Read this article (Q&A) with Tony Campolo about how he's a Christian in the Democratic Party. Very interesting.
This line jumped out at me as he explained why him and other non-republican Christians are getting more attention then right-wing ones.
...word of that gets out and “people in the media” want to hear what you have to say, not because you have power, but because you have authority.
I've been teaching through Matthew and most recently through chapters 21-23. The Religious leaders of the day are bothered by Jesus' authority. It's actually an issue through the gospel b/w these 2 groups.
Notice: Jesus doesn't have political power. He doesn't have wealth. He doesn't have the influential network. BUT he does have authority. He is who he is - inside and out. He walks the talk. He teaches AND DEMONSTRATES God's kingdom, visibly. This is what gives him authority (not forgetting he is also the Christ).
What would the reaction of people in our city be to Christ followers if they didn't worry about power and influence, but lived and spoke with authority because they are actually God's living and local presence - visibly God's kingdom among us?
How have you seen that in your life or others?
2 comments:
My husband and I enjoy listening to Tony because he is a different voice in the Christian community that challenges people in ways they are not used to hearing. We are also tired of that image of Christians in the USA being represented as Republican, gun loving, war loving, anti-gay, "Jesus said there will always be poor with you so who cares about them", mentality. Tony does a good job at showing not all Christians are like that, and he certainly is attacked for departing from the traditional conservative ways. Too many do see the words "Christian" and "Republican" as synonymous and that is totally wrong. How true, when Tony says: "Whenever we marry Jesus to a political party, we are committing the sin of idolatry. We are making Jesus into the image of our political party."
He has also stated that when he is asked "are you a democrat or a republican" his answer is: "Name the issue."
I used to be more republican in my thinking that "Lesser Government is better Government"... because I agreed that they could not fix the problems of society and figured since they mess things up a lot, it is better if they get involved in less. But the bible challenged my thinking about the role of government, and our negative attitudes towards them in Romans 13. When you see the importance of government (written of in this passage) you are more likely to get involved.
Even though my husband and I now realize the role God has given government and the proper respect we should have for it, we don't always agree with Tony's views on how to fix social problems through government. For example, even in that interview (as I have heard him preach on before) he talks about how abortions would go down if there was free health care and free child care and social services available. Well, he should visit Quebec. I was pregnant at 15 and lived in a home for teen moms that was provided FREE by the government. I had free healthcare, and access to free daycare (before other provinces started with free daycare). Yet regardless of all of this, Quebec (the most social province) has the HIGHEST abortion rate in North America. So much for that theory! I think Tony has a point but often lacks the balance to put into perspective his utopian ideas.
I am 100% with him on the fact that Christians need to stop trying to rule with power, and instead influence others with AUTHORITY- that comes through what you do, and who you represent. Tony preached a fabulous sermon on this in December at a conference we were at in Toronto (I could lend you the dvd) where he elaborates in great detail on the difference between power and authority. It was one of the best sermons I have heard him preach. (I think you would really enjoy listening to it!)
If we, as Christians practiced what we preached and were the hands and feet of Jesus, we would be taken more seriously. Talk amounts to little. "Dear Children let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and in truth." 1 Jn 3:18.
Someone commented on that article saying their primary problem with the Democratic party was that they attribute every problem in the country to the same cause. He points out that ignoring the moral complexity of these issues and reducing them to environmental responses doesn't ring true. He adds that we can't ignore the real root causes: human depravity and the need for Christ to first change sinful hearts before we can see social change.
I agree with this comment for the most part (as I pointed out with my abortion observation, fixing the environmental issues doesn't always change things). I fully agree that human deprivaty is at the root and that people need Jesus to be changed. The thing that I agree with Tony on is that for the message of the gospel to be taken seriously the messengers need to practice what they preach. That is a big difference between power & authority.
So the two go hand in hand. We will not change the problems of society through politics or social programs, but only through the message of the gospel. However, if we want people to take this message seriously we need to live it out and that includes making a differnce socially and fighting for justice and caring deeply about the poor (and doing something about it)!
The social gospel is a gospel that empties the cross of it's power, however preaching the gospel without living it does the same thing. We are called to be a LIGHT to the world, not a VOICE. The flip side of the social gospel is when Christians figure that because sin is at the root, the only place to focus our attention is preaching the gospel (and by preaching I mean TALKING). To focus all energy on speaking the gospel to convert people, doesn't ring true when we spend little time doing stuff about real social issues, that we would be doing if we obeyed the second greatest command to "Love our neighbour as ourselves".
Wow Gail, you have lots inside you. Really appreciate the response.
I agree with this: "We will not change the problems of society through politics or social programs, but only through the message of the gospel. However, if we want people to take this message seriously we need to live it out and that includes making a differnce socially and fighting for justice and caring deeply about the poor (and doing something about it)!"
We need word and deed. Words and works. I like to say we need to be God's living and local presence, and add our voice proclaiming who he is. Jesus educated people about the Kingdom and enacted it visibly for them.
On a side note, a friend of mine says "he's left socially, and right financially."
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