Thursday, April 27, 2006

Now this would be quite a conference!

Pentecost 2006:Building a Covenant for a New America

Sen. Barack Obama* and Rev. Jim Wallis have places at the table - will you join them? Register now!Hosted by Sojourners and Call to Renewal June 26-28, 2006 - Washington, D.C.
Join Rev. Jim Wallis and hundreds of grassroots and faith-based anti-poverty leaders for three days of putting faith into action through workshops, Hill visits, inspiring speeches, and music, with the goal of building the political will to overcome poverty! Invited speakers at Pentecost 2006 include Sen. Barack Obama and Marian Wright Edelman, and confirmed speakers include Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rev. Sharon Watkins.
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7 comments:

Adam Nate said...

Didn't you know that Jesus was a forerunner of Marx and Lenin - a socialist calling for abortion-on-demand, abolition of private property, a "progressive" income tax, government supported unions, abolition of rights to inheritance, government centralized communication and transportation, "free" government schools, and gay marriage? Get with the program JP!

BTW, where is my HT on your blog roll?

5:30 PM
JPN said...

Sorry bro, I thought it was on there, I just added it, you should see it shortly.

5:45 PM
edluv said...

i'm almost 100% certain that jim wallis is against abortion. i know that he is against the abolition of private property.

as for government supported unions, inheritance rights, gay marriage and so on, i've never heard him comment. although, i'm sure he has thoughts on gay marriage, i haven't heard.

12:37 PM
Adam Nate said...

It will be a testament to the reality of Jim Wallis’s pro-life views if he has the guts to preach the Gospel as well as call out those supporters of death-on-demand who will be judged by God for their support of abortion. I will be following the conference with much expectation.

But focusing on Wallis misses the larger issue I was trying to get across. I would have been just as quick to call out a Christian Coalition conference hosted by Pat Robertson or a "Justice Sunday" event hosted by Jerry Falwell. The plain fact is our KING Yeshua simply cannot be made to fit into a political box in this fallen and chaotic world, and the reason is simple – He called for a monarchy. And it is our job as His followers to submit to His authority, follow His commandments and carry out His commissions, and use the weapons He has provided us to accomplish what He has called us to do. I like how Greg Boyd once put it (please pardon the length, but the points he makes are really key I think):

***

In my view, I think the Anabaptists had it right.

The government of Jesus’ day was wicked, twisted, perverted, violent, oppressive, and unjust. In spite of this, Jesus avoided getting involved in the political process. Instead, he called both Matthew (as a Jewish tax collector for the Roman government, he was politically an arch-conservative) and Simon (as a zealot who opposed Roman taxation of the Jews, he was politically an arch-liberal) to follow him—and he never commented on their political convictions. Why? Because following God’s kingdom supersedes all distinctions that can be made in this worldly kingdom.

Rather than being co-opted, or at least distracted, by the political processes of this world, pray for God’s Kingdom to come and follow Christ’s example. We stoop too low when we buy into the worldly solutions to worldly problems. Even when they work (RARELY), they create other problems. We need to offer people a radically different alternative to all of this.

Historically, when have Christian attempts to transform culture through politics done more good than harm? Don’t such attempts eventually backfire with the Church compromising itself for the sake of the government? Don’t they result in the Church becoming more secular rather than the secular becoming more Christian? When the Church meddles in and then settles for the world’s solutions, do we not end up selling out the real solution that only we have to offer?...

[We must] know the danger of working within a system that is not a Kingdom system, but rather it is under the influence of Satan (1 John 5:19). It will try to co-opt you, to lure you into believing that it is the Christian way, it has a solution that will work, you can pin your hopes on this [I had fallen for this line for far too long!!!].

But the result will be, at best, a major distraction to Kingdom work. Don’t get too involved, Paul tells us (2 Timothy 2:4). You belong to a radically different country with a radically different King who offers radically different solutions to the problems of life. You are a missionary in this country. Act like it. Whether your mission field is democratic, socialistic, communistic, libertarian or whatever...Do your mission, pray for leaders (Romans 13)—but don’t buy in to the world’s way of solving human problems.

Always remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6). We are not citizens of this world (Philippians 3:20). In this world we, like Jesus, are to expect suffering—and, like Jesus, how we take it, not how we change it, is our best witness to the world…

[A]s ambassadors from a different country I don’t see that we should invest much hope or worry in any particular political process, even one that grants us a little say in what happens (1 Timothy 2:4, Philippians 3:20). Not that I think it’s wrong to vote or become politically involved if you are called and able to do so. But I don’t believe we should leverage any hope on the system as a whole or on any particular aspect of the system.

As Christians, it shouldn’t make any substantial difference whether the country we live in is democratic, socialistic, totalitarian, or communistic. We are missionaries wherever we are. We are guerilla warriors stationed behind enemy lines, called to topple the existing regime which is controlled by our captain’s arch enemy (1 John 5:19).

It may be easier to do our ministry in a democratic country and we thank God for this. But there are drawbacks as well, such as succumbing to apathy that comes with comfort and ease of a wealthy economy, being co-opted by non-Christian values, mistakenly placing our hope for redemption in political systems rather than the Gospel, etc.

The Kingdom we represent, and the Kingdom that will ultimately take over the world, is different than any other Kingdom of this world. We are to change the world, but not by the means the world uses. Our power is prayer and sacrificial love. Our hope should be placed on nothing other than our Lord using us as follow Jesus’ example to transform the world in a way the political systems of this present world cannot. Whatever distracts us from this should be avoided.

***

I am eagerly waiting for the release of Boyd’s forthcoming book, The Myth of the Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church. Another great read on this subject is Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson’s book Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can’t Save America. Whether it is Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, or Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo, the Bride is being sold a defective set of goods if it entails hope through the political process. I’ll end with a nice quote from Dave Hunt:

***

At one time there was nearly unanimous agreement among evangelicals that their mission was to preach the gospel everywhere to everyone and to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3). That faith was that Christ died for our sins in order to “deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4) and to make us citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). Christians understood clearly that they were “not of the world” but that Christ had called them “out of the world” (John 15:19); theirs was a “heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1); indeed, in Christ they were already seated “in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6).

Nowhere does the Bible tell us to reform this world. Those who seemed to be in a position to do so (Joseph as second only to Pharoah, Esther and Mordacai under Emperor Ahasuerus, and Daniel under several kings) were used of God to preserve His chosen people, but never to reform godless societies. Christ never attempted to reform the evil world of His day, nor did the Apostles or early church engage in marches or demonstrations either for Jesus or against evil. They “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) by preaching the gospel, not by preaching “traditional morals” or protesting the world's evil practices.

The Christian mission, then, for 1,900 years has been to call individuals out of this evil world and into God's “heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). Any “reformation” of society has been a byproduct of the transformation of individuals who were born again through faith in Christ and whose lives then became an influence for good…

Rather than pressure the ungodly to live like saints, we must win them to Christ that they might live wholly by God. Our personal lives must be lived in obedience to God's laws even if that brings us into conflict with civil laws. In addition to avoiding idolatry and immorality, Christians must preach the gospel to everyone everywhere, regardless of government edicts to the contrary. In so doing, the apostles made that historic declaration: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)! Their example has been followed by Christians down through the centuries, from the martyrs under pagan Rome and its successor, Roman Catholicism, to those who smuggle Bibles into Islamic or communist lands.

5:48 PM
Anonymous said...

although wallis leans politically left, he does openly acknowledge that neither group is doing the work of the gospel. the title of his recent book is called God's Politics: why right gets it wrong and the left doesn't get it.

if that's not an open statement about how wallis feels about both major parties, i don't know what is. granted, if the conference only features democrat speakers, then it does become little more than a mouthpiece for the dems.

now, will wallis et al speak on a whole host of topics or will they stick to the plan of overcoming poverty? that will to be seen.

finally, the Bible does not tell us to reform the world, but it does give a clear mandate to seek the peace of the land, to protect the fatherless and the widow, to advocate for justice, and overall to care for the least of these. politics is only one arena in which we can lend our voice. wallis does not believe that it is the only, nor do i.

ed (i didn't feel like logging in)

6:54 PM
Adam Nate said...

Mr. Ed, this is a pleasure. This is an important topic; especially in light of the fact that the political left is adopting “Christianize” to court voters. What a perfect time to examine Christian involvement in political activism altogether.

Now, so long as you would say that someone like Jerry Falwell “leans” right, I can accept that Wallis “leans” left (I would prefer to say both are falling head over heals right and left politically, but I’m OK with this as long as we are consistent).

Now call me a dogmatic nit-picker, but I fail to see how any political group can do “the work of the Gospel.” The Gospel (or Good News) is a specific message that is to be preached by Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes it. He also referred to it as the Gospel by which people are saved and the Gospel of man’s salvation. Biblically it goes without saying that one is saved from God’s wrath on sin by trusting the Gospel message. And this Gospel message is clearly defined by Paul: “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 - 4).

Do good works flow from those people who believe the Gospel and are thus saved from hell? Yes indeed. They better, or that person is likely not saved. One reason we were created – rather, recreated – in Christ was FOR good works, the very works you speak of. But these works aren’t to be accomplished through gaining political power in an evil worldly system. It doesn’t come through the authoritative, violent, and satanically led worldly politics that is filled with deceptive partisan parasites.

This brings me to my next point, and that is how you seem to admit that abortion will be avoided at the said conference so these “leaders” can stay on topic – which is eliminating poverty with the sword of government. And that is exactly one of the problems with Christian’s becoming involved in political activism. For example, Jim Wallis very likely will avoid discussing in any meaningful way the murdering of thousands of babies so he can keep the peace with those who, like him, want to use big government to abolish poverty (with the enormous success of Johnson’s War on Poverty as their guide :-)).

Thus, he compromises the truth for the sake of a political cause. That is an abomination! It is wrong when Jerry Falwell does it, and it is wrong when Jim Wallis does it. Politics deals with bargaining, compromise, and negotiation, characteristics that ought to be anathema to Christians who have a clear example and clear orders from our King that were modeled for us in the early church.

And make no mistake Ed, the “religious right” is wrong. No argument there. The problem is thinking we are going to seek the peace of the land, protect the fatherless and the widow, to advocate for justice, and overall to care for the least of these though violent force – which is basically what government is. Such issues are for Christ’s Bride, the Church, to accomplish through the preaching of the cross and the working of the Holy Spirit. We don’t need government to do what we are called to do. Jesus didn’t use the ways of the world. Neither did Paul, Barnabas, Peter, or James. Political activism by Christians leads us to look like fools – which is exactly how Falwell, Robertson, and Wallis look – not for the Gospels sake, but because of their ever shifting political alliances, compromises, and deceptive language that are so un-Christian in nature. As one writer put it:

“Today's Christian activism is far too narrow and selective. It addresses certain issues [the right has theirs and the left has theirs] but ignores many others of equal or greater importance. We must not only rescue the unborn but the children in public schools who are being perverted through the teaching of immorality, witchcraft, and occultism. We must identify psychology as the major vehicle of so much of this evil, and root it out of our churches, seminaries and universities.

We must denounce sin, call for national repentance, and preach the gospel in convicting power. Christians must call for repentance not only for homosexuality, child abuse, pornography and abortion but for more subtle forms of rebellion against God and rejection of Christ. The church must be indicted both for its lack of social concern and for its heresies and failure to preach the truth. We must denounce the destructive false teachings that abound. It is hypocritical for the church to protest the world's sins while tolerating and even honoring within its ranks those who preach a false gospel and are the enemies of the cross of Christ.

Instead of protesters we need prophets who call the world to repentance: Enochs who walk with God and warn of judgment (Hebrews 11:55; Jude 14-15); Noahs, preachers of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), who warn of judgment to come and invite sinners into an ark of safety. What if, instead of building the ark, Noah had tried to reform society! We need Daniels: ‘Mene, mene, tekel upharsin’ —the handwriting is on the wall, America! You've been weighed in the balance and found wanting! Murdered babies, the abomination of homosexuality and society's flippant, deliberate rebellion against God have aroused His anger beyond any possibility of reprieve! We need Isaiah’s and Jeremiahs who had never heard of making a ‘positive confession’ or of the ‘power of positive or possibility thinking,’ but preached truth!

‘Christian activism’ is not Christian [be it from the “right” or “left”]. It represents a detour from the straight path the church is to walk before the world. It can confuse the real issues, lead to compromise and unholy alliances, and divert time and effort that would better be used in proclaiming the gospel. Weigh the demands upon your time and set priorities. Be fully engaged in rescuing souls for eternity.”

Oh my oh my how I have had my time and priorities wrong for so long. Forgive me Lord!

10:39 PM
Adam Nate said...

Quotabe Quote:

“Christianity is now thoroughly politicized. The [Catholic] bishops and [Ralph] Reed have no trouble speaking about the importance of pro-family legislation, or the glories of religious pluralism, but they are shy about such basics as the Christian teaching on salvation. The longer the process of politicization continues, the thinner the faith gets. Political ambition causes people to water down their beliefs for the sake of gaining favor....The first stage of sell-out comes with the exaltation of political pluralism above doctrinal truth, the second stage with the denial of doctrinal truth altogether for achieving political goals.” – Lew Rockwell

9:35 PM

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