2 posts tagged “republican”
In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of Heaven. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." is the often repeated introduction to a number of parables. Wheat and weeds, mustard seeds, hidden treasures, pearls, and nets. All qualify as metaphors for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Wheats and weeds. In this parable, Jesus uses a common agricultural problem to demonstrate the nature of his kingdom - the infestation of weeds in the garden that seem to spoil that which God has provided. God blesses us with something good - our relationships, our health, our community, our church - and we find out that it has somehow gone terribly wrong. Should we just cut our losses and move on or continue to do the hard work of living in the midst of, well, weeds?
This parable has particular application with much that goes on in Christian and conservative politics. Here we are establishing a perfectly good political agenda and empire when danged if those milk toast moderate squishes don't screw the whole thing up. How are we every going to see the completion of the Republican revolution with RINOs like Ahnold, and McCain getting all the press?
In Matthew 13, Jesus teaches to live in the midst of the weeds and moderates. Why? Because the field is the Lords, not ours. He knows who is in control and that, at the harvest, justice will be done and the Righteous Judge will separate the good and the bad.
Kingdom politics seems to indicate that we would do well to accept that fact that we are to live and operate in the midst of the weeds and moderates. Let us then pray for those with whom we rub elbows so that, in the final day, they would join with us in the harvest.
Democrats are seeking to promote Christianity whithin their party. Today, David Whilhelm and other Christian Democrats launched FaithfulDemocrats.com (keep trying - its getting a lot of hits). As the Washington Post reports, FaithfulDemocrats.com seeks to "give religious Democrats
'the moral support and some language they can use.'"
It is intersting that Whilhelm and others feel the need to promote Chrisitianity in the Democratic party. This is a party that has been demonstribly hostile to Christianity and a party whose Christian members mostly belong to denominations that are significantly shrinking.
Faithful Democrats are good at some cleaver phrasing: "Jesus rode a donkey - not an elephant." "God is not spelled GOP." And "Jesus was an illegal immigrant." Never mind the bad theology - these are funny.
Faithful Democrats face the same challenge as Christian organizations on the right. Do they seek to pull the party into a Christian ethos? Are they just acting like a "me too" for those on the Right? Or is this an attempt to dress up the party and appeal to the religous that are disaffected with the Republican party?
The challenge for Christians on both the Right and Left is the call of Christ to redeem our world - including the political and governmental. What this means for Christians is to engage the political parties from the perspective of ministry and mission. How can Christians serve the parties with which they affiliate and how can they work to effectively promote the Gospel within the party and its activities?
Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see Christians in any party seeking to distinguish their voice and make it relevent in their party. The ultimate question is: Relevant to whom?
