This is the truth, the Truth. I’ve been stunned and then dismayed by believers who have somehow thought: 1) that the culture war should be fought using the weapons of the world ... and 2) that the culture war should be fought at all.
He will do His work in human hearts as we walk in faith and service to Him, as witnesses. The American Church believes somehow we can harness human political and cultural power by using the world’s levers, a mistake that the Church has been making probably since not too long after the resurrection.
What is unique about Christians in the public sphere nowadays? Very, very little and consequently it blunts the strength of our witness and dilutes its power.
I go to a liberal Protestant church and the same phenomenon occurs, at least for some members. They would say that, for example, in engaging in political activism on behalf of the poor and oppressed (particularly the oppressed these days), they are being faithful. At the same time, they have no compunction about using almost any means to their ends, and don't distinguish themselves from pure activism. Hating your enemy is a virtue and not something to pray to God to help one overcome. It breaks my heart to experience this. I wouldn't say it's a church-wide way of seeing things, there's a lot of different ways that people live out their faith in this church. But it's there and the scorn for other side is palpable.
Amen to this. I highly recommend a book, "Cross Purposes: One Believer's Struggle to Reconcile the Peace of Christ with the Rage of the Far Right." I'm biased; I wrote it. But it's the memoir from that odd combination of evangelical Christian and newspaper journalist who tells of how he came to see his complicity in the Far Right's straying from biblical principles in quest of political power. And how he prayed a prayer. And changed. https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Purposes-believers-struggle-reconcile/dp/0977230643
The Holy Spirit is a Political Liability
Hallelujah! A piece by a genuine Bible-reading Scripture-based Evangelical Christian! Hurrah! Thank God! There are some real Christians left.....
This is the truth, the Truth. I’ve been stunned and then dismayed by believers who have somehow thought: 1) that the culture war should be fought using the weapons of the world ... and 2) that the culture war should be fought at all.
He will do His work in human hearts as we walk in faith and service to Him, as witnesses. The American Church believes somehow we can harness human political and cultural power by using the world’s levers, a mistake that the Church has been making probably since not too long after the resurrection.
What is unique about Christians in the public sphere nowadays? Very, very little and consequently it blunts the strength of our witness and dilutes its power.
I go to a liberal Protestant church and the same phenomenon occurs, at least for some members. They would say that, for example, in engaging in political activism on behalf of the poor and oppressed (particularly the oppressed these days), they are being faithful. At the same time, they have no compunction about using almost any means to their ends, and don't distinguish themselves from pure activism. Hating your enemy is a virtue and not something to pray to God to help one overcome. It breaks my heart to experience this. I wouldn't say it's a church-wide way of seeing things, there's a lot of different ways that people live out their faith in this church. But it's there and the scorn for other side is palpable.
Amen to this. I highly recommend a book, "Cross Purposes: One Believer's Struggle to Reconcile the Peace of Christ with the Rage of the Far Right." I'm biased; I wrote it. But it's the memoir from that odd combination of evangelical Christian and newspaper journalist who tells of how he came to see his complicity in the Far Right's straying from biblical principles in quest of political power. And how he prayed a prayer. And changed. https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Purposes-believers-struggle-reconcile/dp/0977230643