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Is there a direct correlation between our declining confidence in the church and our growing engagement with politics? The more we find it hopeless to think that we can actually create and sustain disciplined communities of faith, the more we spend our time on political activities. We may not be able to get self-identified Christians to obey the Word of God, but we might be able to leverage our political clout to elect "our people" to Congress.

Recently I was brought up short by reading about an Ohio pastor who was hoofing it through his neighborhood getting the work of the church done. No, he wasn't visiting the sick, preaching the gospel, or inviting people to church. He was registering voters. Call me old-fashioned, but somehow that doesn't seem quite right to me. I'm glad it's not how my own pastor invests his time.

It is election season, and we must remember that there are many good reasons to exercise our christian citizenship with care. but the church's message is that Jesus saves.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

David P. Gushee is Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University. His books include Only Human: Christian Reflections on the Journey Toward Wholeness, Getting Marriage Right, and he is coauthor of Kingdom Ethics Following Jesus in a Contemporary Context. His columns for Christianity Today include:

How to Create Cynics | Everybody knows when we're covering up our confusion with God-talk. (Sept. 5, 2006)

What's Right About Patriotism | The nation is not our highest love, but it still deserves our affection. (July 18, 2006)

Crash | What our harrowing experience taught me about human nature. (May 1, 2006)

The Truth About Deceit | Most lies are pitiful attempts to protect our pride. (March 20, 2006)

Our Missing Moral Compass | Christianity is more than an event, an experience, or a set of beliefs. (Nov. 14, 2005)

Bill's Big Career Move | How do we make important family decisions? (Jan. 10, 2006)

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November 2006, Vol. 50, No. 11