RABBONI...which is to say, Master

It is election time in Tennessee and maybe where you live too. The political commercials are filling the air ways, the streets are lined with signs for those that are running for office. As I was thinking of this today a questioned surfaced that I want to share with you. Have we as Christians so aligned ourselves with the Republican Right that there is a segment of society that we will not be able to reach simply because of our political alignment? Will our political position get in the way of our liberal neighbor next door hearing our message about Christ? Maybe the first question we should ask is, “Do we really want to reach these folks with the Gospel”? While that may seem like a strange question on the surface, look a little deeper. We say we want to reach “all” with the gospel, but what about those that, at least initially, accept homosexual lifestyle, abortion, and other practices, that we consider sinful. Will we require them to change their opinions on these things before they can be Christians? If so, whose list will we use to determine which opinions they must change before they can come to Christ?

While the battle over the issue of the separation of Church and State rages on, just where should the Christian stand? How does our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven affect the way we look at this issue? The IRS recently warned Churches to stay away from political endorsement of candidates. The failure to do so could result in the loss of non-profit tax status. Property would no longer be exempt from taxation; contributions would no longer be tax deductible if a church lost it exempt status. But should this be an issue with the church at all? Sin needs to be preached against, but does it have to be politically based.

But the greater concern I have is how our political position may affect whether folks will listen to us at all. “We are drawing a circle around Christ that includes pro-life but excludes an economic system that is generous to the poor. It is fearful to speculate what could happen to Christianity if we don’t work through this—after all, our political and socioeconomic views are fleeting compared to the eternal work of God. We need to face the fact that many people of our community and our world will not even listen to the gospel because of the political and ideological bias of the evangelical church.” (Wes Haddaway, pastor of evangelism at Harmony Bible Church in Danville, Iowa) 

There are no easy answers, but the New Testament Church worked through the Jewish/Gentile problem, and we must work through this one as well. What are your thoughts?