As a pastor sometimes I feel a bit marginalized when I am willing to speak out against a bill, such as the enormous health care project that was recently passed. Is it ever the role of a religious leader to speak out regarding such things? Increasingly, I am encouraged not to do so.
But I believe that a Church that appears thoughtless regarding the public/political
life of a nation is not a church that embraces the full Gospel.
I’ve been surprised at the increasing absence of critical
thinking regarding domestic political issues among Christians. Many times this is under the guise of
staying “gospel-centered.” What
this means is that we don’t take stances on issues, we don’t tweet or encourage
political debate, presumably because the minute we do so we are “about politics
rather than the Gospel.”
This is an unfortunate and incorrect view.
Most Christians I know who are concerned with issues such as
health care and the increasing American debt are not obsessed with such issues
to the neglect of the Gospel. They
think of the Gospel as informing their worldview in all realms and domains of
life, including the political realm.
Friends of mine have twittered “I wish Christians would care
as much about converting others to Christ as they do about Health Care” or “Why
do people get so worked up over politics.” Or “Why can’t we just focus on the Gospel.”
Some pastors and leaders in the camp which I belong (missional/evangelical/reformed)
won’t touch political issues with a 10-foot pole, especially if such issues
have any remote resemblance with Republican positions. I am not sure what the rationale
is, either to swing the pendulum as far as possible away from the troubled past,
trying to stay culturally relevant, trying to not offend non-Christians.
I hope above all, it’s not to be cool.
Whatever the rationale I don’t think it is Biblically wrong
to engage in challenging prevailing thought that could clearly head the country
in a wrong direction.
I for one have very little faith in politics, or in a
political party for that matter. I
could share several reasons for this, both cultural & theological, but the
main point is that I am not a pastor or Christian that is aligned with the
“religious right.” But at the same
time, I am increasingly surprised at how far some of my friends will go to
create a distance.
So why then are many of us worked up?
Many of us see fiscal responsibility, stewardship,
traditional marriage, and protecting the value of human life, as important
Gospel issues.
- We are concerned about the growing, out-of-control
national debt.
- We are concerned about the most pro-abortion
Administration in decades.
- We are concerned about abortions paid for by taxpayer
dollars, despite an impotent “Executive Order” that declares they won’t be.
- We are concerned about the increasing hostility in public
life towards those who hold a traditional value of marriage.
- We are concerned about the threats to religious liberty in
our nation.
And as a side note, I think it’s justifiable to get worked up regarding what kind of nation our kids will grow up in.
Persecution will come.
But continuing to resign ourselves to the fact that “it will just get
worse, so why bother” is not an acceptable response, practically and theologically We are not called to give up in our call to proclaim
Christ. In the same way, we are
not called to care less about the direction of our nation, or the world, for that
matter.
Thank you John Piper for making a declaration to Obama recently regarding your disgust with his pro-abortion legislation. I wish more pastors had this
courage. And thank you for calling
us to pray for President Obama at the same time.
A church that appears thoughtless regarding the public,
political life of a nation is not a church that embraces the full Gospel. The gospel has the power to
inform and transform all of the aspects of our lives. Both individually, and as a nation, by God’s grace.
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