Comments on: Tough Questions 2008: Should Faith Influence Politics?

By: What’s a Christian To Do? « Thoughts on what I am reading…

What’s a Christian To Do? « Thoughts on what I am reading… — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:13:18 +0000

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By: Sean Wallentine

Sean Wallentine — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:41:41 +0000

Right on point, Matt. Excellent. It is sad that so few in the Evangelical community realize that our “marching orders” are not changing America, but rather making disciples of Jesus Christ by the power of the gospel preached. Moral laws are good. Government should “reward good and punish evil,” as a restraining agent (against sin) used of the Holy Spirit in this day and age (Rom 13; 1 Pet 2:13-17). In the representative republic in which we live, governing leaders and their decisions are a reflection of the people. If the church neglects disciple-making, its clear calling under the banner of the Great Commission, what can we expect of our government or its leaders? There won’t be very many righteous sitting in seats of power, because there aren’t many righteous. Weak church, weak government, weak family, etc. Let’s keep working together “from the bottom,” as you say, but also realize that God never commands the church to aid Him in the appointment of political leaders (cf. Dan 2:21). We have the privilege of voting in America, but it’s not a Christian duty according to Scripture. Yet it’s still God who ultimately sets in place politicians. Disciple-making, on the other hand, is our duty as believers, which your post clearly indicates.

By: Jeff Culbreath

Jeff Culbreath — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:55:51 +0000

Good points, Matt, about cultural change needing to come first. However, this is going to take a real miracle. Americans think (quite falsely) that they know the Gospel and are doing just fine. Jesus Christ is old news to them. They are simply too distracted, too entertained, and too comfortable to want to go any deeper. What we need, in my opinion, are real saints in our midst – saints, and perhaps martyrs. That is what converted the world. Nothing changes lives like the odor of sanctity.