Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Politically Conservative Doesn't Equal Biblically Conservative

This is from www.Dennyburk.com I do not know Denny, but his blog is a great one and he has recently been named the Dean of Boyce College. Pastors should read this and lay people should read it and then take it to their pastors!

Per Denny Burk:

When Russell Moore is on, he’s on. His article in the most recent issue of Touchstone magazine sounds a prophetic note that has a wallop for both liberals and conservatives. Here’s an excerpt, but you really should read the whole thing.

‘One does not have to be a political radical to bypass Jesus at church. White, upwardly mobile, pro-America preachers preach liberation theology all the time, with all the fervor of Jeremiah Wright, if not the anger.

‘Just take a look at the best-selling authors in Christian bookstores. Listen for a minute or two to the parade of preachers on Christian television and radio. What are they promising? Your best life now. What are they preaching about? How to be authentic. How to make good career choices. How Hillary Clinton fits into Bible prophecy.

‘How many times have we heard conservative preachers use the Bible in exactly the same way that Jeremiah Wright uses it? Wright uses the Scripture as a background to get to what he thinks is the real issue, psychological or economic or political liberation from American oppression. Others use the Scripture as a background to get to what they think is the real issue, psychological or economic or political liberation through the American Dream.

‘Either way, Jesus is a way to get to what the preacher deems really important, be it national health care or “your best life now.” Either way, the end result is hell for the hearer who accepts this gospel, regardless of whether God damns or blesses America. . .

‘In both cases, the preachers fit Jesus into a preexisting storyline. They did not call upon their hearers to find themselves in the storyline of the crucified, buried, and resurrected Jesus. For them, Jesus is a mascot, just for different agendas, none of which will last a minute past the Judgment Seat.’

If you are not a subscriber to Touchstone, you should be. There is more like this one in every issue.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for drawing my attention to this article!
"Jesus is a mascot" - great turn of phrase that describes many on both the extreme left and right. I think it well describes many of the hard right-wing ministries and leaders who recently signed the "Declaration of American Values" in which "American Values" are "baptized" into the Christian faith as dogma.