Have you hugged a politician today?

“The Gospel cannot and must not be identified with partisan political posturing.”  Carl Trueman

  This weekend Jane and I are at The Wilberforce Weekend, a Christian worldview conference hosted by the Colson Center. We have had the privilege of listening to speakers like Ravi Zacharias and Os Guinness.

  Please pray for us tomorrow as we visit our Wisconsin Senators’ offices and Congressman’s office. We’re bringing invites for them to local events; Burlington Chocolate Fest and the Waterford Balloon Fest. We’re also inviting them to our future building dedication.

  Hopefully, you know this already, at Grace we’re committed to being non-partisan or a-political. The Gospel reaches across all political barriers. It’s why we won’t endorse candidates or political parties.

  Though I personally support the repealing of the Johnson Amendment, it’s not so that our church can endorse political candidates. It’s that I’m concerned that as our culture continues to morally devolve, the day may come when, because of their tax exempt status, churches will be told that they can’t teach what the Bible says about certain subjects because they’re considered “hate speech.”

  Our country was founded on religious freedom, i.e., the 1^st amendment. Our nation’s Founding Fathers would be appalled that RICO laws were re-interpreted to punish pro-life groups. The more fences to keep the camel’s nose out of the church, the better. Students of history know the term “Separation of Church & State” is not part of our Constitution. Thomas Jefferson’s intent, (he coined the term) was not to keep the church out of the government, but rather to keep the government out of the church.

  At Grace Church our mission is the Gospel! We are to seek to reach every person, whether they are a citizen or a governmental leader, with the good news that there is true hope and another Kingdom. God’s love, grace and forgiveness is available for everyone because of the Cross of Jesus Christ.

  For some time, as have many other Christian leaders, I’ve been concerned that the Church in America is needlessly alienating major portions of the population because of our political persuasions. Until recent times, many Christians thought their values were still held by a majority of Americans. Thus, Christians merely needed to mobilize the moral majority and encourage them to speak out, especially by voting. We could then turn things around, we were assured, if only we could mobilize the masses.

  For the most part, this view is recognized as unrealistic. Biblical values are increasingly becoming an unpopular minority view. Consequently, government will continue to regulate and oppose a biblical worldview.  

  Yet, for many Millennials and ethnic groups, there is at least a perceived too tight of a connection between conservative party politics and Christians. The prime example is abortion. Abortion is used as a wedge issue to establish a dividing line between Republicans and Democrats. The argument is that the Christian way of voting must be for the political party that has a pro-life statement in their platform. Too many Christians fail to recognize that politics and pragmatism are nearly synonymous. Abortion is a “red meat” issue to ramp up party support. Political rhetoric and action are not the same thing. Abortion is a campaign slogan embraced during an election cycle and often abandoned the day after the election. Because abortion is a “red herring,” it preempts discussion about other biblical subjects; genocide, persecution, poverty, marriage…to name just a few.   

  There is no Christian form of government. Christ’s Church has survived and even thrived under the most diabolical of governmental systems. A biblical worldview sees government as an institution established by God (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13) for the purpose of promoting justice for its citizens—protecting the innocent from the aggressor and the lawless. Without personal security, every other function of government (protecting life, liberty, property, reputation, etc.) is meaningless. As Christians, we recognize government as a sacred institution whose rulers are ministers of God for good. God ordained the State to practice godly justice and commands us to submit to it. As long as government serves the purpose for which God created it, we must show our allegiance to God by submitting to human government, understanding though that civil government is secular in nature while Christianity is spiritual. As believers, we’re aliens and strangers, passing through a temporal world (1 Peter 1:1). Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). Our highest authority is God. At times, Christians must choose to “obey God, rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

  Too many Christians become caught up in an angry world’s spirit of winning political battles and forget that elected officials and government bureaucrats are also part of “For God so loved the world…” It is a sin to hate anyone, even a Nero or a Hitler. Politicians are not the enemy, Satan is. When we treat those whose ideology is different from ours as the enemy, we create an evil barrier to the Gospel.

  A pagan world is incensed when things don’t go its way, screaming for its rights. We’re to be different, a Christian-counterculture. Only the Gospel, will bring true change to society, since it transforms sinners from the inside out. There are no Christian nations, only Christian people. Our commission is to proclaim the Gospel faithfully in whatever context God puts us.

  Imagine what would happen if every believer wrote their elected officials, thanked him/her for serving, letting them know they were praying for them. It would be a beginning and hopefully open doors for the Gospel. 

  Which Kingdom are you focused on? This temporal world’s or King Jesus’ eternal one? 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.