A report came out today that $13 million was spent in a total of 13 states during the 2004 elections on both sides of campaigns involving the issue of same-sex marriage. The report states that nearly $2 million came directly from churches. Most of those funds were to support initiatives banning same-sex marriage, but that's not the issue I'm raising here.
Why are churches helping to finance political campaigns?
Churches are funded almost entirely on contributions from their members. In any church I have belonged to, I understood that my donations were to be used in the funding of ministry work. After all, isn't that supposed to be its primary function?
I wonder anymore. Churches and religious orgainzations put a lot of money and other resources into political causes these days trying to make the laws of the United States adhere to their religious convictions.
Here's an idea--take that money and devote those resources toward leading people to Jesus. The politically active "fundamentalists" want to make this a christian nation, and what better way to accomplish that goal than to have a nation full of christians?
Because then the "fundamentalists" can't control people's actions as they seek to do through legislative and judicial means. If people develop their own relationship with Jesus Christ, there is no guarantee they will subscribe to the"fundamentalist" political policies.
If churches and religious leaders are truly worried about the souls of America, they are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and following his example. Do you know how many times the word "politics" is in my NIV New Testament? The same as the word "abortion," none. That's only one fewer than the frequency of the word "homosexual."
Churches that are active in the political arena and promoting their views on abortion, homosexuality, and other important social issues may be doing many things, but they are NOT following the example Jesus Christ set during his time on earth.
How can the body of Christ be effective winning souls for Jesus when their priority is winning elections?
They can't, and it makes the jobs of other congregations that DO follow Jesus' example more difficult because all of the attention these political churches draw to themselves has the effect of drawing all bodies of Christ under the same umbrella.
This row has been plowed before. The Pharisees added law upon law upon law before the birth of Christ, and that worked out so well that God had to send His son down to earth to be crucified to clean up the mess.
Please, let's work in our churches to stop modern-day Pharisees from further corrupting the body of Christ in our time.
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How can the body of Christ be effective winning souls for Jesus when their priority is winning elections?
ReplyDeleteThey can't, and it makes the jobs of other congregations that DO follow Jesus' example more difficult because all of the attention these political churches draw to themselves has the effect of drawing all bodies of Christ under the same umbrella.
I can personally attest to the fact that there is much damage being done to would-be believers who see the negative things and believe that's what Christianity is all about. They actually find more of what they're looking for in other religions which aren't as hypocritical and political in their dealings.
The group I moderate actually downplay the term 'Christian' or else we would never have some of the people drawn to fellowship with us who do. There are so many ways these people have been driven away from Christian churches by pastors, congregations and friends, and none of it has anything to do with Christianity.
There are a bunch of church leaders who are gonna have some 'splainin' to do on judgment day.
Amen to the 'splainin' part.
ReplyDeleteThomas Green wrote a book years ago where he talked about the difference between working for God and doing God's work. "Working for God" is when we decide what God wants (or needs) done and set about with all our energy. Sadly, this is not alway what God had in mind. "Doing God's work", on the other hand, is using our resources to do what God actually calls us to do -- and that varies from person to person, from time to time and so on.
This was Green's interpreation of the Mary-Martha story. Not that Martha should never work in the kitchen. After all, she was doing that for Jesus, wasn't she? But that wasn't what Jesus wanted her to do right then.
Too many of our resources go into what we project onto God as God's agenda instead of sitting down and listening to what God is actually saying to us.
Good topic, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI'm concerned that there is likely to be a backlash against some of the more outragous fundy ideas, look at ID, for example. I hope this backlash doesn't sweep up all Christians in the process.