American Christianity and American Politics joined forces a number of years ago (starting about the time of the "Moral Majority") to create an unholy union.
Politics has become the golden calf for many churches in the USA.
Throughout history, from King Saul, King David, and King Solomon... To Constantine... To King's of Europe... To Donald Trump... When God's people gain political power, it corrupts the church and it damages society.
Abortion, even, has become a golden calf.
What!? How could you say that!?
Here's why:
When anything other than God himself becomes an Ultimate Thing, people (made in God's image) loose their own ability to Image God in the process.
When stopping Abortion (baby murder) becomes more important than God, it becomes the idol.
The Church destroys people too. In an effort to protect the unborn (good thing) they steam roll the dignity and significance of the born (humans made as God's Image).
The Church has been guilty of murdering abortion doctors, standing in picket lines and screaming "murderer" with hateful faces at women who already feel trapped and hopeless.
Pot (Right), meet Kettle (Left).
Okay, so that's extremists, obviously a violation of God's will. But that's fringe.
Not so fast.
Pro-Choice dialogue has become so one-note that other matters are ignored in the process.
Where is the discussion about what circumstances brought women to the clinic in the first place? If discussed at all, it’s usually in the tone of “sin” and “sinners”. Rather than seeing, poor, broken, hurting people who feel trapped and have few choices.
Where is your “outrage” when these same children you fought to give life to are born into poverty, raised in poverty, addiction, abuse, and sent into school systems designed to fail them all while having no access to services that other kids have?
Where is your outrage when the immigrant shows up on our border and is shot on site, or dies trying to get here because they were so desperate to try? Why aren’t you curious about the conditions that made them so desperate to try?
Well, they should come legally, get in line like everyone else.
Really? Is that your answer?
Are you Christian or American; you’re going to have to choose.
If you are in God’s Kingdom, enforcing his Kingdom Rule on earth, seeking to implement God’s will on earth as it is in heaven, then, you’re going to have to start caring about an awful lot of things you dismiss and refuse to even consider.
I frequently see posts from so-called Christians who say: “If you vote for a pro-choice candidate, you endorse baby murder and are in danger of hell.”
Why not: “If you vote for the mistreatment of immigrants and the continuation of national and international policies that create and perpetuate poverty in other countries, you are in danger of hell?”
This is what it means to choose an Ultimate Thing over God.
You become so myopic about your “righteous cause” that you fail on virtually every other measure.
So before you get so focused on one thing that you start to denigrate your fellow human beings, why don’t you take a chill pill, step back, and let God be the God of the planet. If he wants to judge them, he can. It’s not your job.
Your job, NUMBER ONE Job, ONLY Job, is to Love God and Love your Neighbor.
It’s hard to love your neighbor while you are shouting at them, calling them names, and failing to listen to their hearts’ cry.
Step a whole bunch of steps back, realize that here is no “right” side. No, the Republicans are NOT more righteous than the Democrats, not by a long shot.
In fact, when you start to see it from Gods perspective, the Republicans, Democrats, and the entire spectrum from American Christianity are all blind, naked, and poor spiritually.
It’s time to get a perspective that includes a broader view.
We need to see how things are seen by fellow Christians in every nation around the world, every tradition, every time in history from the beginning to now, and look at the principles of God’s word.
You can fight for a righteous cause and still be fighting God in the process. I argue that most American Christians fall into this category today.
It’s time American Christians took fewer sides, spoke up for more causes, and used a broader lens and worldview, lest we have our lamp stand taken from us.
If someone spreads false teachings and does not agree with sound words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) and with the teaching that accords with godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions, and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit. 1 Timothy 6:3-5 NET
Note: This new political party is another example of Christians using a failed worldview. It’s a better shot at what we need to be doing, a bit more nuanced, but still way off. https://solidarity-party.org/about-us/platform/
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