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dave
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7 months ago
in Faith Can Be Frustrating on Timothy Mallon.com
hey tim! i wanted to thank you for your posts on my blog. i very much appreciate the conversation and am always excited to speak with someone who is passionate about Christ. thanks again!
dave
dave
10 months ago
in Why Faith at the Conventions Matters (by Jim Wallis) on God's Politics
politics have always been a broken system. humans are broken, therefore human institutions follow suit. i'm not sure that this is a much disputed point in the christian community.
i also don't think the goal of politics is to bring every single citizen into agreement on every issue. this does not necessarily make it broken. we can't even get christian to agree, how can we expect a massively diverse nation to agree politically?
that, however, is not the point. the point is that there is no eternal hope in any political process. plain and simple. as long as we can participate in the process with that understanding, it can serve it's purpose, but when we place our hope for change and a secure future in government and politics, we will find that our hope is misguided.
i also don't think the goal of politics is to bring every single citizen into agreement on every issue. this does not necessarily make it broken. we can't even get christian to agree, how can we expect a massively diverse nation to agree politically?
that, however, is not the point. the point is that there is no eternal hope in any political process. plain and simple. as long as we can participate in the process with that understanding, it can serve it's purpose, but when we place our hope for change and a secure future in government and politics, we will find that our hope is misguided.
10 months ago
in Why Faith at the Conventions Matters (by Jim Wallis) on God's Politics
politics are indeed broken and always will be. the yearning for power is inevitable in the process and this struggle is antithetical to the common good, which is what the political system is supposed to serve.
government is indeed useful in correcting oppression as utilized by MLK, Wilberforce, Mandela and Ghandi, but where are the positive examples of Christ-like action being displayed when it comes to abortion, health care and economics?
as was discussed in yesterday's post, many people aren't abondoning politics to pursue a "me and Jesus" piety. they are doing so because politics is NOT the Kingdom answer. it is this world's answer to the problems that plague us. as long as we try to fight and win the way the world does, the Kingdom will always lose.
government is indeed useful in correcting oppression as utilized by MLK, Wilberforce, Mandela and Ghandi, but where are the positive examples of Christ-like action being displayed when it comes to abortion, health care and economics?
as was discussed in yesterday's post, many people aren't abondoning politics to pursue a "me and Jesus" piety. they are doing so because politics is NOT the Kingdom answer. it is this world's answer to the problems that plague us. as long as we try to fight and win the way the world does, the Kingdom will always lose.
10 months ago
in Mal-Engagement, Disengagement, and Wise Engagement (by Brian McLaren) on God's Politics
sorry to flood the comment section. i think we agree. semantics are awful barriers on these comment boards. i agree with both you and paul that the limitation of political action is very real and that mercy and love must be the Church's primary cause.
10 months ago
in Mal-Engagement, Disengagement, and Wise Engagement (by Brian McLaren) on God's Politics
rick, i'm not sure i agree. i don't think mclaren was saying that we shouldn't depend on partisan politics. just the opposite really. i think he was saying that we must engage politically to get these issues resolved. i don't think the cause of Christ is advanced in this way.
10 months ago
in Mal-Engagement, Disengagement, and Wise Engagement (by Brian McLaren) on God's Politics
with all due respect (and i do indeed respect mr. mclaren), i don't think brian mclaren tackled the heart of this issue. we are not talking about a complete disengagement from our neighbors and enemies and going back to the "good old days." christians are now talking about dealing with issues like poverty, abortion, global warming, and so on, from a Kingdom of God perspective, not from a kingdom of this world perspective, as we so often do.
we fall into the political game, thinking that one party or the other will be able to solve the social ills. since the religious right most certainly go it wrong, we must now turn to the religious left. this is not the answer and it never will be.
i'm not saying that we shouldn't vote or engage in the discussion. just the opposite. we must engage! i just think that placing our hope in government to solve these incredibly difficult issues of our time is not the proper route to take. followers of Christ should mobilize with Kingdom of God methods, rather than just following the same old political games.
we fall into the political game, thinking that one party or the other will be able to solve the social ills. since the religious right most certainly go it wrong, we must now turn to the religious left. this is not the answer and it never will be.
i'm not saying that we shouldn't vote or engage in the discussion. just the opposite. we must engage! i just think that placing our hope in government to solve these incredibly difficult issues of our time is not the proper route to take. followers of Christ should mobilize with Kingdom of God methods, rather than just following the same old political games.
