Replies

1. You cannot compartmentalize your Christianity or it is worth nothing. You cannot decide you are not going to take part in politics because it controls all facets of your life, as well as, your neighbors' lives.

Agreed. Jesus Christ IS lord of everything. He rules now ("he must rule until we see all things subject to him"). This includes politics of course, as well as every single aspect of life. When I encounter those areas, whatever they are, I am to seek to bring them into subjection to him, using the weapons of warfare He gives. I still maintain though that American Christians have an idolatrous obsession with politics, and a consequent blindness to the fact that politics is DOWNSTREAM from culture. If the culture is renewed, the political changes we struggle and sweat and labor and painstakingly work at (only to see it destroyed by putting fools and/or knaves in office!).... those transformations take place AND TAKE ROOT in a place where the Holy Spirit has worked.

Take a look at the American Colonies (which BIRTHED the American experiment!) and grab a look at the societal effects of the Great Awakening. George Whitefield is the real "father of America." Take a look at the Welsh revival of 1907 and the blizzard of prosperity, soberness, rejection of prostitution and drunkenness that happened in its wake. The reformation was the result of a "gospel bomb" that detonated in Europe and caused what was arguably the greatest period of societal transformation since Pentecost. History is FULL of this stuff. Really. So, while I laud true Christian men and women who ply their trade in the realm of politics, I also remember that the ministry of Christ deliberately and purposefully avoided seeking to "influence" the halls of power. He was born and reared not in Rome, nor Athens, nor even Jerusalem, but in a podunk hick town that was sneered at, and the men he chose to "turn the world upside down" never did become emperors or prelates, or kings, or (most of them anyway) even important people. It is just the way God works. I think the great job of pastors is to teach THIS, that THIS is the way (if it comes) of true societal change. Walk away when they say get out, and form an alt-society. We are there now.

2. You cannot separate yourself from your wicked/sinful neighbors because that goes counter to everything that Jesus preached. While he did preach that we are to separate ourselves from those within the Church who are sinning with total disregard, he also went out among the sinful to bring them to the Gospel.

AMEN and thank you. I am in fact planning to go hang out this evening with a bunch of "interesting" guys at a local pool hall. I just discovered it in this tiny town in which I live... one of the few social venues open. I will be the only grain of salt in a big pepper jar, so if you can remember to pray for me that God would grant me wisdom, purity, friendliness, graciousness, and love (and the ability to play a decent game of 8 ball would help--lol), I would genuinely like to be regarded as a "friend of sinners." I hated snooty fundies in their "holier than thou" stuff when a pagan and don't wanna reproduce that. It is a fine line and I am like Luther's drunk man on horseback, constantly falling off first one side and then the other. I am serious. Would you kindly pray for me for this evening? The man who believes he is passionate for God and doesn't care about lost people is ... I dunno. I never have understood that. Thanks for the good word there.