Poltical Space (9) - Poltical Idol

Political power is the modern false god and state power is the idol of the age.

Control of political power has become the key issue of our time. Christians have bought into this and are trying to gain influence over political power. We believe it will be good for us to have political power, because we will use it for Christian purposes. We believe that political power is okay, if used for good. Is this the lie of our age? Have we been duped by the gospel of political power?

State power is the great evil of the age. As long as churches worship this idol, we will not see the salvation of God. This idol is probably the greatest obstacle to the advance of the gospel that we are so desperately seeking.

Idols cannot be Christianised. Idols must be destroy. As the Kingdom of God comes the idol of political power will have to shrink, or be smashed by God.

The full series is here.

Poltical Space (8) - Nationalism?

11. Does nationalism have a place in the Kingdom of God? During the last two centuries, the political space has been dominated by nationalism. The nation state has been the main actor in the world stage. What place will nations have in the Kingdom of God?

12. What is the link between American democracy and the Kingdom of God? Some Americans make them sound like the same thing.

13. Does a united states have a place in the Kingdom of God? Should it remain united in face of the dangers of accumulation of power? (The larger the state entity, the larger will be the minority whose views are suppressed by the majority, unless the society is completely homogeneous). The prophets and the apocalyptic writers are all hostile to political empires. Secular writers are talking about the American Empire warning of the dangers of United States hegemony. Christians tend to be silent about this issue. Many Christians see a future united Europe as the epitome of evil, but the see no problem with a united America, which equally powerful.

14. Will the United States disintegrate and disappear as the Kingdom of God expands? I cannot see any reason why not.

Poltical Space (7) - More Hard Questions

6. How does the coming of the Kingdom of God affect the use of political power? Does it shrink the political space?

7. What should be the limits on political power in a world where political power seems to be the main vehicle for action and change? How should political power be used? Who should control political power? What can political power achieve? Jesus was very hostile to the use of political power. Does that change the shape or colour of the political space? What does that mean in a world where the political space is expanding rapidly.

8. What is the legitimate role political power in a society where a majority of the people are Christian? The funny thing is that political power is not very effective anyway. Political power is not doing very well at creating democracy in Iraq. It is not doing any better at eliminating poverty. We have a far better gospel.

9. What is the relationship between the church and the state? What is the role of the state in the Kingdom of God?

10. What is the place of democracy in the Kingdom of God? Democracy produced the golden calf, so does democracy remain relevant as the Kingdom of God increases. Is Democracy legitimate in the Kingdom of God? If so, how does the Kingdom of God influence the political space?

Poltical Space (3)

Now something else is happening. Some Christians are starting to feel uncomfortable on the blue side of the line. They are saying that they would prefer to be on the red side, because they care more about the poor.

The red party is also waking up and telling Christians who care for the poor that they would do better on their side of the line. Christians are starting to move across the boundary.

One problem with this shift is that it makes Christians appear to be divided. As Christians spread across the political spectrum, the cross becomes distorted, because their is no clear Christian message

Political Space (2)

A few years ago, two things happened. Christians woke up and realised that the political space has an enormous influence on the shape of our culture and the quality of our society. They began to realise that they cannot ignore a space that affects most aspects of life. Christians are a majority in America, so they should have some influence on the political space.

At the same time, the blue party saw a huge potential voting bloc. They said to the Christians. “Come and join us and we will fight against abortion.” Many Christians heard the call and joined the blue side in the political space, but they were quite naive. Politicians are experts at doing deals and manipulating supporters, so they were always going to be more than a match for the Christians. There was a fair chance that the Christians would end up being betrayed.