Growing up a Christian in the very Republican State of Texas I always equated Christianity with being a republican. After all how can you be a Christian and support social issues as an abortion, at least that is what I was taught. However, when I moved up to New York in 2001 I began to look at the world from a different perspective. It wasn't so much that my individual views were changing but more that I met very liberal Bible believing Christians who loved Jesus just as much as I did. Oddly enough I began to hear something very similar but very different than how I was raised, being a Christian meant being a democrat.
My time at Nyack College then became one of not only theological studies but political ones as well. Discussions on abortion, the Iraq war, responses to 9/11 not only determine one's political leaning but seemed at times one's salvation as well. Even my own interactions with family members since coming to Nyack have demonstrated this same ideology that political leanings determine one's standing with Christ. I say all of this to preface the fact I know and understand this blog is going to be controversial, but controversy and thought out debate is something that I believe is necessary for the church in today's America.
So why then the title Politics 4 Christ, its because we need to transition from a two party perspective on political ideology and instead begin to focus on how it is political decisions and positions that we as a church make can help further the Biblical teachings and Gospel of Christ that we find in our Bibles. While I will go in further detail on what hermenutical framework and method we should use to reach this decision let me briefly say that I believe these positions must be first and foremost based in love of neighbor. However, even using love as a foundation is ultimately a complicated mess. After all it was love that said turn the other cheek, but it was also justice based in love that punished the Egyptians.
Finally, while this blog is entitled Politics 4 Christ not every article is going to necessarily be political and theological in nature, though most will probably be so. So I invite you to join in the discussion, to bring your own experiences and perspectives, and be part of a transition from the time when our political party determined our status with God, but instead focus on how it is we can use our political leanings to further the Gospel Message.
Monday, August 11, 2014
America's Church and Israel
Today on Facebook I noticed a number of people with a new profile picture that says, "I stand with Israel." While I personally do believe that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Hamas is using civilians as shields I want to examine this support for Israel from a different perspective. Growing up in a dispensationalist background I was taught that we as Christians always need to support Israel because they are God's chosen people. In fact one of the foremost theologians who pushes this view is John Hagee who's church was about a hour away from where I spend my middle and high school years. The "need" to help Israel is based in a theological understanding that Christ can't return until Israel is once again in complete control and the temple and Old Testament Sacrificial system is re-established.
What this has led too is a blind following and devotion to Israel from a large portion of conservative Christians. So when I begin seeing profile pics that say "I stand with Israel" I can't help but question are you standing with them because of a justified political position, or rather because Israel is "chosen." As I stated at the very beginning I believe that Israel is currently in it's right to defend itself, but let's examine what has helped lead to this conflict to begin with.
While we could in theory start this story as early as Jacob and Esau I want to start at the end of World War II in 1948 when the United Nations effectively displaced an entire people group out of the area and gave the land to the Hebrews based on the fact that there was historical precedence to support that the land belonged to them. To put this in perspective imagine if the United Nations decided today that certain areas of the US no longer belonged to us but instead was to be given back to Native Americans. I can with almost 100% assuredly state that if this occurred Americans would fight to either keep or regain the land that has belonged to us for two centuries.
Essentially in this scenario we become Hamas and the Native Americans the Jews, yet we seem to find no fault in Israel. Now I am not saying this justifies the actions of Hamas, but rather this issue is not simply black and white either. Furthermore, I also find it disturbing the lack of criticism the American church has ever given Israel and their treatment of the Palestinians. After all if Israel is God's Chosen people shouldn't we also be holding them to the commandments of their holy scripture then. God's primary critique even before idol worship in the Old Testament was Israel's treatment of the poor and displaced. Essentially while we can support their right to defend themselves I also believe that we should be condemning them in their treatment of the Palestinians.
Finally, I want to briefly touch on another aspect of the theological position that we need to support Israel so the the temple can be restored so Christ can come again. I am going on the record stating that if Christ's return is dependent on the temple being restored then I pray that He never comes back in my lifetime, my future children's lifetimes, or even my grandchildren's lifetimes if ever. While it may be easy for some to read Revelation and just simply say for Christ to return A+B+C must occur I want you to take a minute and realize what rebuilding the temple would entail. It would entail most likely the bloodiest conflict in the Middle East and the rest of the world history has ever seen.
For the temple to be built the Dome of the Rock would have to be destroyed, and that would infuriate every Muslim worldwide. Every radical would be out in full force, those borderline would become radicals, and even those that are peace loving would begin protests that would make the civil rights movement in America look small in comparison. Muslims are not evil, they are not our enemies they are our neighbors. If Christ's return is dependent ultimately on genocide then I pray He never comes back.
What this has led too is a blind following and devotion to Israel from a large portion of conservative Christians. So when I begin seeing profile pics that say "I stand with Israel" I can't help but question are you standing with them because of a justified political position, or rather because Israel is "chosen." As I stated at the very beginning I believe that Israel is currently in it's right to defend itself, but let's examine what has helped lead to this conflict to begin with.
While we could in theory start this story as early as Jacob and Esau I want to start at the end of World War II in 1948 when the United Nations effectively displaced an entire people group out of the area and gave the land to the Hebrews based on the fact that there was historical precedence to support that the land belonged to them. To put this in perspective imagine if the United Nations decided today that certain areas of the US no longer belonged to us but instead was to be given back to Native Americans. I can with almost 100% assuredly state that if this occurred Americans would fight to either keep or regain the land that has belonged to us for two centuries.
Essentially in this scenario we become Hamas and the Native Americans the Jews, yet we seem to find no fault in Israel. Now I am not saying this justifies the actions of Hamas, but rather this issue is not simply black and white either. Furthermore, I also find it disturbing the lack of criticism the American church has ever given Israel and their treatment of the Palestinians. After all if Israel is God's Chosen people shouldn't we also be holding them to the commandments of their holy scripture then. God's primary critique even before idol worship in the Old Testament was Israel's treatment of the poor and displaced. Essentially while we can support their right to defend themselves I also believe that we should be condemning them in their treatment of the Palestinians.
Finally, I want to briefly touch on another aspect of the theological position that we need to support Israel so the the temple can be restored so Christ can come again. I am going on the record stating that if Christ's return is dependent on the temple being restored then I pray that He never comes back in my lifetime, my future children's lifetimes, or even my grandchildren's lifetimes if ever. While it may be easy for some to read Revelation and just simply say for Christ to return A+B+C must occur I want you to take a minute and realize what rebuilding the temple would entail. It would entail most likely the bloodiest conflict in the Middle East and the rest of the world history has ever seen.
For the temple to be built the Dome of the Rock would have to be destroyed, and that would infuriate every Muslim worldwide. Every radical would be out in full force, those borderline would become radicals, and even those that are peace loving would begin protests that would make the civil rights movement in America look small in comparison. Muslims are not evil, they are not our enemies they are our neighbors. If Christ's return is dependent ultimately on genocide then I pray He never comes back.
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