Apprentice 2 Jesus

An Anglicostal Connecting to a Real World

Reformation Day — One Point of Discussion

Dan

I know it’s not Reformation Day yet. But, almost.

Luther nailed the points of discussion on the door in Wittenberg. We have blogs.

My one point of discussion this year would be the Church wanting the government to do the will of God. Even Luther had trouble with this one. He thought it was okay (as long as it was his theological view they were upholding).

And therein lies the rub.

Greg Boyd has some really nice thoughts on this point.

I grew up in a very conservative household and back then God was Republican. I am watching a new generation come of age as Christians, and now God is turning into a Democrat.

Democrats who are Christians want the government to act like the Church. Republicans who are Christians say they want the government to “shrink,” but they still want the government to act like they want. When we shift too hard to one political party or another we can tend to act like the government needs to be an extension of the Church.

My one point of discussion in this REFORMATION SEASON is this: knock it off and live prophetically. 

I’m yelling at me, too.

No matter who is in charge, our call as believers is to pray for those in authority.

I will put this prediction out there, and I know I’m not the first, but here it goes: No matter who is in power, there will be times when the will of the government and the will of the people will clash with the will of the Kingdom of God. And in that day, where will your allegiance lie?

Even in these United States, where we so “cherish” the “freedom of religion,” there will be clashes against that very “freedom,” and we will be challenged as believers on whose allegiance we follow.

Christianity isn’t about a set of propositional truths that you ascent to mentally and then hope everything else works out. Christianity is the love of the Savior calling out for your wholehearted allegiance. You follow with everything in you. (By the way everything around us calls for our allegiance.)

My tiny piece of paper nailed to the ether world church door. It’ll get lost in the shuffle, but here it is. And here I stand.

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2 responses to “Reformation Day — One Point of Discussion”

  1. Nick Zeimet Avatar
    Nick Zeimet

    I was just thinking of this again on the way in to work this morning. I am thankful that we have a government and a system that does not forget the truly vulnerable and those requiring a safety net when the unexpected happens. I am thankful to live in a county where we make that a most have. However, I do fear that over time we have become apathetic to the God’s provision in our life. Provision is no longer enough. We need security and we need abundance. I think this is the struggle in a “first world” country. We don’t make sacrifices to our man made idols and worship them, however we have our own man made “systems” that we seek out. When we are ill, our faith is put in the medical system. When we lose our job and seek unemployment, worry about paying for healthcare young and old, or want our children to do well in school, we put our faith in our governmental system. When we have loved ones who struggle with mental illness or substance abuse issues or who are struggling with affordable housing, our faith is put into the social system. Christians who happen to be Democrats claim justice and equality as the righteous thing, WWJD. Christians who happen to be Republican claim social issues like gay marriage and abortion and the ACLU.

    Jesus found himself in less than friendly political climate and yet what was the most pressing issue for him? Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost…spiritually speaking, not politically speaking. He healed. He revealed truth. He called out for authentic faith. He gave His life. He did not get angry with the political system. When others cried outrage and to change/overthrow the gov’t, he called for kingdom thinking and kingdom action.

    Not a bad issue to bring up:).

    Reply
    1. Dan Avatar
      Dan

      I like that thought: Provision is no longer enough. Good stuff.

      Reply

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