1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Opinion: A Christian and a conservative

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by gb93433, Jul 14, 2009.

  1. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    The entire story is at http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4230&Itemid=9

    By the 1970s, many Christian conservatives had rightly decided that the counterculture revolutions of the previous decade had taken a moral toll on the country. Something, they reasoned, had to be done about it.

    What started as an effort to give a voice to the “silent majority” quickly grew into something more -- a political force that in time would impress its will on the American political landscape.

    Coming of age politically in the late 1980s and early 1990s and having been one who identified himself both as conservative and Christian, I easily made the ideological connection between the two adjectives. I became a self-identified member of the Religious Right.

    Enamored with the take-America-back-for-Jesus crowd, I forsook the timeless words of conservatives like Edmund Burke, who asserted the importance of the rule of law, tradition and social order; and Russell Kirk, who affirmed divine revelation and the links between property and freedom. Instead, I opted for what was then the modern-day political philosophy offered by Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
    The downside wasn’t that I became any less conservative, but that I became less Christian. Perhaps it was a personal weakness or a lack of grounding in my faith, but my Christianity during that time became more of an outward expression of political involvement and less about the inner transformation of a life that comes only through a relationship with Christ and self-reflection, study of the Scriptures and prayer.

    I could quote you chapter and verse from books claiming that America was set apart and founded as a distinctly Christian nation ordained by God himself for his chosen (American) people. At the time, I gave little credence to the fact that even though many of the nation’s founders were strong men of faith, most of their exhaustive references to the Sovereign Creator were political language born out of the tactical need to appeal to a higher power -- one that reigned over the sovereign who sat on Great Britain’s throne.

    It is also an unarguable fact that faith, specifically Christianity, played a role in our country’s birth.

    Nonetheless, the founders understood that government wasn’t a tool to carry out God’s will. Instead, most realized that fallen and imperfect humans were susceptible to overreaching and vulnerable to greed and corruption. So they declared independence, formed a government and divided its power among those who would govern in order to protect the very freedoms and rights that had been trampled by King George.
     
  2. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2008
    Messages:
    18,441
    Likes Received:
    259
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You quoted and included what I feel is an important paragraph. I also feel the following paragraph is also very important ... I quote both below.

    As Santayna said, "Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It"
     
    #2 Crabtownboy, Jul 14, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 14, 2009
  3. sag38

    sag38 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
    Messages:
    4,395
    Likes Received:
    2
    Hey GB thanks for the propaganda piece from the left.
     
  4. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    11,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Ok, here is what I "hear" from this piece....

    "Once upon a time Christians in America were Liberal.. but then comes the 1970s... and Conservatives took over Christianity so much so that now Christians are confusing being a Christian with being a Conservative."

    Let's see... social conservatives are against the perils of society.. the same perils the Bible speaks against...
    Social conservatives are for promoting Godliness in society.... So do true Christians.

    I don't see the problem with being a conservative Christian...

    Maybe the problem is that all good fairy tales start with, "Once upon a time..."

    Sorry guys... you can have your abortion loving, homo coddling, throw God out of Government liberal theology and politics...

    I'll stick with what the Bible says...
     
  5. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Quote it....................
     
  6. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    13,977
    Likes Received:
    2
    Excellent good post. The problem is that no one running our government today is conservative, no one. The division between liberal and conservative is on one hand, the two parties today, and on the other hand, the US Constitution, how we should be governed. Our rights come from our Creator, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We lend our power to the government. We do not get our rights from the government, they work for us.

    Our founders did not agree with us on every theological point, but they all believed in a Creator, in a strong moral code, self responsibility, loving your neighbor and lending him a hand, worshiping as you choose, liberty and freedom.

    As a conservative Christian, I would walk arm in arm with any of the founders compared to the trash in Washington today.
     
  7. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    [QUOTE]
    Many times their evangelical zeal is not for reaching a world for Christ, but for advancing a political agenda.

    [/QUOTE]

    That's always the straw man that get erected. It got erected by the racists when Dr King talked equality and justice. And now it is resurrected by the liberals when we talk about not killing babies and supporting Biblical marriage. If it is a mistake now, it was a mistake then. But it was right then and it's right now. We can do both. We can stand for biblical morality and justice and still reach the world for Jesus.

    By the way, what other kind of op ed would you expect from ABP and gets pushed ahead by Wade Burleson's blog this morning.
     
  8. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2008
    Messages:
    18,441
    Likes Received:
    259
    Faith:
    Baptist


    That's always the straw man that get erected. It got erected by the racists when Dr King talked equality and justice. And now it is resurrected by the liberals when we talk about not killing babies and supporting Biblical marriage. If it is a mistake now, it was a mistake then. But it was right then and it's right now. We can do both. We can stand for biblical morality and justice and still reach the world for Jesus.[/URL]this morning.[/QUOTE]

    Pushing a political agenda instead of Christ ... regardless of who does it ... is always wrong.
     
  9. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist

    It is not an either or scenario but then you already know that.
     
  10. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2004
    Messages:
    7,406
    Likes Received:
    101
    I really believe that ABPNews is, at this point, yellow journalism at its worst.

    The CBF isn't becoming the mecca for maligned baptists that they thought it would so they are attempting to go after the perceived weaknesses in the SBC. Just sad. You can put BPNews.net and ABPNews on either end of a see-saw and they would just balance each other out.
     
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist

    Much like CBF's people on this board.
     
  12. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    13,977
    Likes Received:
    2
    I want to put the SBC issue to rest. I grew up in a conservative Presbyterian Church, very sound, but never came to salvation, not through the church's fault, I was a kid and just not interested. I was married in a SBC church, and came to salvation through a revival held by that church, a true gift of God. I will be forever grateful God used that man in that church to rescue me. For me, that trumps the politics of the SBC or the politics of the seminaries, which I do not follow anyhow.
     
  13. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Like I said and RevMitchell said, it's not either or... No one here except your straw man pushes a poltical agenda instead of Christ.
     
  14. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    11,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Pushing a political agenda instead of Christ ... regardless of who does it ... is always wrong. [/quote]

    Nice try... Very slick and slithery the way you changed the SUBJECT of the post you quoted to something that promotes your political agenda.

    Read the post again... the subject of the post is THE STRAWMAN that has been erected for over 4 decades now.. first from the right, and then from the left... and that STRAWMAN is always wrong.
     
  15. just-want-peace

    just-want-peace Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2002
    Messages:
    7,727
    Likes Received:
    873
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Matt. 6:33
    What comes after the dashes is different for each individual.

    It just may be (surely not for a Christian though :rolleyes: ) a career in politics. Lord knows we need them there - well don't we??

    Ergo, being a conservative and a Christian AND a politician aren't (except in the minds of some liberals) mutually exclusive!!!!
     
  16. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    11,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Growing up, a part of me wanted to be in politics..
    I even majored in communications.. PR to be precise.. I wanted to be a political speech writer... er... Teleprompter programmer...

    Or Spokesman for the President

    Anyway, instead of writing speeches for Presidents.. I am a spokesman for the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords..
     
  17. alatide

    alatide New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2009
    Messages:
    974
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'm not sure about what you mean by "from the left?" The author is a Christian conservative. He's talking about the tremendous damage done by those who have confused Republican politics with Christianity.
     
  18. alatide

    alatide New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2009
    Messages:
    974
    Likes Received:
    0
    They aren't mutually exclusive. The error comes when people think that putting the Ten Commandments in a court room is more important that sharing the gospel with their neighbor. That's what the author is talking about. When I was growing up in a Baptist church we longed for a Christian president. Finally, we got a good and decent man named Jimmy Carter. Most of you here hate him. Why? All together now, because he's a liberal (translation Democrat)>

    Well, President carter openly proclaimed that he is a born-again Christian and still teaches a Sunday school class at his church in Plains, GA. Have any republican ex-Presidents ever done that since WW2? Not to my knowledge.
     
  19. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    15,549
    Likes Received:
    15
    I think that attitude is more than in just the SBC. It is in society as a whole. The politicians have sold America to the lowest bidder for manufactured goods and increased the waste and greed. It does apply the biblical principle of taking care of its own first.
     
  20. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Who does this and what evidence do you have to support it?

    No we oppose his godless agenda.

    No telling what he teaches.
     
Loading...