While I believe in our responsibility to be active participants in the operations of our republic, I rarely am willing to touch political discussions. At the end of the day, neither political party truly has a Gospel agenda in mind. I am convinced that the great political divides of our day only destabilize the mission of the church and undermine our ability to come together locally and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Political arguments inside the church body only impede our ability to offer the healing that our fragmented communities need.
Every once in a while, I come across an article with a political slant that I just can’t avoid. No matter what side of the aisle you find yourself voting, I think this piece from Christianity Today offers a very good look in the mirror for those of us who say we follow Jesus. I have leanings toward both parties depending on the issue and (unlike some of my like-minded contemporaries) I don’t believe that more government is the simple answer to our social ills. But politics aside, I was a little discouraged to see what motivates us as American evangelicals when it comes to the federal budget. According to this recent survey, “The top choices among evangelicals for the chopping block are economic assistance to needy people around the world (56 percent), government assistance for the unemployed (40 percent) and environmental protection (38 percent).”
Read the full article here:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/februaryweb-only/cutaidtoworldspoor.html
Do you think the results of this survey are indicative of our concerns as American evangelicals? Are we really more preoccupied with national defense than caring for the poor? Is this type of thinking in line with the Gospel? Have American evangelicals simply lost faith in the state’s ability to care for those in need?
This particular topic has ALWAYS bothered me. I have had many arguments with friends/family over the years about aiding those who are less fortunate. It always seems to come down to that fact that if they are not American, most people don’t believe we (Americans) should be helping. My argument has always been exactly what you seem to believe… What does the Bible say? We are all children of the same God.
And, as far as the defense issue, I know that realistically, we need to prepare our military for possible defense needs. But, I believe that our country has LOST its original focus on the fact that God will lead us if we let him. My children and I are studying the old testament right now, and we have seen over and over how God has ultimately helped the Isrealites. When they strayed away from Him and His commands, things went horribly wrong for them. But, when they asked for His help and followed His commands, life was great! It scares me to see the parallels where our own country is concerned!
The polls that you quoted only serve as proof to my concerns. I think we as Christians need to take a step back and re-evaluate faith and what it truly means to be faithful. Obviously, we (as a whole) have began to stray.