liadanslyre

"i think it is important for Christians to be part of the political process. the Church could easily hamstring ourselves when we put it at odds with the advancement of the Kingdom. when times arise when Christians are asked to compromise on the central issues of Gospel life- then we part ways and don't shame those that choose not to." taken from previous post

this is an excerpt from an email I exchanged earlier this month with mark palmer. he’s an intergral part of the landing place. he’s a gem from a far. meaning- what I know- I like. here’s what he wrote…

“when Jesus came, he came announcing that the Kingdom of God had come. HisKingdom was not just a spiritual Kingdom, it was a real and physicalKingdom, with its own set of politics, and its own way of life (i.e theSermon on the Mount). Jesus also announced, thru his teachings and hisactions, that he was the King of this new Kingdom. Again, he didn't meanthat he was just a "spiritual" king of "heaven". He was a real King. TheApostles and his first followers understood it this way; that's why theywere consistently arrested and executed, not because they were believing ina different "religion" (that really would have been no problem to thepowers). They were arrested and killed because they were announcing thatthey followed a different King who ruled a different Kingdom than the onethat Caesar ruled. When the first Christians announced that "Jesus isLord", it also meant that "Caesar is not"…

the reason that I don't vote is because I cannot involve myself in a systemthat is built upon the antithesis of Jesus' system (use of force/violence,rule from above/power from position, marginalization of the lowly, etc.) Ialso cannot cast a vote for a leader who leads a kingdom that is other thanthe Kingdom of God…. I simply can't have split allegiance.”

this argument really makes sense to me. i follow it logically. i am not comfortable with it though… now granted- my comfort level is not necessarily an indicator or baramator of what is right and what is wrong in the eyes of God. the bottom line is; i don’t know that it is split allegiance to particpipate in the political process.

this argument also makes me think about my parents and people that are older in their faith. i hope that this is received in the spirit in which it’s said- but i think older people who have logged time in the Lord and lived through history and life have an ability to live out nuances and ‘gray’ that is more difficult to settle on as a young (er) person. i don’t mean to discount the process and evolution involved in settling on convictions and deciding what is truly important to us as individuals or a group. i experience this in my own life it is more difficult for me to live and walk in the grays of life than it is for me to walk or talk in the black or white of life. i want things clear. when life is hard, I want a solution. and the more clear the solution the more I like it.

i don’t have an exhaustive theological framework to rebut the argument mark outlined. i do know that the bible doesn’t “clearly” address voting. i know that there is value placed on issues of discernment and dependence (walking out the gray areas).

i am simply very cautious when I sense things that throw the baby out with the bathwater. which is how this argument strikes me.

this potion that closed mark’s email was so encouraging to read:

“i am not apolitical; i strive to follow the politics of Jesus. indnon-participation is not the answer...if I'm not going to involve myself inthe politics of the kingdom of the world, then I better get out there andinvolve myself in the politics of the Kingdom of God (practical love ofenemy, peacemaking, care for the poor and marginalized).”