Raise My Politics From The Dead, Jesus
I enjoyed talking with some of my old pentecostal and charismatic friends today, it's nice to get a different perspective on life than what I have been exposed to lately. However, like most of the church, I think the focus is off. The question being dealt with was "why doesn't God do more healings and raise people from the dead like in the bible?" There may be several theological, philosophical, or even practical answers to such a question. I, however, would like to add to the discussion by posing another question: Why would we expect God to do any healing sick or raising dead when we, as the church of the USA, won't even give a cup of cold water to someone who needs it? My charismatic friends want to point to a lack of faith, when in reality it could easily be a lack of love.
In a political discussion last week, I was told that the least important issue for Christians should be poverty. Yes, I said least. Of course, the charismatic individual who told me this was very concerned about homosexuals being allowed the same civil rights that all humans get under our constitution. I'm not talking about marriage, I'm talking about the simple right of being allowed to visit someone you love in the hospital. This person saw this as a central political ideal that all Christians should be concerned about, but called me "silly" for being concerned about poverty. This person also had great concern for abortion, which is a conviction I also share. He wants it to be illegal. I'm pretty sure it never will be. While many Christians disagree on the legal questions surrounding abortion, together we can and must pursue practical steps that actually reduce abortion rates. Three-fourths of women who have an abortion say a primary reason is that they cannot afford to raise a child, so reducing poverty and supporting low-income women is a good place for our candidates to start. Recent research affirms that social and economic support for women and vulnerable families are effective solutions to lowering the abortion rate, including greater access to health care, poverty reduction, adoption reform, and pre- and postnatal care.
The problem is, right-wing Christians have tended to think that abortion is the only "life" issue on the agenda. Recently, however, there has been a growing conviction among Christians that poverty, disease, war, the health-care crisis, human trafficking, the death penalty, nuclear weapons, and the worldwide deaths of 30,000 children every day from preventable causes are also key "life" issues. Neither political party have a monopoly on these issues. These are the issues we should be debating and trying to understand. These are the issues that are EASY to find coming out of Jesus' mouth in your new testament. If you want to live like Jesus, you must LOVE. Supporting "life" from conception to the grave is a very basic principal of such living. Instead of looking for a miracle show from God, perhaps we should put on a show for God....one of love for neighbor that makes Him applaud and say "well done, good and faithful servant" Shalom
In a political discussion last week, I was told that the least important issue for Christians should be poverty. Yes, I said least. Of course, the charismatic individual who told me this was very concerned about homosexuals being allowed the same civil rights that all humans get under our constitution. I'm not talking about marriage, I'm talking about the simple right of being allowed to visit someone you love in the hospital. This person saw this as a central political ideal that all Christians should be concerned about, but called me "silly" for being concerned about poverty. This person also had great concern for abortion, which is a conviction I also share. He wants it to be illegal. I'm pretty sure it never will be. While many Christians disagree on the legal questions surrounding abortion, together we can and must pursue practical steps that actually reduce abortion rates. Three-fourths of women who have an abortion say a primary reason is that they cannot afford to raise a child, so reducing poverty and supporting low-income women is a good place for our candidates to start. Recent research affirms that social and economic support for women and vulnerable families are effective solutions to lowering the abortion rate, including greater access to health care, poverty reduction, adoption reform, and pre- and postnatal care.
The problem is, right-wing Christians have tended to think that abortion is the only "life" issue on the agenda. Recently, however, there has been a growing conviction among Christians that poverty, disease, war, the health-care crisis, human trafficking, the death penalty, nuclear weapons, and the worldwide deaths of 30,000 children every day from preventable causes are also key "life" issues. Neither political party have a monopoly on these issues. These are the issues we should be debating and trying to understand. These are the issues that are EASY to find coming out of Jesus' mouth in your new testament. If you want to live like Jesus, you must LOVE. Supporting "life" from conception to the grave is a very basic principal of such living. Instead of looking for a miracle show from God, perhaps we should put on a show for God....one of love for neighbor that makes Him applaud and say "well done, good and faithful servant" Shalom