Re: What to do as a Christian in politics? -- ExUBF's Parlor

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Date Posted: 00:16:35 01/29/05 Sat
Author: x
Subject: Re: What to do as a Christian in politics?
In reply to: Joe 's message, "Re: What to do as a Christian in politics?" on 20:20:38 01/26/05 Wed

Disease and poverty: also symptoms of sin. Do we then stop treating the ill and feeding and sheltering the poor and "just preach the gospel?"

In the long run what is more important. The church of the early 20th century was known for its "social gospel" and left behind the hard teachings about sin and repentance and grace through Christ. Eventually those churches became less and less effective in teaching the gospel when they concentrated soley on social issues. When this occurred, society slowly started its downward spiral. Treating the ill and feeding the poor is a by-product of teaching the gospel. It shouldn't be a substitute of the church which is teaching the gospel.

I don't think the moral decline of American society and the rise of secularism and political correctness can be blamed on churches. The rise of secularism coincided with the decline in church attendance, not with the rise of "seeker-sensitive mega-churches."

The seeker sensitive church is a product of our PC and consumer driven society. Many people who attend these church think they are saved because they go to church and do many good deeds. There was an article in the Times that Rick Warren's church doesn't preach about hell because it isn't popular to the congregration and the local community. Remember he used surveys to determine what people want to hear. (I have also read Warren's Purpose Driven Life, he admits to watering down the Bible for his audience.) R.C. Sproul wrote a book called "Save from What?" If people don't known about the consequences about sin, why would they have a desire to be saved from it? Church become nothing more than entertainment to these people. Attendance means nothing unless the audience is change by the gospel.

Beside who fault is it that attendance of churches are down? Isn't it the churches themselves? Look at UBF, the reason that attendance is low is not because of our culture? It is because they didn't teach the Bible correctly. The same thing is happening with many churches. You noted above about the Methodist who wasn't teaching the Bible correctly. This is why Methodist attendance is declining. They have constantly change their stand on divorce, homosexuality, woman pastors to increase attendance, but it doesn't work.

If you look at the early church, Roman and Greeek society had the same corruption that we have today, massive idolatry, adultery, fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, etc. It was slowly changed by the strong preaching of the Apostle, deacons, etc. Eventually, the society changed Western society. This was cause by Christian's influence not using legislation to ban those activities.

I would also like to note. Christians are obligated to serve their government through voting, paying taxes, obeying the law, and serving the arm forces if necessary. They are also obligated to have Biblical convictions whether it be at church, government, work, home, etc.

The issue is whether a Christian or "Christian" should blindly follow a human institution political party, etc putting the interest of that party ahead of the truth of the Bible because of some political gain, using the church as a political PAC, demonizing a party while ignoring the faults of the favor party (sin of favoritism). Ex. People often use Clinton adultery as an example of how bad the Democrats are. However, no one has said anything about Newt Gingrich, Republican House Speaker's adulterous affair at that same period. (Don't believe me look it up).

Here is a short list a famous scandals and moral shortcomings that occurred among Republican and Democratic presidents.

Bush Jr? - (most scandals occur during 2nd term.)
Clinton - Monica Lewinsky
Bush Sr. (R) breaking word about taxes (Read my lips) and and lying about his involvement in Iran Contra scandal, heavily involved in promoting the Unification church.
Reagan (R) - divorce first wife Jane Wyman (remember divorce is the same as adultery in God's eye if it is not based on adultery or abandonment.), pushing no-fault divorce in CA by making it easier for people to get a divorce like he did, issue orders to sell weapons to Iran against US embargo laws while selling proceeds to finance Sandinista insurgency against the Nicarangua government. (Iran Contra Scandal.) Wife involved in astrology and fortune telling.
Nixon (R) - fighting a non-declared war in Laos and Cambodia (Pentagon Papers), authorized burglary of opponent's offices then preceded to lie about it (Watergate).
Harding (R) - illegimate child and Teapot Dome Scandal where individual connected to him illegally stole government oil with his administration knowledge.
Cleveland (D) - illegimate child
Grant (R) - alcoholic
Andrew Jackson (D)- poligamy
Jefferson (D) - illegimate child

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Replies:

Re: What to do as a Christian in politics? -- Joe Chung, 13:27:03 01/29/05 Sat
- Re: What to do as a Christian in politics? -- Shane, 21:29:07 01/29/05 Sat
  - Re: What to do as a Christian in politics? -- Chris, 08:25:01 01/30/05 Sun