Picketing Sin
Steve Camp on “when the gospel is reduced to political protest.” Here’s an excerpt.
“The Church in America has lost its impact, insight, and identity because it has lost its identification with the head of the Church, Jesus Christ. We are more associated with the political process - Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Christians than with the work of Jesus Christ. We have sought and become a political-economic force rather than a spiritual one. Why is it that we can assemble five thousand Christians to champion a cause or boycott an artists public display of sensuality, but at that same time its virtually impossible to gather five hundred Christians for prayer meeting? The problem with the world is not the world, ladies and gentlemen. The problem with the world are Christians trying to sneak into heaven incognito.”
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Excellent.
This is difficult for me because it’s a constant tension. How to be involved and see the body politic as a means to justice and an expression of God’s not-yet-completed reconciliation of creation without foisting my faith onto/into that very political process. I believe in Jesus, not democracy is maybe what I’m trying to say. But I also consider myself responsible to be engaged in the political process as a very expression of my faith. I’m trying to learn where the line between “engagement” also allows for the reality that we shouldn’t expect non-Christians to conform to Christian ethics.
Let’s talk about this at Christmas.