If you were a Christian politician

By your standards one could not be the owner of a company or an executive, as would have to balance what they personally viewed with what others though!

 

As a Christ-follower, if I decided to enter politics (unlikely), I would campaign on telling the truth; dealing with realities, not a party ideology; adherence to the text and spirit of the Constitution; and a commitment to human flourishing.

I would have no particular loyalty to a political party, but I would represent what I believed to be the best interests of the people I represent.

In the way things traditionally go, almost all politicians owe their position to a political party. But if one's character and accomplishments were so well known (think Dwight D. Eisenhower), that a party would seek the person to run, instead of vice-versa.

At the same time, a candidate who is open to her/his constituents, and takes the time to educate their constituents regarding the issues under consideration and why she/he is voting the way that he is, can do a lot of good.

I have worked many years in the AEC (Architecture/Engineering/Construction) industry, and the best firms are professional in their dealings with clients and become trusted advisors who will tell the truth, deal with reality, and educate the client, thereby earning their fees. But some clients don't want that, so the next time that client comes calling or has a job, a good firm will decline to work with them because the cost of doing business and dealing with client headaches just isn't worth it. A good firm lives by its reputation and repeat business from satisfied clients. That doesn't mean everything always goes as planned (it rarely does), but the client knows that you are doing what you believe is in their best interests. And expert wisdom is vindicated by its results (or as Jesus would say, "wisdom is vindicated by her children" - Luke 7:35).

Just like most people in the world who serve people. Attorneys, doctors, and even Jesus represented people opposed to Jesus. It is not a moral failing, but a holy calling.

True.

That's part of loving one's neighbor. It is a holy thing. Only a false gospel of culture war would think it is evil to fight for justice for all.

Actually, the reverse is true. I've stood up for atheists on numerous occasions, not taking their false position, but standing up for what is true about them and the value of them as a person made in God's image. What has been the consist result? I have a lot of atheists who want to talk to me about spiritual things, with some moving into faith.

Disregarding the humanity of those you disagree with and not fighting for justice and mercy for them is antichrist, not an expression of "Christian values."

Not at all.

20-21st century American Christianity has forgotten about the example of Jesus. Just look at Jesus and see how He dealt with people. He did not compromise Himself, nor the truth of God. However, He angered those who thought He was compromising their religious traditions and associating with "sinners," and Samaritans, and the woman caught in adultery. The scandal of those associations, and His unwillingness to go along with the popular sentiment that He should lead an earthly rebellion against Roman occupation caused Him to be crucified. But His resurrection demonstrated that He was correct, and the petty false religion of first-century culture warriors (literally, fighting against Roman and Hellenism), was doomed.

Learn from Jesus.

 

I am not as cynical as you are about the prospects of being both a faithful Christian and a politician/statesman, but your point is well-taken in the Christian tradition. Early Anabaptists and Mennonites believed that Christians should not become part of the government, so you walk in good company in that regard.

I couldn't do it myself, because I don't have the gifts needed for that kind of leadership. If God had equipped me to do it in terms of temperament and spiritual giftings, I would consider the calling, since I think it is potentially noble, and we DESPERATELY need godly and courageous people in those positions.

I appreciate your thoughts and tone.

 

No, your sense is correct. American Christianity (the popular expression of it) is essentially a cultural thing, not a living faith where women and men are being transformed by intentional and persistent discipleship to Jesus. In place of Jesus and His teachings, there is an over-reliance on popular Christian leaders and political leaders to show us the way to live. And, for many of them, their 'way to live' has nothing to do with Jesus.

I am blessed to be a member of a church where Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all worship together. We are bound together because of Jesus, not because of uniformity of opinions.

I agree wholeheartedly. I listen to and read things from people I completely disagree with and I always learn something. More than that, I can't simply dismiss that person as someone who is not worth caring about.

When Donald Trump was President, I prayed for him more than any other President before him (even Bill Clinton), precisely because I have disliked Trump since the early 1990s. When a Christian prays for a person, they lose the ability to hate that person. They begin to see them as Christ does, a person that is in need. I try to do the same here, praying for certain high profile persons who tend to dominate the tone of the discussions. It keeps me from building up too much resentment when I am attacked for not falling in line. It also makes me more aware of my own failings and the ways that I might come across to others. And that's why I have Daryl Davis as my avatar, to remind me that simple humanity can reach across an enormous divide and bring healing and reconciliation.

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

As much as the Republicans are considered conservatives, I find voting for them only because of the lesser of two evils. Republicans come off as covetous as they favor the rich.

For me to definitely vote for them is to take away all the tax breaks given to the rich and then give the rich a deduction for that supposed tax break from before BUT when they prove they had used their money to create jobs in America like funding research or provide grants for small businesses or businesses, be new or established to expand to create more jobs.

But the idea of the rich buying rich stuff as a trickle down theory seems to be saying.. not sure with all that misinformation on the internet, then they might as well give a tax break to everybody for buying stuff in the economy, and that would not be good for revenue with the increasing national debt in sight.

Does not our government give tax deduction when anyone gives to charity and one has to provide proof of donations to charity? Why can't that be done in regards to giving tax breaks to the rich? As it is, Republicans & Democrats alike, both come across as loving money more than God. If they think they can love both, scripture proves them wrong.

Luke 16:13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

God be willing, I would also remove evolution theory from being taught as a real science in schools and regulate such science fiction to only literature. Real science is about what can be observed & proven and the basis for a scientific theory to be valid is that the phenomenon has to be observed in the natural world which macroevolution is never observed but microevolution which in reality is coined from the Law of Biogenesis as life did not come from nothing but life comes from similar life. In other words, they are using the term microevolution to make macroevolution look possible when the Law of Biogenesis says t can never happen as a cow may become a different kind of cow but always a cow just as a fish will always be a fish and never grow legs as if genetic information spontaneously came out of nowhere in their DNA suddenly when it can never happen..

Then all communists organizations like ACLU & Black Lives Matter.Org can go to a communist country of their choice. If we do not allow Putin to run for President in our country, then those who love communism can go to a communist country. As it is, big government is destroying the economy of the State of California. They are trying to penalize people & business for leaving the state to keep them from leaving the state. This is proof that the Democratic dream is not working as if the state of communist countries are not proof enough.

Inclusion is a disguise to nationalize LGBTQ's ideology on every American that do not accept their ideology so as much as the left is against nationalism, & trying to make inclusion as if that is embracing everyone, it is not because it is done at the exclusion of those that are not comfortable or repulsed by LGBTQ's ideology. Diversity & tolerance is freedom to NOT accept everybody's ideology, but tolerate decency & respect from everyone in a society for what everybody as a majority can tolerate.

We can't please everyone. No minority can over rule the majority or else it becomes tyranny. When media are giving misinformation & big tech are compromising data, and now voting irregularities, we can be misled by the tyrannical into thinking the majority has spoken when they have not.

Indeed, we believe the New World Order is coming and for some of us, it will come into place after the rapture event and after that fiery calamity burns up one third of the earth as the rapture can happen at any moment.

So is it that hard to believe that the powers that be that will be behind the New World Order are in place right now?

Any candidate has to be cleared by the political party to be supported to run for that political party. Makes one wonder if that is not a screening process to only support those that are like-minded like them in regards to the coming NWO?

But God can steer the hearts & mind of the wicked for why praying for our elected leaders, even if they are our enemies, is probably the best thing any of us can do for our nation politically. If you think about it, if Christ would have us elected, then would we not be praying for the people in America as well? So fancy what we would do with His help if elected, but pray for our elected leaders now that God would lead them to do the right thing for the majority of the American people & not for points for their political party at the expense of the other party for that would be at the expense of the American people of that party too..

 

Why stop there? Fiction is not true, so why allow it? Burn the books and suppress every idea that is opposed to yours. Seriously though, this is a bad idea.

This kind of thinking has historically led to people being rounded up and deported, using deadly force. This is a terrible idea.

Actually, “the rapture” is a 19th century error that confuses the living saints greeting the Lord upon His return on the Day of Judgment and the restoration of the world with a biblically-foreign concept of the saints being ‘taken away’ before a future Tribulation. Persons who hold this view have imposed a Dispensationalist viewpoint upon the scripture and conflated Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD where people are taken away to destruction (just like the flood washed away the unrighteous in judgment – see Matthew 24:39), with a description of the final day of judgment and the symbolic usage of images and numbers in the Hebrew world. That has bred all of the conspiracy theories and rapture teaching of the past two hundred years.

A disciple of Christ did not want to be taken away (killed), but to be left (live). That is why Jesus told His disciples in Judea to flee to the hills when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, and to stay out of Jerusalem during the time when God would use the Roman army to destroy the Temple and end the religious domination of Jerusalem by Judaism (see Luke 21:21-24). Not a single stone of the Temple would remain in place and intact (see Luke 21:6). When the Temple burned, all of the gold built into the Temple melted down between the stones. The Roman soldiers broke all of the stones apart to recover the gold between them as part of the spoils of war.

Yes, because the Bible doesn’t teach any such thing. That’s a conspiracy theory.

I can completely agree with this.

 

Are you saying that this decision is a personal one for each Christian, or that you know that its a sin and wrong period?

 

JonC,

[I wonder because it does seem like there is divided loyalties. You would owe your position to your political party. But you are responsible to represent the citizens who comprise your state regardless of political party.

To make things more difficult, you are morally responsible to represent those who are opposed to Christ. To fail to meet this responsibility is to be dishonest, which is disobedience to God. Yet you would have to fight for the interests of homosexual advocates, atheists, etc. And you would have to represent these people with just as much zeal as you would a fellow believer.]

No...what you describe here is politics as usual.

A change is needed.

A change in local churches being mature and obedient.
A new theonomic party standing for biblical laws and teaching based on those laws.

While it would become the law of the land, it would be a righteous standard being upheld.

These perverted democrats do not hesitate to put forth immoral ideas as the law of the land.
Anyone who does not like it can go.

 

I believe unless a no compromise party is raised up ....one that features the ten commandments....things will not change.

I want a runoff among biblically solid persons.
We would need someone who has enough education to grasp economics and create a God glorify platform that challenges people to examine themselves as those who.will answer to God for their choices.
The ungodly will be called to biblical norms...marraige,families, based only on biblical definitions.

The weakness with my own idea at this time is the local churches hold a weak.form of doctrine.
Legalistic types would be too severe to get a hearing of those on the fence.

 

I’d be like Obadiah who hid/protected 100 prophets from Jezebeel.