2022-08-07 Gospel and Culture - Politics

August 2022, Antioch - Notes from the Gospel and Culture forum on how Christians ought to interact with politics.

• When were all stressed out we're not at our best (and we're all stressed so don't assume others are at their best)
• Conflict is not the problem. Our ability to handle conflict is the problem. We can engage in hard conversations if we develop the tools
• We have a kingdom responsibility to leverage our votes to help people on the underside of power

a conflicted allegiance

• Nation vs kingdom
• Cross and country - Christian nationalism - an errant belief that America is God's chosen nation and must be defended as such
  • says God will save the world thru the US
  • When we say God has put a person in power, we can attribute their actions as the will of God, and unquestionably go with it.
  • This can lead to using violence to try to make our nation more like how we think it should be as a Christian nation

BILLY GRAHAM AFTER WATERGATE: "in my earlier days... I tended to identify the kingdom of God with the American way of life. I don't think like that now."

going too far the other way

• Don't get apolitical or impartial. Keeping the church out of politics is not helpful to people under oppression.
• You're not taking responsibility if you say "Jesus not politics"

be involved

• Our relationship with Jesus should not be static. We should be willing to evaluate and reconstruct or faith.
• Democracy may not be perfect but it is our tool

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: "It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

• We have a responsibility to change laws.
• Be generous without compromising our core convictions
• Be willing to be misunderstood. If others don't think you're following God correctly they may be wrong
• Negative means never lead to positive ends
• Proximity and story, build relationships

BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR: The only clear line I draw these days is this: when my religion tries to come between me and my neighbor, I will choose my neighbor because Jesus never commanded me to love my religion.