August 11, 2010
Christianity and Politics
Posted by Will
We will wrap up our By Popular Demand series this week with a look at the interaction between Christianity and politics. As Christians, determining our level of involvement with the political system and discussing our beliefs with others can be daunting and stressful. Dr. Joel Hunter has written a book, Right Wing, Wrong Bird, to help Christians in their political interactions. Don’t let the title fool you into thinking the advice offered is only for one side. Dr. Hunter lays out sound principles and practical suggestions for all Christians no matter what their party affiliation is.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to what he terms “The Pilate Process.” As he explains, there is a lot we can learn from the interaction between Pilate, Jesus, and the crowd on the night of Jesus’ trial. Ultimately, Pilate avoided making a decision in order to protect his own interests and in an attempt to preserve some sort of political peace; the crowd got caught up in trying to prove a religious point in a highly charged emotional environment; and Jesus, with true tolerance, appealed to and spoke the truth.
Dr. Hunter reminds us that we are not called to stand idly by and be passive, but neither are we to put so much effort into being right and proving a point that we forget we are called first to love others the way Christ did. He finishes by describing practical ways everyone can be active in the political process by getting educated about the issues of the day, communicating with elected officials, voting, and for some, volunteering or running for elected office.
Right Wing, Wrong Bird will be available in the Resource Center this Sunday.
