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!

Political Views in Your Church

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by FR7 Baptist, Jul 24, 2010.

  1. FR7 Baptist

    FR7 Baptist Active Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2009
    Messages:
    2,378
    Likes Received:
    1
    How would you describe the political views of most people in your church? Unfortunately, most people in my church are conservatives, with a majority being far-right. I make a point at church to not talk about politics too much, but it does come up in conversations sometimes. However, there is hope. I know of a handful of Democrats and a couple of self-described moderates at church. There's also some thoughtful Republicans like my friend Robert who think through things rather than merely parroting Fox News propaganda.
     
  2. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2007
    Messages:
    2,703
    Likes Received:
    20
    Overwhelmingly conservative. Even the Democrats usually vote Republican. If you did a poll I would say the last election was about 90% McCain-Palin and 10% Obama-Biden, or maybe even more tilted than that toward the Republicans.
     
  3. SojourningOnEarth

    SojourningOnEarth New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2010
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Though our church is theologically conservative, politically we are mixed. Since we are an urban church seeking to reach as many as possible for Jesus Christ, we try not to put any unnecessary "boundry-markers" around the gospel so we refrain from talking about politics. It's just the nature of the context of the area around our church - Not passing judgment on congregations or pastors who do speak about politics. Everyone is welcome to come as they are... Jew or Gentile... Republican or Democrat.
     
  4. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2003
    Messages:
    11,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Both Theologically and politically conservative...
     
  5. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    26,806
    Likes Received:
    80
    I don't know. Not trying to be difficult but we don't discuss it.

    I don't know if they are Fianna Fail, Finna Gael, Labour, or other.
     
    #5 NaasPreacher (C4K), Jul 24, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 24, 2010
  6. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    I don't know; I'm afraid if I found out I would leave. I have been a member of the right-wing so called Baptist church before and I don't care to return.

    I don't go to church to discuss politics or anything else concerning our elected officials. If the church cannot be a haven for lost sinners, regardless of persuasion, I don't want to go there.

    Until the Baptist church wakes up and abandons their trust in the republican party and their desire to build a kingdom here on earth, I fear most of their efforts to serve Christ whole-heartedly will be done in vain.
     
  7. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 14, 2001
    Messages:
    26,977
    Likes Received:
    2,536
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Personally, I was politically a Blue Dog until the post Kennedy era and especially became disenchanted after Roe v Wade (which actually was passed during a Republican Administration).

    I became a Republican by virtue of my voting record but after their poor perfomance concerning abortion, I disowned them as my party.

    Today I am an unaffiliated independent with a staunch pro-life position.

    I really don't care about party affiliation except to say that I don't know if I could even vote for a pro-life Blue Dog seeing the official platform of the Democratic Party includes a pro-choice position.

    As for my church, I believe overall are generally conservative leaning to the right.

    HankD
     
  8. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2004
    Messages:
    7,406
    Likes Received:
    101
    Our congregation is completely mixed in terms of their political views. We reach a highly diverse crowd ethnically and socio-economically.

    We don't talk about politics at all in our services, we find it all sort of distracting. You wouldn't know anything about our political perspectives as a leadership team in just attending our church. We rather like it that way.
     
  9. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

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

    [off topic]
     
    #9 Revmitchell, Jul 24, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 24, 2010
  10. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2002
    Messages:
    8,136
    Likes Received:
    3
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Our church is a small church, so although we don't discuss politics and do not adopt a particular political stand for the entire body, I am aware that some of us are Democrats, some Republicans, and I don't know and don't care to call my brethren rightists or leftists, conservative or moderate or liberal.
    I do know we all agree divorce, homosexuality, and fornicating is a definite no-no so I don't think there are too many liberals.
     
  11. Zenas

    Zenas Active Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2007
    Messages:
    2,703
    Likes Received:
    20
    How can you not know? We don't talk a whole lot of politics in church and the pastor never goes into that thicket (except for the occasional pro-life sermon), but our members are my closest friends. I see most of them seven days a week, and we talk politics and I know what they are thinking. During campaign season they sport bumper stickers and yard signs, and of course the community as a whole always votes overwhelmingly conservative. I don't see how you can not know the political climate in your church unless you are blind (or have on blinders).
     
  12. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    26,806
    Likes Received:
    80
    I don't know for sure about Robert, but I can tell you honestly that the folks in our church do not know what political views each other hold. We just don't talk about it at church or away from church.
     
  13. Berean

    Berean Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2006
    Messages:
    837
    Likes Received:
    2
    It is a dangerous practice to judge peoples salvation or spiritually by their political views. Just as people can be misled theologically so can they be politically.
     
  14. drfuss

    drfuss New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2005
    Messages:
    1,692
    Likes Received:
    0
    It depends on your definition of conservative and liberal. I personally am socially conservative (opposed to abortion rights and the homosexual aggenda); I tend to be a moderate on economics and big government.

    Most conservative churches are conservative due to abortion and the homosexual agenda. Without those two issues, I suspect most churches would be moderate.
     
  15. pinoybaptist

    pinoybaptist Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2002
    Messages:
    8,136
    Likes Received:
    3
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I don't know that anybody on this thread did that: judge peoples salvation or spiritually by their political views.
     
  16. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

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

    The hound dog that yelps is the one that got hit.
     
  17. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    We have a majority of Republicans with a few union people who have tended to be more democrat oriented. But we never talk politics from the pulpit or Bible study classes.

    We do deal with abortion, homosexuality and racism along with a very few others which are moral issues.

    I do sense a pronounced turn to the right the longer the President is in office and the democrats control both houses.
     
  18. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    1. Is that a good reason to break fellowship with believers?
    2. If they are that (gasp) evil right-wing-so-called-baptist (whatever the heck that means)...and you're a member of it (ignorant or not), and it's that evil...don't you owe it to yourself to find out?
    3. If you're happy with the church, being ignorant of their views, then maybe the political stuff isn't as important as you claim it is.


    Agreed that we have larger concerns than politics. But sometimes...politics matter even at the church level (abortion comes to mind).


    Now see...there was a discussion going on, and then this verbal grenade is lobbed. Huge overgeneralization. False claim. Ad hominem. Making judgments that aren't yours to make. that's a lot of poisonous statements in such a short paragraph.
     
  19. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    It may come as a shock to you, but the members in my church are not my closest friends. I only know where one of them even lives at. Things are different in Kentucky than that are in Houston, TX. Perhaps the fact that most of the congregation is 10 or 20 years older than I am contributes to this fact.

    Everyone doesn't live the way you do. But, it sounds like you are one nosy dude if you concern yourself with what others are thinking.

    I would imagine most are conservative, but like I said, I go to church to learn about Jesus and the Gospel, not talk politics. Hopefully, we don't have a "political climate." Wouldn't want one at church.
     
  20. Robert Snow

    Robert Snow New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2009
    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    3
    I never said it was a good reason. I was using a little hyperbole. Sorry, thought you would see it.

    No, I don't care what the other's political views are, it isn't relevant to my attending or not. I imagine they are mostly conservative.

    It's not important as far as where I attend church. I am more liberal than most posters here, but I would not be happy at a church where the liberal viewpoint was stressed from the pulpit any more than I would conservatism.

    I don't need a pastor to tell me what to believe concerning abortion, gay rights or any other current issue. Just preach the Gospel, the other things will take care of themselves.
     
Loading...