Why My Faith is Political

found online by Raymond

 
From North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz:

“You should stay out of politics and stick to preaching the Gospel.” – Bill, a Christian

Several times a day I’m chided by a well-meaning friend, complete stranger, or soon-to-be-disconnecting social media acquaintance for being “too political” as a Christian and or as a pastor. Curiously, I most frequently I hear these sentiments from Conservative Christians—and I’m never quite sure what “Gospel” they want me to stick to, but it certainly isn’t the one Jesus mentioned:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come – Jesus (Luke 4:18-19)

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3 thoughts on “Why My Faith is Political”

  1. “For me, this means that my faith isn’t an isolated activity that I engage in between many other non-religious ones. It is the very lens through which I view everything, and it likewise informs every facet of my life: the work I do, the words I write, the causes I support, how I spend my money, how I experience community, the way I vote, how I see and discuss the world. To suggest I separate my spirituality from any area of my life is like asking ask my brain to function independently from my circulatory system. The two are ultimately inextricably linked. Their existence is symbiotic.”

    Indeed! It is the same for me, and yet John Pavlovitz and I see some of the political issues very differently as informed by our Christian faiths and Christ’s teachings.

    Mr. Pavlovitz wrote an interesting article awhile back about cherry picking which parts of scripture one wanted to live by. Admittedly, I have been guilty of this in the past too.

    While we should absolutely love EVERYONE to the very best of our abilities, that doesn’t mean we should condone their sins or strive to give them political cover for doing so and then couch that “tolerance” behind our Christian faith. Christ himself, while forgiving of us all, also did not condone our sins. In that way “tolerance” is not a virtue emulated by our Lord.

    1. Yes Dave, he did… when they acknowledged their sins and tried to live righteous lives afterwards. He didn’t exonerate them and allow them to continue in their sinful behaviors. That is what Mr. Pavlovitz and evidently you seem to think that Christ does.

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