Everything That's On My Mind

Thursday, November 09, 2006

I was thinking about writing an entry in reaction to the recent elections, but as usual my schedule prevents me from doing it justice. Maybe someday I'll be able to have more of a content blog rather than a link blog, but for now...this is primarily a link blog. To that end, I offer a link to a great post by Ben Witherington today entitled "Evangelicals in a Post-Haggard, Post-Rumsfeld World". Dr. Witherington touches on many thoughts I've had in recent days.

We're called to transform the world through the Gospel, not through political influence. Let's stop being Republicans or Democrats or liberals or conservatives and just be followers of Christ. There are no shortcuts to a transformed society. It happens one soul at a time.

Politics | Current Events

Thursday, November 09, 2006 - 09:58 AM Eastern Standard Time

Comments [2]

Saturday, November 11, 2006 12:28:57 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Talk about synchronicity... I had finally gotten around to reading Dr. Witherington's post and written a draft of a response when this post of yours turned up in my inbox.

I'd say, yes, the ultimate transformation of society comes through the Gospel and not through politics. But Evangelicals have often ignored the social implications of the Gospel while focusing strictly on evangelism. Perhaps our efforts at evangelism would be more effective if we were seen to be more socially conscious. I never got a more positive response from coworkers than when our church was sending relief aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Keith Schooley

Saturday, November 11, 2006 12:53:06 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

I guess it all depends on how you define the Gospel. I'm coming to a much broader definition of the Gospel these days. Obviously, the ultimate goal is the eternal transformation of souls through repentance and faith in Christ, but when I use the term "Gospel" I'm not referring to "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near." I'm referring to the Good News of God's love. Sometimes, sharing the Gospel is explaining the plan of salvation, other times it's sharing a cup of water in His name. Sometimes, it's feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, defending the weak. What I DO NOT think the Gospel includes is intrinsic support of a political party or ideology.

Pastor Bob

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