God is not a Republican
Sometimes we have to write what we ourselves need to hear. So here it is, for me as much as anyone. God is not a Republican. And what’s more, I don’t think Jesus would be, if he were here today. Nor a Democrat either.
Before I go further, please understand I am NOT saying we shouldn’t vote, or join a political party, or be a responsible citizen, or hold office, or try in all the ways we are blessed with in America to uphold the right and stop the spread of evil where we can. We should, and we MUST take advantage of the blessings we have, lest they be taken away.
I am however saying that if my neighbors and friends and strangers know my political views but don’t know I’m a Christian, something is very wrong. If they can’t see Jesus in me for the flag I’m waving in front of their eyes, something is wrong. If I’ll rant for hours about what’s wrong with this country but won’t share two words of scripture – if I act/speak/post/comment in an unkind and unchristian manner – if in short, I betray my religion for my politics – I have lost my way.
I have heard many of my fellow Christians justifying so many forms of evil done by those in the party they have chosen to support, and doggedly criticize the actual acts of good done by the other side. When did political dogma overrule the Bible?
I wonder if Christ were here today, would we reject Him just the same as they did in His day. Would we sadly walk away like those who ate the bread and only wanted Him for what he could do for them, or would we be in the crowd shouting for His death because He refused to be as extreme as our particular point of view? He wasn’t patriotic enough for the anti-Roman zealots. He wasn’t xenophobic enough for the Pharisees. And He wasn’t conciliatory enough for the Roman collaborators. If He were here today, would He be conservative enough, or liberal enough, for either political party?
Please, let’s stop adjusting our faith to fit our politics. Let’s stop swallowing any extreme viewpoint our particular “side” is proposing, no matter how it clashes with what we know to be right, because we don’t dare say anything against our party. Open your eyes and see good and evil for what they are, not filtered through the lens of “us” versus “them.”
Only God is good, and His word is the only standard. Instead of trying to force our religion to fit our political views, let’s shape everything we think and do by the standard that doesn’t change.
We are Christians first. Everything else comes second, including being Americans. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:21