Session 1 - Who is the enemy?

This class is about Faith and Politics. More specifically it’s about how we, as representatives of Christ should act and react to this 1thing we call politics.

I wanted towrite about this because I see, within our society, a tension between faith and politics that leads to a culture of exclusion that may cause us to dismiss those with different viewpoints, or even worse, may cause disunity within the family of God.

Let’s start by establishing the scope of the discussion we will participate in in this series of discussions.

We are going to study the impact of politics on our faith and the impact of our faith on politics. It’s really a two edged sword. This includes some of the issues of the day, and how or if Scripture addresses them. It also includes the attitude Christians should have towards government, the responsibilities that Christians have with regards to their beliefs, our societal impact, and strength and tenor of our voice.
·
There are two major political parties in the United States. What are they?o Democrats and Republicans.
o What other words are used to define them? Be nice.
o Left and Right
o Liberal and Conservative

Which party does God favor?
Which party is salvation open to?
Which party did Jesus die for?
Guess what? You can be a saved Christian regardless of what political party you hang your hat on.
·
Political viewpoint are not always black and white either.
o There may be some whose ideology is more liberal than others on specific issues.
o There may be some who seem to believe things far to the left of center.
o There may be some who are extremely conservative.
o There are likely both Democrats and Republicans, those that voted for Barak Obama and those who voted for John McCain.

So how do we approach this “touchy” or “controversial” topic without stepping on each other’s toes and possibly offending each other? And how do we navigate our way to the truth without causing hurt feelings?

The answer is, we can’t. There are likely going to be some bruised toes from this discussion and it’s all of our responsibilities to limit them as much as possible.

To do that we are going to do three things.1. First of all, we are using the Truth of God’s word as our guide.2 Tim 3:16-17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Gods’ Word equips us fully for the task of discussing these issues. We have no excuse or cause for worry if we keep within the Word.

2 Peter 1:3
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
God, through His Word gives us everything we need for righteousness, life, and Godliness. So His Word will be the ultimate and only authority for our discussion.

2. Secondly, we are going to honor Jesus prayer for us in John 17:20-2120"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
3. We are going to show our honor to the desires of that prayer by keeping at the center of our discussion three Scriptures. We are going to read them every week.
Phill 2:3
. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Eph 4:2-5
2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Gal 3:28
. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Ok, given that introduction, I want to establish some ground rules.1. We’re going to get emotionally involved in this discussion because some of these issues have deep emotional impact. So, please think about others room, what you’re going to say and how you are going to say it before you post a comment.
2. Try your hardest to be scriptural in every part of the discussion.
3. No bashing or smashing others that may think differently than you. Try to consider the reason behind their beliefs.

Fair enough?

So what are we going to study during this discussion?
In this post we are going to try to clarify who the enemy is and what tools he uses.

Future postings will include the following:

• Christian response and responsibility with regard to social issues of the day.
• Loss of Freedom /respect for God - Prayer in schools, religious artifacts in government buildings, Christmas trees and atheistic statements.
• Equality of non-Christian immigrants.
• Gay and Lesbian rights, the definition of marriage.
• Issues of Life – Suicide, Assisted Suicide, Abortion, Capitol Punishment, War
• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of Religion
• Inalienable rights
• Right to bare arms

Faith and politics. Let’s talk for a bit about what these terms mean, who the enemy is, and what tools the enemy uses to cause tension between what we call “faith and politics.”

What is faith?

Heb 11:1-13
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because heA considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Did the ancients know of Christ? Did Abraham understand the Gospel story? No, it was before his time. So what were the ancients commended for? They were commended for their belief in, and obedience to, God.
Rom 10:1717Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Did the definition of faith get changed when we moved to the NT era? It seems like this verse is saying that faith changed from “belief in and obedience to God” to “believing the Gospel message of Christ.”
No, it is still “belief in and obedience to God” but it’s delivered or revealed in more detail through gift of Christ and His and the Apostles teachings.
That’s why Jude can say in Jude 1:3

3Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Faith is the belief and obedience in God, and what he reveals to us. He made some things clear to the ancients, revealed more to us through the sacrifice of His Son,

Rom 1:17
17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
So when we discuss faith, it is really the belief in the unfolding revelation given to us by God through His word, from creation to our modern day anticipation of Christ’s return, and our obedience to all he calls us to.
So is it fair to say that the word “faith” that we use when we talk about “faith and politics” is equal to saying “obedience to God”?
Does that mean that politics is the “disobedience to God”?
No. These two terms are not opposites. They are not at odds with each other. I’ve intentionally named this class “faith and politics” not “faith vs politics” because they are not meant to have an adversarial relationship with each other.
What makes us think they are at odds? What causes or adds to the tension between them? Have you ever heard of the term “separation of Church and State?” What does it mean?

Reflecting a concept often credited in its original form to the English political philosopher John Locke, the phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to the letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, in which he referred to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as creating a "wall of separation" between church and state.] The phrase was quoted by the United States Supreme Court first in 1878, and then in a series of cases starting in 1947. This led to increased popular and political discussion of the concept.
The actual text of the first amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
So the amendment was created to allow religious freedom, not to limit it.

What is Politics?

Typically when we think if politics we think of the following things:

• Governmental Structures
• Political Parties
• Individual Rulers or Leaders

What are different kinds of Governmental Structures?

• Autocracy - Rule by the few or the one.
• --Monarchy or Empire.
• ----Elective
• ----Hereditary
• --Dictatorship – Typically Military Rule
• Democratic - Rule by the many.
• --We are a representative democracy.
• ----Specifically a constitutional republic.
• ----We have representatives and a President.
• Socialism
• Anarchy – rule by none.

What is the purpose of Government?

Dictionary.com defines Government as:
The political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration: Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.

What two forms of Government existed in the time of Jesus:

The Roman Empire, and Law of Moses.

So which of these systems of government are evil and which are good?
Could there ever be a Socialistic Government that pleased God?
It turns out that Government, in its various forms and structures is not inherently an evil concept. So when we are talking about tension between faith and politics, it’s not specific to the form of Government.

So then it must be that the tension is because of the political Parties involved in Politics, right?

What are the two most popular political parties in the US?

Democrats and Republicans.
What are some others? Green Party, Libertarian Party, Communist Party.

Let me share with you some interesting information about the two most powerful parties in the US.

Democrats
What they stand for:
The Democratic Party is committed to keeping our nation safe and expanding opportunity for every American. That commitment is reflected in an agenda that emphasizes the strong economic growth, affordable health care for all Americans, retirement security, open, honest and accountable government, and securing our nation while protecting our civil rights and liberties.

Wow, that doesn’t sound like the work of Satan, that sounds pretty good.

In fact, 14 of our Presidents have been Democrats.

• Founded by Thomas Jefferson – formerly called the “party of the common man.” Principal author of the Declaration of Independence. – no religious affiliation.
• John Quincy Adams - Unitarian
• Grover Cleveland – Man of good character.- Presbyterian
• Franklin Roosevelt – pulled America out of the Great Depression with the “New Deal.”
• Created Social Security. Helped the nation through the attack on Pearl Harbor. The only president to serve 3 terms - Episcopalian
• John F. Kennedy – man on the moon. - catholic
• Lyndon Johnson – defending civil and voting rights. – Disciple of Christ
• Jimmy Carter – Baptist
• Bill Clinton – Baptist
• Barack Obama – united church of Christ

Republicans

What they stand for:

• We're fortunate to live in America
• --The Republican Party believes that the United States has been blessed with a unique set of individual rights and freedoms available to all.
• --You can be what you are, and become what you are capable of becoming
• The Republican Party is inspired by the power and ingenuity of the individual to succeed through hard work, family support and self-discipline.
• --Helping those around you is worthwhile.
• The Republican Party believes in the value of voluntary giving and community support over taxation and forced redistribution.
• --Small government is a better government for the people
• The Republican Party, like our nation's founders, believes that government must be limited so that it never becomes powerful enough to infringe on the rights of individuals.
• --You know what to do with your money better than government
• The Republican Party supports low taxes because individuals know best how to make their own economic and charitable choices.
• --Free markets keep people free
• The Republican Party is supportive of logical business regulations that encourage entrepreneurs to start more businesses so more individuals can enjoy the satisfaction and fruits of self-made success.
• --Our Armed Forces defend and protect our democracy
• The Republican Party is committed to preserving our national strength while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world.

Wow, that doesn’t sound like the work of Satan either, that sounds pretty good.

22 of our Presidents have been Republicans.

• Abraham Lincoln – Emancipation Proclamation. – no religious affiliation
• Ulysses Grant – As a Union General, defeated Robert E. Lee in battle. As president continued to lead the army and support the blacks. - Methodist
• Theodore Roosevelt – Oversaw the completion of the Panama Canal. Established National Parks. Won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating and end to the Russo-Japanese war. – Dutch reformed
• Richard Nixon – Ended Vietnam war, first President to open negotiations to and visit China. Left office amid scandal. - Quaker
• Ronald Reagan – “Reaganomics.” Ending the cold war. – Presbyterian
• George Bush - Episcopalian

As a matter of fact of the 43 men that have held the office of President of the United States, 38 have had some affiliation with religion that teaches about God and includes some form of Jesus. You could say that were “Christians.”

So it doesn’t look like the parties or even their leaders are evil or the reason for this tension between faith and politics. So what can it be?

Perhaps it’s some of the propaganda they put out. Let me show you a couple of examples:

From the Democrats immediately after the signing of the healthcare bill:Mon Mar 22 2010 08:19:00 GMT-0400 (EDT) by DSCC Online Team
Just after Congress voted to pass health care reform, DSCC Chairman Sen. Bob Menendez sent this message to DSCC supporters:
Dear Friend,We just witnessed history being written.After decades of inaction, a year of work, unparalleled Republican obstruction and no small amount of leadership by President Obama, health care reform soon will be law. This bill will save lives. Millions who don't have health coverage now will. And insurance companies won't be able to drop people who get sick.Republicans and their powerful partners have spent millions spreading lies aimed at killing reform. They have failed, and the American people have won.But don't be fooled. Republicans and their corporate allies won't miss a beat as they pivot from attacking Democratic proposals to attacking Democrats themselves. Every lawmaker who voted for health care reform is now a top target, and the GOP's end goal is to make President Obama's first term his last. We must push back.
Democrats fought for us, and won. It's our turn to fight for them.Sincerely, Sen. Bob Menendez

From the Republicans on the same day.
Posted by: Chairman Michael Steele
After Speaker Pelosi strong-armed her health care takeover through the House on Sunday night, I began reaching out to folks all across the country to let them know that the RNC is focused on one thing: firing Nancy Pelosi. Check out some of my guest posts on other blogs, and be sure to read the comments left by fellow Americans concerned about their country under this Speaker’s leadership. Just imagine the outrage when President Obama signs this bill into law at 11:15 AM today.

Does this begin to start to make you feel uneasy?

It does me. It’s full of half truths and innuendos. Its two opposing sides each painting their picture of the accident that just happened.
We see the same thing at campaign time. Candidates not promoting their own credentials but capitalizing on each others faults. Telling half truths and painting biased pictures in the minds of the voters.

Don’t you just hate that? Why?

It offends our sense of right and wrong.

It opposes the things we believe.

It conflicts with our values.

It’s not some governmental structure that is the enemy.
It’s not a political party that’s the enemy,
It’s not even individual elected officials that are the enemy; after all they are just representatives of the will of the people.
It’s Satan that is the enemy, and that never changes.

And in a democratic country one of his greatest tools is to cause us to feel that our values, our faith, our abilities to be obedient to God’s will for us is in jeopardy.

But I truly thank God that we are a democracy because that means that the Government is responsible to follow the wishes of the majority of the people

In our next post we will look specifically at the Christians Response and Responsibility in our Democratic society.