Understanding the Christian divide in politics

[Michie]

It's no secret that many Christians are divided about politics: One argues, “How can Christians vote for Trump?” Another shoots back, “You can’t be a Christian and vote Democrat!” And yet another grumbles, “How can you vote for either one?”

To truly understand the division, we must remember three things:

1. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian.

2. Many Christians have quenched and grieved the Spirit for so long that they lack discernment.

3. When we fail to make Scripture the final authority, we view politics through different lenses based on experience, ethnicity, faith, priorities, etc.

When it comes to understanding the divide, three groups stand out:

Christians for Kamala

Continued below.

Understanding the Christian divide in politics

To truly understand the political division, we must remember three things

www.christianpost.com

 

[Fantine]

An extremely biased opinion piece which is more likely to alienate and offend than change minds.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I find it incredibly hard to call leftist Christianity Christian when it sacrifices all Christian moral presupppositions on the basis of freedom and forced recognition of what God considers immoral. The freedom to abortion, LGBT, no meaningful Christian presence in law or society except when you are an individual in your home or Church.

The division is far deeper than the establishment left/right parties to a full on departure from Christianity by both establishments. Conservatives might be more Christian but barely.

An extremely biased opinion piece which is more likely to alienate and offend than change minds.

As opposed to your own leftist interpretation which moralizes the redistribution of wealth as the essential message of the gospel.

 

[okay]

There are many different expressions of the Christian faith. Yes, our faith should inform our politics, but that can look very different from person to person. God isn’t a Republican or a Democrat.

That is why we have a Christian divide on politics, and why we have had it since the founding of our country. It is nothing new.

Instead of casting aspersions on each others faith, I think we would be better off applying Paul’s advice to the Romans: following our own consciences and not judging the faith of others based on how they vote.

Edit: just to be clear, i am not accusing folks on this thread of casting aspersions. The article sure did, though.

 

[Postvieww]

An extremely biased opinion piece which is more likely to alienate and offend than change minds.

Many people are too easily offended especially when confronted with scriptural truth.

 

[Fantine]

Not everyone in ministry interprets the truth of Scripture correctly.
Even worse, so many politically motivated ministers cherry pick verses--ignoring the uncomfortable truths that reveal their party's flaws.

 

[Postvieww]

Not everyone in ministry interprets the truth of Scripture correctly.
Even worse, so many politically motivated ministers cherry pick verses--ignoring the uncomfortable truths that reveal their party's flaws.

Very true especially when it comes to the unholy grail of abortion.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Not everyone in ministry interprets the truth of Scripture correctly.
Even worse, so many politically motivated ministers cherry pick verses--ignoring the uncomfortable truths that reveal their party's flaws.

Do you think leftist ministers aren't motivated by politics?

 

[Job 33:6]

For me, I think that it's important that we continue to support Ukraine, and the broader Europe. Russia weaponized natural gas against several nations last winter and attempted to freeze them out. If we abandon Ukraine, we abandon our closest allies. This would further embolden nations like China against Taiwan, North Korea against South Korea, and it may even embolden Iran against Israel, if they see that America will not support its allies.

But here, it appears as though Republicans are interested in discontinuing support.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

For me, I think that it's important that we continue to support Ukraine, and the broader Europe. Russia weaponized natural gas against several nations last winter and attempted to freeze them out. If we abandon Ukraine, we abandon our closest allies. This would further embolden nations like China against Taiwan, North Korea against South Korea, and it may even embolden Iran against Israel, if they see that America will not support its allies.

But here, it appears as though Republicans are interested in discontinuing support.

Is Ukraine worth having WW3 over?

 

[Job 33:6]

Is Ukraine worth having WW3 over?

Nobody wants to fight Russia, but if Putin wants to continually invade one nation after another, and wants to destroy our family, then we have to do what's right, regardless. Same with Isreal. Nobody wants to fight Iran, but if they want to destroy Israel, then we should be there for them.

Nobody wanted WW2, but defeating Hitler was still a necessity.

It's amazing. We all grew up watching rocky balboa or Rambo. The Hunt for Red October, or Top Gun. We remember the space race, and nuclear drills taking cover under our desks at school. The nuclear arms race, Olympics rivalries. Cold war conflicts, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan.

We've been rivals and have had to compete with Russia for generations.

But here, Russia is weaponizing natural gas against Europe, and threatening to wipe out all the Baltic states, is being armed by Iran and North Korea, two pariah states that are additionally endangering the free world in Isreal and South Korea, while Putin simultaneously threatens nuclear warfare like a psychopath, and all of a sudden Americans are getting cold feet.

This is the way it's been for a long time. And simply abandoning our allies and letting them be consumed by the Russian war machine would be an atrocity. To walk away from nations that have supported democracy, freedom, and have been our allies for centuries now. Half of America is European in origin.

And here, we've supported Ukraine for nearly 3 years. Imagine if tomorrow we just turned away. How bad it would look for any nation, from Canada to Japan, how bad we would look, how inconsistent and unreliable. How untrustworthy as allies.

We would lose influence. Would lose international support. Nations would buy their defense weapons somewhere else. Would buy resource exports from someone else. Would divert their trade and commerce elsewhere, to nations with more influence than could provide more security. Etc.

It's about much more than just Ukraine. And every traditional Republican knows this. Not this new aged conservative conspiracy theory camp.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Nobody wants to fight Russia, but if Putin wants to continually invade one nation after another, and wants to destroy our family, then we have to do what's right, regardless. Same with Isreal. Nobody wants to fight Iran, but if they want to destroy Israel, then we should be there for them.

Nobody wanted WW2, but defeating Hitler was still a necessity.

I would suggest not backing this guy into a corner. Do not put him and his nation in a position where there is no way out of a conflict. I think he has an ego and carelessness to do it: start WW3 with nukes, biowarfare, gas, the whole thing. They are misjudging him intensely, thinking he can be bullied into submission. He is old school USSR. I also think taking the war into Russian territory was a mistake. That will solidify his support among the Russian people. If he thinks Russia is genuinely in danger of defeat, he will do it.

 

[Job 33:6]

I would suggest not backing this guy into a corner. Do not put him and his nation in a position where there is no way out of a conflict. I think he has an ego and carelessness to do it: start WW3 with nukes, biowarfare, gas, the whole thing. They are misjudging him intensely, thinking he can be bullied into submission. He is old school USSR. I also think taking the war into Russian territory was a mistake. That will solidify his support among the Russian people. If he thinks Russia is genuinely in danger of defeat, he will do it.

The reasons you've stated are precisely the reasons we should be there for our allies.

Nobody asked Russia to annex crimea or half of Ukraine that Russia doesn't even have control of. Putin is the aggressor, not Ukraine. Russia was never in danger to begin with, rather it is the Baltic states and the EU that is in danger.

And I don't consider arming Ukraine to be "bullying". That's just protecting allies from being destroyed.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

And here, we've supported Ukraine for nearly 3 years. Imagine if tomorrow we just turned away. How bad it would look for any nation, from Canada to Japan, how bad we would look, how inconsistent and unreliable. How untrustworthy as allies.

I think more about the lives saved rather than the reputation of the US.

We would lose influence. Would lose international support. Nations would buy their defense weapons somewhere else. Would buy resource exports from someone else. Would divert their trade and commerce elsewhere, to nations with more influence than could provide more security. Etc.

Is US influence globally a good thing worth preserving? Why should Christians care about the status of the Global American Empire?

It's about much more than just Ukraine. And every traditional Republican knows this. Not this new aged conservative conspiracy theory camp.

By traditional republican do you mean Neoconservative?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

This article at least begins to address the unspoken, uncritical, unexamined theological preferences people bring to politics. Since the enlightenment and the introduction of a secular rationalism in dialogue with faith we have seen what has been called a liberal theology that led into radical theology and its social concerns even as a neo-orthodoxy also emerged.. One thing is sure, almost no one views issues through a completely Biblical lens. That is especially true for those who claim it the most. Rather, we pick and choose fragments that support our political views.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

This article at least begins to address the unspoken, uncritical, unexamined theological preferences people bring to politics. Since the enlightenment and the introduction of a secular rationalism in dialogue with faith we have seen what has been called a liberal theology that led into radical theology and its social concerns even as a neo-orthodoxy also emerged.. One thing is sure, almost no one views issues through a completely Biblical lens. That is especially true for those who claim it the most. Rather, we pick and choose fragments that support our political views.

The issue isn't looking at politics biblically but looking at politics with the influence of religion in general. The left tries to be as secular as possible preferring to divorce religion from power entirely. The right still values the Influence of religion in power to a lesser or greater degree.

 

[theprinceofthisworld]

Take a look at Gal 5, 14..15. The second commandment stands for social well-being for christians of this world.
Gal 5, 15 is the minimum to be within the second commandament, but also it says christians can be more christian
if they've a good social well-being. The right pay more attention to this aspect. However it's a free decision.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

The issue isn't looking at politics biblically but looking at politics with the influence of religion in general. The left tries to be as secular as possible preferring to divorce religion from power entirely. The right still values the Influence of religion in power to a lesser or greater degree.

That may be. The concern though is the quality of the "religion" which, in the U.S., is tied to a more or less literal interpretation of the Bible. Or at least certain parts that support the political view.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

That may be. The concern though is the quality of the "religion" which, in the U.S., is tied to a more or less literal interpretation of the Bible. Or at least certain parts that support the political view.

I guess that's a concern but more for those on the right side of politics. Those on the Left seem to think the literalness of Scripture shouldn't determine anything. It for instance can be literally true that abortion or porn is immoral and or evil, but both must be legally acceptable.

 

[Job 33:6]

I think more about the lives saved rather than the reputation of the US.

What if people's lives depended on our reliability? China sees us abandoning Europe, well, I guess that means Taiwan is fair game. Iran and Hezbollah see us abandoning Ukraine, well, I guess America is inconsistent and won't be there for Israel. North Korea sees us walk away from our closest allies of the EU, well, America won't be there for south Korea either. Etc.

It's more than reputation. It's about security and trust. Reliability.

It's like showing up to work every day. Or being there for your friends. It's not about reputation, it's about being responsible.

You say you're going to be there to help your friend in a time of need, and then when the going gets tough, you abandon them? If you leave them, they'll never trust you again.

And guess what, if America was ever attacked by Russia, guess who would be there? The EU. Which may not be saying a whole lot depending on the nation. But it's still a valid point.

Is US influence globally a good thing worth preserving? Why should Christians care about the status of the Global American Empire?

Because if we aren't in a position of authority, and we hand that over to Putin, then it will be Russia in a position of authority. And look at what they've done already. It will embolden further invasions of the Baltic states and further subjugation of our allies in europe Europe. It will embolden Iran against Israel, China against taiwan, and more.

As an example, the military power of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are a fraction of the military power of Ukraine. If not for the US, Putin would march right through all three of them. Same with Moldova. Poland would naturally be pulled in.

Simultaneously we have Russia weaponizing natural gas resources, by cutting off supplies that people need to survive winter in Germany. Is this the nation you would rather hand authority over to? Same with North Korea or Iran. Iran has a national holiday in anticipation of the destruction of America. Is that who you want in power or want to hand over power to?

You know that Iran also has higher taxes for non-muslims and has laws that include death to apostates of Islam. Is that really who you want to hand power over to? The same nation that wants to destroy Israel as well.

Or north Korea, do we really even need to explain this?

Meanwhile in the US, despite its shortcomings, there is religious freedom. It's what our nation was founded on.