Last night I received an automated phone call warning that the Democrat running for Congress in my district wants to take my house and give it to illegal immigrants. I’ve received similarly ridiculous calls about the Republican candidate – apparently he wants to ban Dr. Seuss from the public schools. With mid-term elections just a week away, and the rhetoric speeding toward absurdity, we thought this would be a good time for a more intelligent political discussion. Here are some of the most popular posts from the last year about the intersection of faith, politics, and ministry.
From: Kingdom Confusion: Is the quest for political power destroying the church?
by Greg Boyd
I believe a significant segment of American evangelicalism is guilty of nationalistic and political idolatry. To a frightful degree, I think, evangelicals fuse the kingdom of God with a preferred version of the kingdom of the world (whether it’s our national interests, a particular form of government, a particular political program, or so on). Rather than focusing our understanding of God’s kingdom on the person of Jesus – who, incidentally, never allowed himself to get pulled into the political disputes of his day – I believe many of us American evangelicals have allowed our understanding of the kingdom of God to be polluted with political ideals, agendas, and issues. Read more.
From: Kingdom Confusion 2: The danger of believing in a Christian America
by Greg Boyd
The myth of America as a Christian nation, with the church as its guardian, has been, and continues to be, damaging both to the church and to the advancement of God’s kingdom.
Among other things, this nationalistic myth blinds us to the way in which our most basic and most cherished cultural assumptions are diametrically opposed to the kingdom way of life taught by Jesus and his disciples. Read more.
From: Reaching the Liberal Next Door: Are conservative politics a barrier to the gospel?
by Wes Haddaway
Two years ago our church was growing at the rate of about a hundred people per year and we were all very excited about what God was doing. As the pastor responsible for evangelism and assimilation, I had a unique perspective. One night after visiting a family that was new to our church, it occurred to me that no matter what walk of life a person came from to our church, there was one thing that I could be sure of; they had all watched the O’Reilly Factor on Fox News within the last week. They all voted for the same candidates and had conservative social views. Read more.
From: Is Emergent the New Christian Left? Tony Jones responds to the critics
by Tony Jones
If the mainstream media is a harbinger, then I’d say that recent columns by Gary Wills and Andrew Sullivan show that a tipping point is just around the corner. Jesus really wasn’t a Democrat or a Republican, and he won’t be domesticated by political agendas. I do, however, believe that he will inhabit the robust and respectful dialogue about ideas that matter. Read more.
From: Preventing the End of the World: A pastor’s perspective on the Clinton Global Initiative Conference
by Gordon MacDonald
I know, all too well, that Bill Clinton is a polarizing name among many Christians. My association with him over these years has lost me any number of friends. Personally, I grew to love him and greatly care for him in the years that I served as a personal adviser. I recall many conversations we had about his post-presidency and the priorities for this period of his life. Since leaving office he has used his amazing ability to convince people of wealth to see their social responsibilities. Read more.
