Confusing Christianity and American Politics

A few days ago the New York Times ran an article (and a video report on their website) about Gregory Boyd's recently released book, “The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church,”. Seems the book is stirring up the same controversy his messages did a few years ago. Just prior to the last presidential election, Boyd preached six messages, themed, "The Cross and the Sword" aimed at clarifying the message of Jesus Christ; that is, it is not American politics - Republican or Democrat.

I've respected Boyd since I worked through his book, "Repenting of Religion". I appreciate his grasp of grace and how we handle that message in our culture. In the recent NYTimes interview, he said,

“I am sorry to tell you that America is not the light of the world and the hope of the world. The light of the world and the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.”

The lines get so easily blurred - and that confuses...

me. For so many years, too many Christians - who are also Americans - have tended to read Scripture and work out their worldview through the lens of Westernized Americanism... even through right-wing, Republican, political agendas. I'm not railing on Republicans. I'm not slamming Democrats. This isn't about "Christian politics". That's the point. We've confused the lines between American politics and the message of Jesus.

As a student pastor years ago, I struggled with the youth ministry bandwagon to get “prayer back in our schools”. Even the well-intended “see you at the pole” campaign has inadvertently isolated kids – on both sides of the church wall – raising up future generations of evangelicals who fail to understand wholesome approaches to being (being) light and salt among the world (who happen to be God’s creation, people after his own heart who matter to him).

I hang my head every time the media reports something else Christians are against (like this FOX News report that angers me). I want to stand up and yell to my neighborhood, “that’s not me, that’s not me!” I don’t read anywhere that Jesus ever led any protests, marches or demonstrations on Rome. Seems to me that his public criticism was of religious leaders who painted God as a rule-pounding, people-breaking tyrant who was more interested in a religious system than a personal relationship.

I think his message would sound similar in our culture today. I think he’d watch us go into our voting halls, wondering why we didn’t put the same energy we display at election time into action every day… relationally… demonstrating what we say we believe – that all people really matter, that life is sacred – all around us.

Maybe it just takes a lot more energy for us to look inside – at our motivation, our heart.

• Maybe it’s harder to own up to our image-tending issues that keep us from caring for the loss of the gay man who just lost his partner to AIDS.
   
• Maybe it’s harder to own up to our negligence of people around us that keeps us from holding the hand of the young mother who just aborted her baby.
   
• Maybe it’s easier to sit in the judge’s chamber than to take our rightful place at the defendant’s table.

 

Although it’s the only place we can hear the only Judge say, “Where are your accusers? I don’t condemn you either. Go. Leave your life of sin and live a grateful life.”

It's unfortunate that many people who have yet to understand how much they matter to God have missed that message because of "us" - those who call themselves Christians, Grace-bearers.

Come on, Church - we were called to be light, not a political, moralistic force.