I very seldom post anything political in social media. It’s not that I don’t have strong political opinions that I’d like to share with everyone, it’s just that most people seem to be very immovable when it comes to politics. On the other hand, I’m seeing a trend where so many are swayed by the voices of leaders in the body of Christ telling us how we should vote, that we don’t think for ourselves.
I was watching the Republican National Convention a few weeks ago. This is nothing new for me. I’ve watched practically every one since 1976. This was the first one that I can say I watched objectively. I’ve been such transformation in my thinking that I was actually able to watch and form my own opinions. I was actually thinking!
For me, the defining moment came as Sen. Ted Cruz was giving a speech. The atmosphere was tense. You see, Cruz had refused to endorse Donald Trump for president up to this point and now the crowd and the nation listened to his speech, waiting for a moment when Cruz might just go ahead and endorse him for the sake of party unity. He was getting near the end of his speech and all I can remember were these words – “Vote your conscience.” And that’s when the boos started. He was practically booed off of the stage for urging Americans to vote their conscience. Of course that’s not the way it was reported or how it will go down in history. After all, they were really booing because he wouldn’t give his endorsement to Trump, right?
To me, that moment summed up the sad state of politics in our nation.
In the past few elections, I, like millions of others, have made the decision to vote for the “lesser of two evils.” No more for me. How about just not voting for evil at all? I understand fully that it’s a privilege to have the right to vote, and I will vote.
I’ve done some deep soul-searching and repenting after reading the gospels and have come to the conclusion that I have put my trust in presidents and supreme courts to fix the nation and world. I have also come to the conclusion that Jesus is very political. Have you read The Sermon On the Mount? I have and I can’t think of a better way to govern.
I understand that there are certain issues at stake, such as the future of the Supreme Court, but I believe there is something far greater at stake – the prophetic voice of the church. Samuel Whitefield says it well –
“The 2016 election has exposed fault lines in the nation and in the church in a way that no other election in recent history has. In the midst of all the confusion and rhetoric it is time for the church to find her voice and rediscover her identity as a people who find their ultimate hope in another kingdom and another King and represent the values of that king in the public square.
For the church to recover her calling, we are going to have to break free of certain political bonds that have held us for quite some time. If the evangelical church does not wrestle through her current entanglement with politics, then I fear the church will lose her ability to be a prophetic voice to the culture and the government on a wider sphere. It’s becoming clear that the phenomenon of “Donald Trump” might just be what will force that issue in this election.”
You can read this article in its entirety here.
I don’t need a political savior; I already have one. I already have a king, and His name is Jesus.
Kevin
Don September 1, 2016
Nailed it!