Category Archives: Politics and Christianity

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: LOSING THE BATTLE AND THE WAR

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, but it likely will not end the strife or wrangling that this issue has inflamed. Although public opinion has accelerated in favor of same-sex marriage (50% of Americans favor it, up from 39% in 2008, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life), staunch opponents remain entrenched.

A bigger question emerges from this conflict: When Christians publicly denounce homosexuality and its practitioners, are we faithfully representing Jesus? Would Jesus be compelled to appear on FOX News or Bill O’Reilly’s show to oppose same-sex marriage? Continue reading

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LOOKING FOR A CANDIDATE WE CAN TRUST

The other day, my wife asked me if I was looking forward to voting in the upcoming presidential election. About as much as I look forward to my annual visit with my urologist, though for different reasons. I trust my urologist.

These half-truths and whole lies littered the convention platforms of both parties like the confetti at the end of the conventions. The truth-o-meter needle steadily oscillated during the political speeches of nearly every speaker. Truth in politics has become as scarce as men in synchronized swimming. Continue reading

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BEING FOR MORE THAN BEING AGAINST

The right of peaceable assembly has undergirded our nation since its birth. This phrase implies a protected right to protest. When the government begins to trample on personal liberties, its citizens need some way to express their disapproval. One expression has been public corporate protests. Americans have valued this right and exercised it for decades. Continue reading

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THE CHURCH IS IN TROUBLE

“Christianity itself is in crisis.” This is Andrew Sullivan’s assessment in his Newsweek article, “The Forgotten Jesus” (April 9 2012). The article received cover status with the lead-in declaring, “Forget the Church – Follow Jesus.”
Sullivan accurately identifies the co-opting of Christianity by the culture. He chides the Catholic Church for its failure to deal with the sex scandals with transparency and integrity. He criticizes the politicization of Christianity, as identity in the faith now equals identity with a narrow political platform. He rejects the prosperity gospel preached from the pulpits of megachurches converted from sports arenas. Continue reading

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THE CURRENT POLITICAL PREDICAMENT

It may be too simplistic, but it appears that voters are willing to overlook one form of moral indiscretion, adultery, but not another, sexual harassment. Does morality play a role in politics and governing? Should society hold its political leaders to a standard of moral integrity? Which standard?

John Adams believed that morality plays a vital role in the survival of a democratic society. In a speech to the military in 1798, he stated, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.… Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Continue reading

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