Lead Worship

unChristian – Chapter 7: Too Political

Posted on June 30th, 2008 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: unchristian.

“You should realize that my goal is not to suggest that Christians should neglect or ignore politics. The political arena is a crucial setting for influencing culture and an important domain for expressing a Christian worldview” (page 155).

“Our lives should reflect Jesus, which includes not just how we vote, but every element of our political engagement-our conversations about politics as well as our attitudes about idealogical opponents. This may seem obvious, but based n our research on this subject, we must realize that our political activism, if expressed in an unChristian manner, prevents a new generation from seeing Christ” (page 155).

“Christians need to be aware of their reputation in this arena, not only because it influences their politcal engagement, but because it affects their ability to connect with new generations who are innately skeptical of people who appear to use political power to protect their interests and viewpoints. This perception may not always be accurage but it contributes to outsiders’ mistrust of Christians.
“The stakes are high. Future elections are liely to be shaped by these attitudes, as will tyhe outcomes of the spiritual search of millions of young adults” (page 156).

“Since every group seems to have a political presence and agenda, why should Chritians be subject to special criticism? Are outsiders asking us to stay out of politics? According to our research, not exactly. Many outsiders clarified that they believe Christians have a right (even an obligation) to pursue political involvement, but they disagree with our methods andour attitudes. They say we sem to be pursuing an agenda that benefits only ourselves; they assert that we expect too much out of politics; they question whether we are motivated by our economic status rather than faith perspectives when we support conservative politics; they claim we act and say things in an unChristian manner; they wonder whether Jesus would use political power as we do; and they are concerned that we overpower the voices of other groups” (page 165).

“‘A lot of times the church would take a conservative Republican stance, and anyone who did not fit into that mold was judged as not as good a Christian as everyone else’ ” (page 166).

“We should make an effort to engage in other culture-shaping activities in addition to politics” (page 168).

“There is nothing gained by winning elections if we lose our soul in the process” (page 168).

“Guard your attitudes and what you say about outsiders. Our political engagement should not be the only yardstick by which outsiders measure our faith. Our words and actions shape people’s experiences and impressions of Jesus” (page 169).

“Christians do a lot of complaining about the society and how bad things are in politics, but they don’t do much more than complain. The pont is that you have to offer more than an opinion”(page 170).

“Christians talk about being driven by family values when they volte, but a lot of their families are in bad shape too” (page 170).

“In the aftermath of the Religious Right’s ascendancy, it is not an accident that ‘antihomosexual’ is the number one perception of Christians in America these days, followed closely by ‘judgmental’ and ‘hypocritical’ and ‘insensitive.’ Young people today could, if we had taken a wiser path for the last few decades, think ‘antipoverty’ or ‘pro-environment’ or ‘pro-fidelity’ or ‘antivoiolence’ when they hear ‘Christian’ or ‘evangelical.’
“We need more Bible-but we also need a better, more holistic and profound understanding of the Bible and what it says about justice, compassion, the future, power, poverty, money, war, sex, and the kingdom of God. Yes, we need more maturity-but we also need a better and more holistic maturity, a maturity willing to face the historic and social realities of our so-called Christian pat: a past that includes antiSemitism, racism, chauvinism, holocaust, colonialism, apartheid, slavery, attempted genocide of native peoples, and much else that is ugly and calls not for excuses and minimization but for forthright repentance” (Brian McLaren, page 172-173).

“It is a huge mistake to become married to an ideology, because the greatest enemy of the gospel is ideology. Ideology is a man-made format of how the world ought to work, and Christians instead believe in the revealed truth of Scripture” (Chuck Colson, page 174).

“Every time Christianity has fallen into the trap of using politics to achieve its means, it has lot its power and effectiveness. Relevant Christianity never loses sight of the reality that in the kingdom of God, everything is upside down when contrasted with the world’s pursuits…He said that our job as followers of Christ was to promote Jesus, not political bias” (Tri Robinson, page 175).

“In addition, politics is not everything. We are not going to se aright the sexual revolution on the floor of the Senate. We need new and ’saltier’ forms of cultural engagement” (Mark Rodgers, page 178).

0 comments.