GIVING POLITICAL OPINION TO GOD

I remember participating in a large (2000+) congregation in Indianapolis, in the late 1980s, when Religious Broadcaster Pat Robertson made a bid for the White House. I then had a conversation with a lay leader for the prayer ministry who agreed that it would be a good idea to have a prayer group committed to seeking God for guidance about the upcoming election. But there was very little if any interest. The people had already made up their minds one way or the other about Robertson’s candidacy.

In a time when I hear a lot of preaching about how Christians should vote, it seems odd that the preachers don’t tell people they need to ask God to direct them in their political opinions. Instead the message is almost always about adopting a political opinion as if no prayers are needed. The problem is that Christians form camps in opposition to fellow Christians as if the Spirit of God has called us into division. My assessment of this is that the larger problem in the American Church is “un-surrendered” political opinion. Many Christian voters claim to be voting according to their Christian values, but they seldom describe political opinions that have been given wholly to God.

There are certainly some churches that have a truer sense of Jesus’ politics than others. Some are more given to feeding the hungry, advocating for the oppressed, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and all of the real economics of Jesus’ teachings. I disagree, however, that a Christian political crusade will bring churches together in truth. Instead, there must be a true revival that opens the eyes of church-goers. We must take thoughts captive (II Cor. 10:5). There is something about true Biblical politics that I can not communicate as a human being. We must hear more directly from God.

At a time when American lives are in danger, I have become less critical of our presidential candidates. I see positive aspects in each of them. More importantly, I see the United States very much at risk in a world of uncertain economics, a growing health care crisis; an environment in jeopardy; the war on terror; and other threats to the well-being of our nation. For now, my own life is in harm’s way; and my ultimate hope is in God’s own righteousness and His justice however He may choose to bring it.

HAS THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION RUN ITS COURSE?

My 1970s’ upbringing in an Evangelical Christian family, relentless pursuit of ministry, divorce, rejection by the Church, and subsequent period of restless searching (and eventual ordination) have colored much of my reflection in this post 9/11 era. I think about Jesus’ confrontations with Pharisees and other religious leaders, and consider how he might confront the same pharisaical conduct today. I look at protestant moralistic campaigns that bemoan some loss of moral authority in American society despite the fact that Protestants can blame themselves, in their own disunity, for much of the lost church authority. I can not help but think that the real solution to crime, terror, money and sex scandals, social injustice and other crises in today’s world will require prudent moral leadership.

While it might seem obvious that a divided Church can not have moral influence on the larger society, it seems for many to be of little concern. Is it not possible that the inadequacy of Church authority for the American family translates directly into fragile families, fragile communities, delinquency, crime, and social disorder? Is it not a life and death issue? If so, argumentation between Church leaders is acceptable; but Church leadership that has disengaged from such discussion, and lost interest in the effort to reunite the Church is apostasy! Such complacency must be exposed and denounced.

The simplest way I know to expose this problem is to consider the authority declared by the Roman Catholic Church in regard to marriage. While Catholic authorities do not recognize the authority of a civil court to dissolve their marriages, most protestant leaders seem helpless in the face of powerful divorce courts. We could even say that American Catholics are hindered in their efforts to maintain familial order because of conditions created largely by American Protestants over the decades.

We need to have a day in this country when all Christians come to terms with our disunity, and its devastating impact on our moral authority in American society. Until then we will continue to be plagued by a lot of moralistic campaigning and all of the bigoted judgmental self-righteous behavior that follows.