Thursday, September 08, 2005

Dangers of the Evangelical Approach to Changing the world through politics

Although I do not agree with much of this article, Steve Camp has an understanding of where a consistent reformed theological position would lead a person politically. Like the work of Michael Horton, Camp understands that America is not a Christian nation and is uninterested in "saving it" through legislating a specific moral agenda which fights the social agenda of liberals including gays and the media.

As a good reader of history through a reformed lens, he understands that things are not getting worse than ever before in our nation and world, but staying consistently sinful.

He is more concerned with the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God on earth. It is an interesting article that I think should be read and discussed.

Link here to read, The New Downgrade, 12 Dangers of evangelical Co-belligerence.

7 comments:

Todd said...

agreed it is an interesting article. it may well follow a consistent line of thinking and some points offer a clarity to things like Justice Sunday many should listen to. that being said, like you, i find some interesting arguments from silence and an uncanny ability to apply sola scriptura in a way the reformers may have likely not described. thanks for the link.

Anonymous said...

The article was a good reminder that there is a delicate balance to living this christian life. I think you might enjoy Hauerwas & Willimon's - The Truth About God: The Ten Commandments in Christian Life. Both men have a lot to say about avoiding the same pit falls. Remind you of our seminary days?

Eric said...

Excellent piece, Rick. Lots to chew on and think through. I will dissect some of this on my blog in the not too distant future. I just have to finish my Disney boycott against Gay Day and my Walmart protest against unfair labor practices, then I will get around to thinking about some of this heady stuff.

Is it o.k. for me to vote? I'm a Christian.

Eric said...

Is this "pickle" the Sweet Willie B variety?

DJ Word said...

Eric- Is it okay to vote if you are a Christian? as long as you are not an Anabaptist.

Good call Will on Stanley and Will. There is a surprising amount of resonance between the reformed position of Camp and the anabaptistic postion of those guys.

I definitely lean in that direction. In my humble estimation, the church is called to be the church. It is called to be prophetic towards whomever is in power and not become a part of those power systems of the world.

However, we can be involved politically and in the public arena by standing like the OT prophets and working for justice in this world (by treating people like the KoG is at hand). However, we need to know that we are not to change everything ourselves (or even expect God to in this world).

So, I guess I am a bit of a reformed anabaptist, which you probably knew anyway.

If you want to know the influences which help produce my leftist tendancies (at odds with Evangelical-dom), you can look straight to Hauerwas as one of the main influences (along with Sider, Campolo, Willimon, etc.).

Good to have Pickle stopping by- huh, Eric?

Anonymous said...

Yes, It's good to be around my Ft. Worth brothers.

I really enjoy reading Hauerwas and especially Willimon...they challenge me in many ways, though I also disagree with some of their views. That's the beauty of being in Christ...none of us are there yet!

I will have to get a site up so that I can be official around these parts.

DLW said...

Hey Rick, have you read my thoughts on Yoder's Discipleship as Political Responsibility?

Reformed theology has justified political activism and inactivism, consistency. A lot of the differences stemming from different eschatological visions of the end-times.

I think Camp also needs to respond to the successes shown with "Freeing God's Children" by Allen Hertzke.

dlw