My teacher Scot McKnight just published a piece at Jesus Creed, now hosted at Christianity Today online, warning Evangelicals of the trap of “statism” running amok in Christian circles. This statism was on full display in the reactions to Mark Galli’s editorial piece on Trump a few weeks back. Here’s a couple paragraphs, but you … More Evangelicalism’s Big Trap
To all God’s beloved living in the United States today, Paul would write urging us, like the church in ancient Rome, to be a set-apart people, setting up little beachheads of Christ’s eternal kingdom right here and now in the swamp of partisan politics and idolatrous nationalistic sentiment. … More A ‘Set Apart’ People in a Partisan Culture
Here’s another good challenge from Skye Jethani on the idol of nationalism: The temptation to root our identity in our country is certainly nothing new. It was equally prevalent during the early church when Christians were divided by their loyalty to Christ and his church, and their loyalty to their nation of origin—whether Rome, Greece, … More Christian Colonists or Tourists?
In his ongoing series on American Idols, this week Skye Jethani is taking on the idol of patriotism in his “With God Daily” devotional. This clarion call and challenge has been a key concern of mine. Keeping the church’s identity and witness distinct from national agendas and partisan politics is essential for the mission of the … More America is Not the Chosen (Skye Jethani)
This is an excerpt from a much longer essay I wrote called “Royal Scribes in the King’s Court: Ancient Education & Christian Discipleship” published in a little book of essays called “Life in King Jesus’ Colony” from my doctoral studies. I hail from good Lutheran stock from the Midwest (Minnesota) where we shared … More Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
When it comes to how followers of Jesus ought to engage in politics, I’m an Anabaptist. Anabaptists believe in following Jesus’ radical ethic laid out in the Sermon on the Mount, and keeping the church separate from earthly power and politics. Here’s Greg Boyd, another Anabaptist thinker, giving 12 reasons to keep the kingdom of God … More Gotta Keep ’em Separated (Greg Boyd)
I recently gave a lecture on Reading Revelation Responsibly based on the great book by Michael Gorman by the same title. Needless to say, trying to cover the entire Book of Revelation in 90 minutes is a lofty task. I began with the following illustration: What if a silver DeLorean drove up to your house, the … More Revelation for Today
“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” -Jesus My politics actually haven’t changed all that much over the years. When I go to the polls every two or four years to give “caesar” my opinion on how best to run this particular “kingdom of the world” called America, I still … More Church & Politics: A Jesus-Shaped Approach
It seems hardly necessary to make an argument for the universally experienced suffering and injustice prevalent in the world. If pain really is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world”, as C. S. Lewis argued, then the message is deafeningly clear and God might consider turning the volume down a bit. What then is the church’s appropriate response to the world’s injustice and suffering? … More A Case for a Cruciform Justice
by Allan Bevere Now that the special Senate election in Alabama is over, it is time for some Christians on both sides of the political aisle to repent of selling their souls in exchange for temporal political power. Conservative Christians who supported Roy Moore in spite of the fact that there were numerous credible women … More It Needed to be Said
It all began when I turned my knob from FM to AM on my radio dial. I was about 19 years old and had discovered the new world of talk radio. It began with non-stop sermons on a Christian station nurturing my new hunger for Bible teaching. Before long I was also drinking in my daily dose of conservative political talk as well. I was hooked. But then Jesus came along … … More Me & Jesus Cruise the AM Dial
This is a timely repost from about 2011 when MainStreet was just getting launched. It was during another local election season where people were passionately campaigning for and against a school referendum. You can sense my urgency and deep burden for our local community. Regardless how we vote on November 8, may we vote Jesus leader of our lives … More Political Fervor & Christian Apathy
For those who are struggling to support either candidate in this upcoming election, Ed Stetzer has a great series of posts at The Exchange blog at Christianity Today. This one below provides interesting food for thought. Note: I have no idea who this 3rd party candidate is, and am not hereby supporting him. But I resonate … More 2016 Election – Food for Thought
“I find an increasing number of young Christians are willing to say “enough is enough” when it comes to militarism, to military budgets, and to embracing a peace orientation toward how Christians are to live in a world of international conflicts. Ronald Sider (Christ and Violence) and John Howard Yoder (The Politics of Jesus ) have … More QUOTABLES: Scot McKnight on Non-Violence
What do you think of Dr. Scot McKnight’s perspective on the place of politics in the pulpit from Jesus Creed? It is commonly asserted that we should keep politics out of the pulpit, but what most people mean by that is that we shouldn’t endorse a specific candidate — and who’s kidding whom on that … More Politics and the Pulpit (Jesus Creed)
I saw this today at Jesus Creed: “At the end of the day, elections don’t shape or influence our cultural imaginations. On the contrary, our imaginations influence our elections, as the naive nation builders who thought that bringing elections to Iraq would transform the country discovered, much to their dismay. As the midterm elections approach, … More QUOTABLES: Russ Reno on Elections & Imagination
Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed is raising that touchy but crucial issue of national idolatry. I love America, democracy and the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation. I listen to my share of political talk and love keeping up on the latest debates. BUT….I also see many Christians who are far more interested and … More Church or State: Where do our hopes & passions lie?
Let’s bring religion, sex, and politics to the dinner table! Jesus and the Bible have a lot to say about them. Tread carefully and expect disagreements. FAITH & POLITICS ARCHIVE SEX & GOD ARCHIVE
What did Jesus mean when he told his fellow Jews to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s”? Greg Boyd brings another strong critique of American tendencies toward a nationalized version of Christianity. In a recent sermon entitled “Handing Jesus Over to Caesar” Boyd argues that Jesus’ answer “undermined … More Boyd Waxes Bold on Jesus & Politics (Again)
BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE ‘FIGHT’ FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Before exploring the world-altering event of the cross and a cruciformed concept of justice, we need to spend some time in what will be much more familiar territory for most of us. I speak of the marketplace of ideas where ‘the fight for freedom,’ the … More Cruciform Justice 4: Business As Usual in the ‘Fight’ for Peace
In my previous post I suggested today’s youth culture can help remind us what really distinguishes a healthy church from a sick, diseased or dying church: “Are the individuals who make up that church authentically regenerated, committed followers of Christ whose lives bear outward evidence of the inward sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit?” Teens … More SINKING (3): Patching Leaks #1 – Culture Christians
Jeremy L. Berg 