Is the Separation of Church and State Satan’s Idea?
I encourage you to read this article. In it, Rick Perry claims that the idea of the separation of the church and state is from Satan, and he and others will next week embark on a 40 days to save America campaign, which (as far as I can tell) means “40 days to save America from Obama” campaign.
Seems to me Perry got it exactly wrong. Satan is the one who tried to get Jesus to identify his kingdom with the kingdoms of this world, and even offered to let him run the whole thing. Thankfully, Jesus had the wisdom to refuse the offer (LK 4:5-7). He knew that his kingdom “was not of this world” (Jn 18:36).
There are a few things Perry and his folks get right. For example, we should pray for our country. Just remember to pray for all others as well. And we should want to see faith in Christ spread throughout the land. Just remember that faith in Christ has nothing to do with who is president or with any other political issue.
The kingdom we belong to as followers of Jesus is the alternative to the ugly, venomous, hostile, power-over kingdoms of this world, not a slightly superior version of them. Lets put that kingdom on display by how we live our lives. And a good starting point is by following our Lord’s example and never letting our King and his kingdom get wrapped up in whatever version of the kingdoms of the world we happen to think is best.
Keep his kingdom holy, which means “consecrated” and “set apart”!
And pray for Rick Perry!
Greg
Category: General
Tags: Politics, Religious Idolatry
Related Reading
The myth clouds our vision of God’s distinctly beautiful kingdom… [Quotes]
“Instead of living out the radically countercultural mandate of the kingdom of God, this myth has inclined us to Christianize many pagan aspects of our culture. Instead of providing the culture with a radically alternative way of life, we largely present it with a religious version of what it already is. The myth clouds our vision of God’s distinctly beautiful kingdom and thereby undermines our motivation to live as set-apart (holy) disciples of this kingdom.”
Jesus and Democracy
Question: I’ve heard that the reason Jesus didn’t speak up on political issues was because he didn’t have the benefit of living in a democracy. Since we do, don’t we have a duty both to God and our country to be involved in politics? Answer: If the reason Jesus didn’t speak up on political issues…
Thinking Biblically?
Olga Caprotti via Compfight Micah J. Murray over at Redemption Pictures posted this reflection called Beware of Thinking Biblically. The image of a google search on the topic is worth the price of admission. Christians throw around this phrase in some really damaging ways, as Rachel Held Evans demonstrated in her recent publication of A Year…
What Motivates Torture “In Jesus’ Name”?
Why has the church, at times, tortured and murdered people? What motivates killing and persecution “in the name of Jesus” or “for the glory of God”? (See the post from yesterday about how the church has tortured people.) A variety of political, social, and theological explanations could be offered, and they might all be valid.…
A Response to Tony Campolo on Fighting the Powers
While I have nothing but admiration for Tony Campolo, I differ with his views on how Christians are to be change agents in the world. He has always been a strong proponent of Christians bringing about change by political means. I, on the other hand, am not in principle opposed to Christians engaging in politics,…
Christians Should…
The American Jesus blog recently posted a series of reflections from Christians arguing for different ways of voting including, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Jill Stein, as well as an argument for not voting. It’s a little bit disturbing that each post is titled “Why Christians Should…” as this reflects the way we confuse our mission in the…