in third party "prophecies" and political leaders rather than in their God. Misplaced trust in the world's way of doing things is deadly- it will kill you spiritually and undermine your faith.
...the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.  Hos. 4:12 KJV
What if the Church spent as much time in prayer and really listening to the Spirit as it does listening to all those worldly voices out there? God can accomplish a whole lot more through a body that will cooperate, submit to Him, and let Him do things His way. That requires laying down all the fear, control, manipulation and hate and learning to live by faith, being led by the voice of God, and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit to all, regardless of political persuasion. Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Cor. 103-5 NASB

Tree Planted by Water is free clipart from christart.



WWJD?

Jesus probably would... be the only person to bring Democrats and Republicans together. (3)
We have far too often placed our worldly citizenship before our heavenly citizenship (Phil. 3:20) and allowed the flag to smother the cross. (4)

 
1 Hager, Glenn. An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life (p. 57). Communitas Books. Kindle Edition.
2 Boyd, Gregory A. The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church, Zondervan, 2005, p. 138
3 Hager, Glenn.  p. 78.      
4 Boyd, Gregory A. p. 111
 
 
Recommended Reading
 

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church by Gregory Boyd
Boyd makes a clear distinction between the Kingdom of God and earthly kingdoms, and explains how the American church has blurred the lines between nationalism and Christianity to the hurt of the Kingdom of God.

 
 
 

The Power Worshippers
by Katherine Stewart
Ms. Stewart has researched the Christian Nationalism movement and exposes the origins and the goals of those whose quest for power has corrupted the Christian faith.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Taking America Back for God
by Whitehead and Perry
The authors use survey data and interviews to examine the Christian Nationalism movement and the implications for democracy.
 


An Irreligious Faith: How to Starve Religion and Feed Life by Glenn Hager
This is Hager's personal account of his church experience and what led to his leaving institutional church. He has a lot of great ideas for the church of the future.






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