It doesn't make sense. I don't really know how it happened. I'm really baffled how it has become such a "thing." Still, it is undeniable. In many circles "Evangelical," "right wing," and "white" are irrevocably linked, and not in a good way. That is, the tag of "Evangelical" -- a purely religious term -- has become thoroughly equated with things like "Trump" and "QAnon" and other conspiracy theories and even "white supremacy."
First, what do I mean by "Evangelical"? I'm not talking about evangelistic. I'm talking about those who classify themselves as "Evangelicals," a term defined by adherence to the authority of Scripture and a firm belief in salvation by faith in Christ. So this seems ludicrous on its face. Since a prime defining concept for the term is an absolute belief in the authority of Scripture, how do we end up linked to politics at all? If Evangelicals believe that Jesus is "the Truth" (John 14:6) and that the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth (John 16:13), how do we end up pulling truth from the lips of Trump or favored political conspiracy theories? If Evangelicals believe that salvation is only found in Christ, how could we possibly be expecting salvation in a political party or perspective? And don't even get me started on any supposed connection between "Christian" and racial bias.
So, I'm baffled. We are routinely connected with "that political view" when our source authority warns us not to put our trust in princes -- in earthly authorities (Psa 146:3). We cannot put our faith in Christ and in "our guy" any more than we can trust in God and riches. Jesus told us, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matt 6:24) And, yet, here we are, apparently trying to straddle the line. We are told to submit to government (Rom 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-15) and pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-4) and we are moaning and complaining about the "current administration." Some are even seeking to figure out how to eliminate it. How do we lay these two -- "Evangelicals" dedicated to the authority of the Word and trust in Christ and right-wing politics -- side by side and consider them equivalent?
It might be a shock to many American Evangelicals, but America is not God's chosen people. The Bible does not classify democracy as the best choice for government. There is nothing in Scripture that makes capitalism the "Christian" choice. The Republican party is not mentioned in the Bible anywhere. Instead, it looks a lot like the link between "Evangelicals" and "right wing" is a lie, perhaps even idolatry, putting trust in politics rather than Christ. The evidence I would cite for this is the fervor and heat applied by those in the "Evangelical Party" for all things political over all things Christ. I would argue that the anger we see among many who consider themselves "Evangelicals" is in direct opposition to biblical warnings like "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20) and commands like "Love your neighbor as yourself." On the other side, too many "Evangelicals" are scared and worried about the future of America under the "current regime" as if God was bound to human whim (Eph 1:11) and worry was biblical (Php 4:6). And the Bible is abundantly clear that racial bias has no place in the faith (e.g., Gal 3:28; Rom 2:11; Acts 17:26; Rom 10:12-13; Acts 10:34-35; Col 3:11). Brothers and sisters, if that's where we are, "we do not well."-
10 comments:
Unfortunately, Evangelical is one more term that has been redefined to mean something significantly different from it's original meaning. Some of that is from Evangelicals themselves who've added things like political views to the term. Some is from those who'd like to, for political or theological reasons, marginalize those of us who'd like to stick to what Evangelical used to mean. I'd also argue that the roots of Evangelicalism in a populist/anti scholarship strain of religious expression probably contributed to what we're seeing today.
That's a big problem, isn't it? "Evangelical" is a term, a symbol, intended to convey an idea. Some people, inside and out, take that symbol, apply it to something else, and then shove it down the throats of those who understood its original intent and use. A real failure to communicate.
Nonetheless, the connection of a political party to a biblical theological belief is a contradiction in terms, and those who call themselves "Christ-followers" ("Christians") cannot possibly be consistent in trusting Christ and trusting the world's government when the two collide on a regular basis.
Yes it is. I agree that any time that The Church, or a denomination or sect, has interwoven itself with a government or political party, the results have always been damage to The Church. I think that one problem that many of us have is a complete inability to vote for anyone on the left side of the political aisle in the US. The issue of abortion alone would keep me from pulling the DFL lever. Unfortunately, the GOP has left me politically homeless as well of late. The obvious answer is to refocus on the Sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Christ as my source of hope, and try to participate in the political process with that focus.
Am I wrong to think that we need to change the terms of the discourse to separate politics from governing? It seems like we are supposed to be active participants in the governance of our country, but that we get more involved in the political process than in the end result. It might sound like I'm splitting hairs, but I think there's something to think about and I'm not sure I'm expressing it correctly.
I believe (and have expressed in the past) that as believers we are supposed to be good stewards in the world and, as such, we need to participate as citizens where we are. So we do the best with what we have and, as you say, sometimes that's not much. Your "refocus" thought there is my marching order. Participate in the process but trust in God. And when I think about it, that's what we're ALWAYS supposed to be doing. Drive to work but trust in God. Love our spouses but trust in God. Obey authority but trust in God. Interact in this world but trust in God. For some reason for so many Christians they can see all that but miss it in the political realm.
Unfortunately, too many people identify as "Evangelical" but do not believe in anything remotely Christian. Too many think that because they grew up going to church, or said a prayer, or were baptized, or any other surface level involvement, that they are Christian, when they don't even know what He taught. Example, a politician recently wanted to use Scripture to revoke a recently passed law (I forget which state) banning transgender people from playing in their chosen gender's sport. He completely took the passage out of context and twisted the meaning, all while trying to sound Christian. I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe a word he said, but I'm betting he believes he's a Christian. You have too many people giving lip service to Christ, which lumps those of us that actually believe into their heretical views.
Yes, "Christian" got redefined long ago.
This is an incredibly goofy post. I saw something recently that referred to Evangelicals who voted for Biden felt betrayed...or something to that effect. Evangelicals voting for Biden? How'd THAT happen, given the implications of your post?
Frankly, I don't much follow such talk about Evangelicals and who they supported, given I don't know that all Evangelicals think alike and therefore should not be regarded as a monolithic group.
I'm also having trouble with this concept of putting trust in people. Doing so doesn't mean one's trust in God is diminished. Not in the least. Certainly not for everyone. I would not believe you if you said you put absolutely no trust of any kind or degree in your wife. I don't believe most people who put trust in other people are trusting them to do what only God can do. That would be absurd. Thus, to suggest there's some confusion among most people concerning matters of trust would also be.
All sorts of word-definition troubles here. First, as we've been discussing, "Evangelical" has been so widely and radically redefined that it could mean "a Christian who believes the Bible" or "an atheist who is happy to tell you he's right," so "Evangelicals voting for Biden" isn't unreasonable given we no longer know what is meant by "Evangelical." The problem, then, is the reverse. "Well, you're an Evangelical, so you must be just like them." No, not at all. You're right. Evangelicalism was indeed a monolithic group at one point. It is no longer.
Then there was "putting trust in people." If love includes "believes all things," then we will put trust in people we love. I'm not talking about "putting trust in people." I'm talking about the bottom line. I put my trust in people all the time, but if that's where it RESTS, I'm a fool because people will let you down. I put my trust in people, but my ultimate confidence is in the Lord. Trust in the Lord is my basis for trust in people. So if you (generic, not "you, Art") trust in Trump or you trust in Biden, you'd better be trusting in the Lord ultimately if you want any hope of a reasonable outcome. I didn't mean to suggest "You can't trust anybody." But if I put my trust in the government and my ultimate trust is in the Lord, then if the government lets me down (as it is sure to do), I still know that God works all things together for good.
I'd add that much of what has made "evangelical" irrelevant in today's culture is self inflicted. It's a result of trying to form ecumenical union around political and cultural issues to achieve political goals that has diluted what the word once meant.
I think that Stan's point about trust is that there are too many people who are putting their ultimate trust in things of this world instead of in God. Scripture calls this idolatry, and to some degree or another, we all fall into the trap. God addresses this by saying, "Thou shall have no other gods before Me.". Yet, I'd suggest that "evangelicals for Biden" are definitely putting Biden before God, or that they're simply not that smart.
Clearly, they're not smart. But I don't know that Evangelicals could ever have been a monolithic group, simply because people are still each individuals. As such, there will always be differences in how folks think, even if in general terms they think the same. I would insist that's why Christians will be among all political persuasions at any given time. Each may believe his choice is motivated by his faith, and indeed be sincere about it...in fact, be totally honest, truthful and accurate except for specific planks in the party platform. That is, as no political party is perfect, one makes choices despite those imperfections, lest one never vote at all. I would like to believe that anyone truly devoted to the faith would never vote Democrat given their clearly immoral platform, but too few actually look at it and judge on the superficial rhetoric and invented reputation of the typical Dem.
As to trust, Stan, your clarification shows we're on the same page. It just didn't see so initially, and in past posts touching on the subject didn't seem so, either.
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