Diane at Crossroads sent me an e-mail many days ago that I finally got around to reading. It was a link to the lengthy article In God’s Name, Guidelines for Proper Political Involvement written by Michael Horton that does one of the most thorough articulations concerning the Jesus the Politician movement that has consumed the Religious Right in America. Horton does a most excellent job of showing us how God’s name has been abused in the name of personal agendas and pragmatism to promote social action that is diametrically opposed to Scripture.
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The question of how and why the church has become so politicized and almost hijacked in the public perception by a political party is a difficult question. It must be that on the realm of “living to a higher law” as Horton quotes, the church is not speaking loudly. Our distinction ought to be in our transcendant moral attributes. But alas, this is not the current situation. Instead, we are known in the public square as people easily manipulated by the political drama. I have sought to approach this problem two ways:
1. Teach a spiritual life that is almost monastic in quality. Know God in deep abiding prayer.
2. The coalescing idea is Morally Beautiful Community.
The first transforms our affections. The second keeps our priorities clearly focused and clearly counter-culture. May the Lord bring transformation to the quality of His body’s witness in our generation.
brad