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Understanding American Politics The Bible tells us that the true reality underlying time and the three dimensional world our senses perceive is a spiritual warfare between good and evil. Humans are deeply involved in this warfare. Indeed, our very souls are the main prize in the fight. We participate in this warfare through our thoughts and actions. When we choose to think and do in accordance with God's rules we move towards the good. When we think and do evil we fall away from God. The ultimate battle for each of us is whether we will accept God's ideas as right. If we do, we have no other choice than to admit that we constantly fail to follow God's rules, and that we cannot follow these rules all the time through our own will. That is why God sent Jesus. When we truly accept God's ideas as right in our hearts, we can receive God's forgiveness for our failings through Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection. We can actually receive Jesus in our hearts, where He begins the work of forming us to be more like Him. All we have to do is sincerely have the will to try to follow God's rules - God will do the rest. Since this spiritual warfare is the constant condition of our minds and hearts, the battle is made manifest in every area of human endeavor. Most significantly, it is apparent in how we choose what things we will consider right or wrong. Law is society's written statement of what ideas it considers to be right and wrong. Politics is the process by which we choose the men who will represent us in making this choice. Thus, politics is a critical area in which our faith must work if we are to stand for God - and good - in this world. The Bible is clear, God both rewards and punishes nations according to whether their political choices conform or depart from His Word. While God has his way of protecting those who believe in Him when punishment comes, we fail Him if we do not stand for His ideas in the political arena. Our stand for God is an important witness by which folks who don't know God can learn what is right and find Him. In America, democracy is the way in which we choose the lawmakers who will either follow or disobey God's rules. America has a unique form of democracy. Unlike other democratic countries, we do not have a parliamentary system. In our system there is always a winning party and a losing party. While third-party candidates who stand for compromise positions can get elected, they cannot participate in the formation of the government and gain power in our system like they can in a parliamentary system. What this means is that, on every issue, parties tend to gravitate towards opposite positions. One of these positions will always be closer to God's Word than the other. Thus, our political choices tend to reflect the underlying struggle between good and evil - between Godly ideas and those that reject God. Since light has no fellowship with darkness, party positions across the entire spectrum of political issues tend to line up either for or against God. We see this in the controversy over "moderate" Republicans. Their support for ungodly ideas like abortion or using the law to steal are recognized to be inconsistent with the overarching tendency of Republicans - at this moment in history - to be closer to God's ideas. When the party positions are inconsistent - when each party has major issues on which it is close to God and major issues on which it rejects God, our political system breaks down. This is what happened in the Civil War. The Republicans then were opposed to God's ideas by their support for high tariffs. The Democrats were opposed to God's ideas by their support for slavery. War ensued. At this point in our history, the ideas that are closest to God, the ideas that respect life, property, family and faith, have been given the label "conservative." The ideas that oppose God are called "liberal." But this has not always been the case. 100 years ago, God's ideas were called "liberal." The forces opposed to God actually stole the name to deceive people who were confused about what is right and wrong. As the forces opposed to God become more bold - and as fewer Americans have a relationship with God through the Bible and Jesus - we are seeing greater confusion in the political landscape. More Americans are becoming confused about what is right and wrong. As a result, we are starting to see more and more "third parties." These third parties always reflect moral confusion. Their platforms conform with God's ideas in some particulars and depart in others. If we who follow God are going to assist the Holy Spirit in bringing more people to God, we must understand what the Bible requires for human law, government, and society. We must understand God's ideas so we can work to ensure that these ideas form the basis of our social institutions. We must also discern which ideas agree with God and which do not, and work to strengthen God's forces in the political arena. Helping you gain this understanding and stand for God is what Citizen Soldier is all about. Beware those who tell you faith has no connection with politics, or that political labels don't matter to God. God always stands for His ideas. It is up to you to discern which ideas are His and which are not. for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. Rev. 3:2 |
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