This isn't a partisan post, but a potentially surprising history lesson. Contrary to over-simplifying and divisive caricatures that are perpetuated today, here's an interesting but largely unknown fact.
The "Christian Left" is a lot older than the "Christian Right," and they both make the same mistake of overemphasizing "this-worldly" concerns.
Whether it’s conservative politics or liberal politics, such this-worldly concerns can easily supplant the transcendent message that a church has to offer.
You can read the rest. Thoughts?
HT: Gene Veith
2 comments:
(I too am wishing to be non-partisan in this comment- hoping to apply some critical thinking.)
To quote the author: "For over a century, Liberal theology in America has been rejecting the salvation of souls for the Kingdom of Heaven in the name of trying to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth by progressive political activism."
What evidence does the author present to support this assertion? Specific events? I found this disturbing- wouldn't the followers of "Liberal theology" see their mission as saving souls AND bringing about the Kingdom of God, just as much as "Conservative theology" or any other? Or perhaps I'm getting snagged up in semantics here?
The reason I find this assertion so dangerous is that it appears to me to be the first step down a slippery slope- in that the politically involved members of the body of Christ look at those who are politically involved on the other side and say "They're not REALLY Christians. They're all about politics and not about God."
That to me is a deadly mindset that we, as Christians of ONE body, cannot fall victim to.
Happy to continue this discussion if you like, James
-Jon Chapman
Hi Jon,
We can both look for confirmation about the historicity of the assertion, but I feel the slippery slope to which you referred is already the case. We can already already name a few socio-political issues where Christians are so deeply divided that there are ungodly attitudes and condemnation.
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