government

Christianity and politics make strange bedfellows

You’ve probably heard it before – Religion and politics make strange bedfellows. Today though, we’re going to narrow it down to Christianity, rather than religion as a whole. So we end up with Christianity and politics make strange bedfellows. And when we narrow it down like that, the combination of Christianity and politics is even more strange than religion and politics! Why? Because some religions do intentionally have the government, politics and governmental laws, integrated with their theology and religious laws.

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what can Christians learn from politics?

What can Christians learn from political parties?

A look at ourselves

I was going for a walk the other day and had this thought -what can Christians can learn from political parties? It’s amazing what we think about while walking our furry friends. Like Donnie, the little guy below. I know, it sounds crazy. Especially from someone who keeps pointing out that politics and religion really shouldn’t be mixed. And neither should government and religion. And yet the question, what can Christians learn from political parties, has a simple answer. A lot. There are so many things we can learn.
After all, it doesn’t matter if Christians are taking a “Biblical” approach to an issue. And yes, I put “Biblical” in quotes for a reason. It’s because when our solution is to go to the government, and / or to act in a way that isn’t loving – it’s also not truly Biblical.

We turn people off. They reject our solutions. But even worse, they reject Jesus’ offer of salvation because we failed to act in a manner consistent with what Jesus taught.

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God is our refuge and strength

Verse of the day

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. That’s the verse of the day from YouVersion. Lots of Christians know this verse, even if they aren’t aware of knowing it. Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” comes from the Psalm containing that line. But even with the hymn, even with Christians singing the song, how many of us live like we actually believe it? Sadly, the answer appears to be far too few.

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How did Christianity get to be like this?

A look at ourselves

How did Christianity get to be like this? You ask, Like what? Let me answer, initially, with a hint, rather than a direct answer. Some think one of the worst things to happen to Christianity was when Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. As history is showing, that’s more significant that most people probably realize. The parallels to what’s going on in the U.S. today are incredible.

Historians now debate whether “the first Christian emperor” was a Christian at all. Some think him an unprincipled power seeker. What religion he had, many argue, was at best a blend of paganism and Christianity for purely political purposes.

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What happened to Christian transformation – becoming more Christ-like?

A look at ourselves

What happened to Christian transformation? You know – becoming more Christ-like? It used to be important. But now, does it mean anything more than switching to a church that we like better? One that supports our view of God, the way we created Him? That’s as opposed to a church that teaches and helps us to become more like Jesus. The Jesus Christ who’s the namesake of the Christianity.

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Who’s supposed to do the Great Commission? Christians or the government?

Is this really Christianity?

Every Christian should know what the Great Commission is. And pretty much everyone in the U.S. probably at least heard of separation of church and state. So when someone receives an award for “Selfless and Steadfast Service in the Lord’s Vineyard” I expect them to understand the relationship between the Great Commission and the idea of separation of church and state.

Instead, we read a headline like the one of foxnews.com:

Barr says ‘notion’ of separation of church and state misunderstood because of ‘militant secularists’.

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Why can’t America deal with the Coronavirus?

A look at ourselves

Why can’t America deal with the Coronavirus? Maybe for the same reason we can’t seem to deal with much of anything these days? We’re so split on just about every issue. If you ask people what color is the sky, I bet we couldn’t even agree on that!

But maybe it’s not what you think. I don’t believe it’s really political, although that seems to be a big factor. I don’t think it’s race either, even though that also appears to be another big factor. The question is, are those really the problem? Or are they symptoms of the real problem?

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The problem when too much freedom means little freedom

The problem of ...

The problem of too much freedom – how to compromise.

Let’s take just two issues and see what happens with compromising when there’s too much freedom. When I say “too much freedom”, I mean when we pretty much start from scratch, which is what’s going on in this Seattle autonomous zone. And probably in most situations like it. Well, except for the reality that we never really start from scratch.

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Is the Great Commission for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody?

A look at ourselves

Is the Great Commission for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody or Nobody? When I was working, I used to have a sign in my office that told the story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Given all the protests and other things happening surrounding the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, I couldn’t help but think about it. For a number of reasons.

But one thing that brought it to mind is this headline from msn: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Racism Won’t Stop Until We ‘Accept Jesus Christ’. If you’ve read much oh my stuff, especially over on whichgodsaves.com you know how a feel about mixing government and religion. It’s a bad mix. Really bad. It compromises Christianity, and that’s never a good thing.

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The first amendment versus the Greatest Commandment

A look at ourselves

Which is more important to Christians? The first amendment versus the Greatest Commandment? Let me rephrase that. Which should be more important? It’s the Greatest Commandment, isn’t it? Or did I miss something?

I’m asking because of something that’s happening now. Just one example is in a recent CBS News headline:

Pastor holds services despite virus ban, citing 1st Amendment

It’s shocking. As a Christian, it’s also very disappointing. I get it – churches want to meet. But what happened to the Greatest Commandment?

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