From: ptfarre@afterlife.ncsc.mil (Peter Farrell)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: "Christian politics"??
Date: 28 Aug 92 05:03:28 GMT
Organization: The Great Beyond

In article <Aug.27.03.31.10.1992.5497@athos.rutgers.edu> bulloj@rpi.edu ( ) writes:
>... My question is, why is it that more "Evangelical Christians" tend to be
>very right-wing Republicans? I understand the position on the abortion issue,
>but is that really the only reason to support Republicans?
>[I'm going to moderate any followups pretty tightly.  I don't
>want this group to turn into a politics group.  --clh]

Hi, John.

First, I'd like to mention to our friendly moderator dude :-) that this
particular train of thought can be and is quite apropriate to the SCR
newsgroup here. Note that John IS interested in Biblical perspectives
and his is a very intriguing question.

I have noticed the same phenomenon, John. I'll wager that lots of others, 
including those so-called "right-wing Evangelical Christians", have too.

On the surface, it looks (quite understandibly) to friend and foe alike
as though the Christian's faith is integrally linked in to politics and
social agenda. But it is pure folly to mistakenly assume that allegiance
to the Republicans is necessarily a Christian trait or that allegiance
to the Democrats is necessarily an anti-Christian trait.

The life of a nation is a multi-story house, I think. Beneath the floor
of politics is a floor of value systems. Beneath that is a floor of
fundamental beliefs about such weighty matters as absolute morality,
God, and reality itself.

By the time our view gets to the very visible floor of the public arena,
where television cameras and microphones take in the actions and words
of various political and cultural forces, the lower floors from which
it all springs are nearly forgotten. 

Our prophetic mandate from the Holy Spirit is to attempt as best we can
to not only live peacibly with our neighbors and to spread the gospel,
but also to get involved in the various struggles of the day on behalf 
of the Kingdom of God.  That some people stray from this and become
more entwined in the particulars of politics or current affairs is an
unfortunate side-effect. 
Here is one perspective I gained from the Bible about the big-government
thing. In 1st Samuel, the people of Israel, rather than listen to the
Holy Spirit, decide to listen to the currently popular trends of their
day and decide they would like to have a king over them like all the
major countries of the time.  Samuel warns them that this is not such a
hot idea, but God, he tells them (in so many words; you should probably
read it yourself) is going to let them have it their way. After stern
warnings to them from Samuel, the people basically say "Yeah yeah, thanks.
Now on with it; let's have our king, please" and thus starts the long line
of Israelite kings and their rather dismal record of government that
ultimately ended centuries later in the conquest and exile of the Jewish
nation.  Samuel, the first king they receive, is a handsome and popular
leader when first "inaugurated", but before long, he is shown to be just
what a lot of our own modern political hot-shot leaders are today - a
dishonest compromiser who cannot resist the temptation to do what is
convenient against what is right.

Many Christians distrust big government because almost all historical
examples of it have been dismal failures as far as personal liberty
and well-being are concerned. For the moment, at least, the Republican
party seems to be the group most opposed to this concept of larger
and larger government involvement in our lives. Thus, many Christians
who care about the direction being taken by the society around them
will throw their political allegience, talent and treasure in with this
party.  If enough Christians do this, it can and does look like that
party is a "Christian" organization whose agenda is "right-wing" (whatever
that is supposed to mean) and "Evangelical".  How unfortunate; there is 
no such thing as a Christian political party! 

Political winds are the most unpredictable because mankind is so fickle
and unfaithful by nature, in my opinion. You never know if 25 years from
now, the roles have changed greatly and the Republicans are for things
Christians fear and abhor while the Democrats or some other party yet to
be have their support.

At bottom, John, there are underlying value systems at war and there
is spiritual warfare going on all around us; the political arena is only
the visible surface. At stake is what value system and what spiritual
force (if you will) shall hold sway over the minds of our decisionmakers
in the future. Many Christians find that the values now being championed
by the Democrats are grossly incompatible with the values of scripture.
Our mandate is to be involved from a prophetic standpoint and so I think
this is why it LOOKS like the Republicans are the party of Christians
right now.  But watch if their platforms and stated ideals deviate; then
you should (I hope) see thousands of us flee from their ranks.

Truly speaking, Christians have no "candidate" but Jesus, and He's already
"in office"! :-)

Sorry if this was too long, but jeepers, it is one heckuva good question.

								Pete