Right on. This is the path, and why we pray for the word of God to spread rapidly and be glorified. More people would hear the Gospel and believe, change their lives, homes, communities, and the nation. Let’s join in praying for the Word of God to spread across the land, for open doors for the Word to increase and result in new believers in Jesus.
I am sharing this article from Jack Wilkie as a note, because this is of great encouragement to me as someone who's a follower of Christ, but also interested in politics (deeply patriotic to my country and it's founding principles/ political ideas and opposing those ideas that would challenge our freedoms)
Jack, thankyou for writing this. At first I was hesitant to read it because I thought it was going to be another article about Christianity and politics being separate, or about not letting politics get in the way of our serving God. But - as usual - you have surprised me with your view, and now it's kind of like "duh", of course this should influence everything we do, and we should not be ashamed of it. Thank you for the encouragement. and I really mean that, *encourage-ment*. To be bold and transparent as to why I say what I say and do what I do - because I am a servant of God first and foremost.
I appreciate you saying so! It is one of my biggest aims to help Christians see that it's ok to believe the things their common sense tells them to be so, that God does not require us to pretend not to see what we're seeing.
Thanks for this timely, excellent article. Now, more than perhaps ever before, Revelations prophesy gets closer with every loss in the political arena. The issues we're facing today are indeed about our Father's business.
The day I became a US Citizen, I also became a member of the GOP. Out of conviction. I saw people I knew and respected around me who were Republicans. I became active locally. Involved with election events. Part of the platform Committee writers. Truly believed what we claimed, "We believe in the equality of all people including the pre-born, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We believe that only virtuous people are capable of freedom. Therefore, high moral character of public servants is necessary to provide fair and honest representation in a democratic republic."
And then came 2015. Where the internal culture changed towards expressions and acts of violence. Where a man was adored who was so far removed from what I thought we believed in.
And look where we are today. Many Christ professing people follow a man so dishonorable, so lacking in integrity...
No wonder more and more people in my "influence circle" show clear disbelief in the claims of Christians
I certainly understand - his personal life is not worthy of endorsement whatsoever.
On the other hand, our political system is a simple trolley experiment. We can pull the lever one way and watch a flawed man do some damage, we can pull it another way and watch a flawed woman do far more damage, or we can leave the lever alone to stay above it all and watch one of those two outcomes happen anyway.
That being the case, if there is any moral imperative I believe it would be to minimize the damage.
This is the crux of the matter. EIther way we are going to vote for a terribly flawed candidate. Therefore, why not vote for the one who will cause the least amount of damage?
Thanks Jack. The lack of discernment in the Christian community— the simplistic thinking— is just maddening. Just because a lot of Christians want to be more active and effective in influencing the political process, we get this finger-wagging over “Christian nationalism.” And then the critics get hyperbolic over it, and act like politically active Christians are leading the church to “abandon our call to be at the church.” And the David French types who are shaming politically active Christians never seem to worry about radically left “Christians” using the state and federal legislatures, and the courts, and the schools, to promote the left’s anti-Christian agenda. It’s only when conservatives do it to promote biblical values that suddenly it’s a huge problem with the church “abandoning her call to be the church” in favor of “Christian Empire.”
Back in the day, over two dozen of my letters were printed in the local newspaper. I alternatively used reason, satire, and grace in trying to convince the other side of the folly of their political positions. And then I stopped when something occurred to me: You have to change their heart before you can change their mind. Been trying to do that for a decade now, with no more success. Unfortunately, their minds are captive. Researchers say that a person's worldview is largely established by the age of 13, and leftist-dominated institutions dominate this space. (I can't think of one institution that isn't controlled by the Left.) When people come to the Lord later in life, they stubbornly cling to their secular worldview. That's why my wife and I focus on kids....to turn them away from following everyone off the edge of the culture cliff.
Politics is a wasteland, but I know that the Lord does call some to engage with it. At best, the rot might be slowed down, but it will never be stopped...until the Rapture.
I agree that hearts are changed first, but for most people that is accomplished through peer pressure. Culture sets the range of acceptable and encouraged opinions. For this reason, sociopolitical means are often underrated by many Christians.
This is a well-written, well-thought overview of Christian influence. You summarize the strength (and can I say it?) success of Christianity. We know a society and culture change only when the hearts of the individuals turn by the power of the Gospel to good. We don't preach a social Gospel, but the Gospel of Christ exerts tremendous social impact.
Right on. This is the path, and why we pray for the word of God to spread rapidly and be glorified. More people would hear the Gospel and believe, change their lives, homes, communities, and the nation. Let’s join in praying for the Word of God to spread across the land, for open doors for the Word to increase and result in new believers in Jesus.
And thank you again for including audio.
I am sharing this article from Jack Wilkie as a note, because this is of great encouragement to me as someone who's a follower of Christ, but also interested in politics (deeply patriotic to my country and it's founding principles/ political ideas and opposing those ideas that would challenge our freedoms)
Jack, thankyou for writing this. At first I was hesitant to read it because I thought it was going to be another article about Christianity and politics being separate, or about not letting politics get in the way of our serving God. But - as usual - you have surprised me with your view, and now it's kind of like "duh", of course this should influence everything we do, and we should not be ashamed of it. Thank you for the encouragement. and I really mean that, *encourage-ment*. To be bold and transparent as to why I say what I say and do what I do - because I am a servant of God first and foremost.
I appreciate you saying so! It is one of my biggest aims to help Christians see that it's ok to believe the things their common sense tells them to be so, that God does not require us to pretend not to see what we're seeing.
Thanks for this timely, excellent article. Now, more than perhaps ever before, Revelations prophesy gets closer with every loss in the political arena. The issues we're facing today are indeed about our Father's business.
I read Revelation a bit differently than you but I do think it still applies.
https://jackwilkie.co/p/we-have-to-stop-misreading-revelation
Excellent! I agree! You have such a good way with words, Jack.
Thank you, that means a lot!
The day I became a US Citizen, I also became a member of the GOP. Out of conviction. I saw people I knew and respected around me who were Republicans. I became active locally. Involved with election events. Part of the platform Committee writers. Truly believed what we claimed, "We believe in the equality of all people including the pre-born, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We believe that only virtuous people are capable of freedom. Therefore, high moral character of public servants is necessary to provide fair and honest representation in a democratic republic."
And then came 2015. Where the internal culture changed towards expressions and acts of violence. Where a man was adored who was so far removed from what I thought we believed in.
And look where we are today. Many Christ professing people follow a man so dishonorable, so lacking in integrity...
No wonder more and more people in my "influence circle" show clear disbelief in the claims of Christians
I certainly understand - his personal life is not worthy of endorsement whatsoever.
On the other hand, our political system is a simple trolley experiment. We can pull the lever one way and watch a flawed man do some damage, we can pull it another way and watch a flawed woman do far more damage, or we can leave the lever alone to stay above it all and watch one of those two outcomes happen anyway.
That being the case, if there is any moral imperative I believe it would be to minimize the damage.
This is the crux of the matter. EIther way we are going to vote for a terribly flawed candidate. Therefore, why not vote for the one who will cause the least amount of damage?
Thanks Jack. The lack of discernment in the Christian community— the simplistic thinking— is just maddening. Just because a lot of Christians want to be more active and effective in influencing the political process, we get this finger-wagging over “Christian nationalism.” And then the critics get hyperbolic over it, and act like politically active Christians are leading the church to “abandon our call to be at the church.” And the David French types who are shaming politically active Christians never seem to worry about radically left “Christians” using the state and federal legislatures, and the courts, and the schools, to promote the left’s anti-Christian agenda. It’s only when conservatives do it to promote biblical values that suddenly it’s a huge problem with the church “abandoning her call to be the church” in favor of “Christian Empire.”
Back in the day, over two dozen of my letters were printed in the local newspaper. I alternatively used reason, satire, and grace in trying to convince the other side of the folly of their political positions. And then I stopped when something occurred to me: You have to change their heart before you can change their mind. Been trying to do that for a decade now, with no more success. Unfortunately, their minds are captive. Researchers say that a person's worldview is largely established by the age of 13, and leftist-dominated institutions dominate this space. (I can't think of one institution that isn't controlled by the Left.) When people come to the Lord later in life, they stubbornly cling to their secular worldview. That's why my wife and I focus on kids....to turn them away from following everyone off the edge of the culture cliff.
Politics is a wasteland, but I know that the Lord does call some to engage with it. At best, the rot might be slowed down, but it will never be stopped...until the Rapture.
I agree that hearts are changed first, but for most people that is accomplished through peer pressure. Culture sets the range of acceptable and encouraged opinions. For this reason, sociopolitical means are often underrated by many Christians.
This is a well-written, well-thought overview of Christian influence. You summarize the strength (and can I say it?) success of Christianity. We know a society and culture change only when the hearts of the individuals turn by the power of the Gospel to good. We don't preach a social Gospel, but the Gospel of Christ exerts tremendous social impact.