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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 world with our politics. But what we appreciate about this is the awareness that thoughtful and faithful Christians can disagree when it comes to politics and have very good reasons for doing so. This is why we refuse to weigh in on any particular political position. What we have in common is so much bigger than the places where we differ, and we need to distinguish between the political realm and the kingdom of this world. In the final wrap-up post, Zack Hunt pulls it all together with some really helpful thoughts.
From the wrap-up:
All that is not to say that as Christians we can’t or shouldn’t have political opinions or that we can’t or shouldn’t voice those opinions vigorously. There is great virtue in many of the political causes we champion. I would even go a step further and argue that it is our faith which, in many cases, is the source of those causes we are so passionate about. However, no matter how noble our cause may be, as Christians we are never excused from being humble or acting with civility towards those we disagree with.
Let’s all stay humble in this season and remember where our ultimate allegiance lies.
Image by Chris barker. Sourced via Flickr.
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