Religion + Politics = Politics. I believe that's true. Anytime we seek to mix our religious beliefs with our political convictions, it's our religious beliefs that are often forgotten, even if just momentarily, in order that a political position might be advanced. Phil Johnson, President of Grace to You, the ministry of world-renowned radio Bible teacher, author & pastor, Dr. John MacArthur, discusses the issue of Politicizing the Gospel. According to Phil:
"I thank God for Christians whose vocation is to serve faithfully in our government. I also have no objection to Christian bloggers who deal with political subjects. I read some of those blogs myself, and I often benefit from their insights. But let's be clear, here: The church as a body has no calling to organize and protest in the political realm. Moreover, government service and political campaigning are different vocations from the calling of a pastor. It's well-nigh impossible to be a good pastor full time if you also fancy yourself a political lobbyist ... . Practically the worst kind of spiritual treason any pastor or church body could ever commit would be to supplant the gospel message with a different message, or to allow a merely moral agenda to crowd out our spiritual duties. That is exactly the risk we take when we pour money and resources into political and legislative remedies for our society's spiritual problems."
Politics are personal and religion is personal. As long as this is so, it will remain difficult for many, being passionate about what they believe in both arenas, to keep them separate; but as Christians it's important to remember which King we serve and where His kingdom is located (John 18:36). I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't voice their concerns or use Scripture to guide their political convictions, but we must be careful not to take Scripture out of context or add something to the Bible that really isn't there.
Have a listen to Phil Johnson's thoughts here.
HT: Monergism
"I thank God for Christians whose vocation is to serve faithfully in our government. I also have no objection to Christian bloggers who deal with political subjects. I read some of those blogs myself, and I often benefit from their insights. But let's be clear, here: The church as a body has no calling to organize and protest in the political realm. Moreover, government service and political campaigning are different vocations from the calling of a pastor. It's well-nigh impossible to be a good pastor full time if you also fancy yourself a political lobbyist ... . Practically the worst kind of spiritual treason any pastor or church body could ever commit would be to supplant the gospel message with a different message, or to allow a merely moral agenda to crowd out our spiritual duties. That is exactly the risk we take when we pour money and resources into political and legislative remedies for our society's spiritual problems."
Politics are personal and religion is personal. As long as this is so, it will remain difficult for many, being passionate about what they believe in both arenas, to keep them separate; but as Christians it's important to remember which King we serve and where His kingdom is located (John 18:36). I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't voice their concerns or use Scripture to guide their political convictions, but we must be careful not to take Scripture out of context or add something to the Bible that really isn't there.
Have a listen to Phil Johnson's thoughts here.
HT: Monergism
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