Thanks so much for your response.

As far as responding to one who is not ‘born from above’ (a phrase I use since it is not only accurate, but different from Born Again, which now every Jimmy, Billary, and Barack claim to be), it ought to be acknowledged that there is a great difference between legally recognizing that abortion is the unjust taking of a human life, and therefore should be illegal, and making it public policy for the gov’t to take money from a waitress in DeMoines to pay for the health care of someone in Portland, regardless of whether it will be to the putative benefit of the Portlander. The issue is not how many lives will be saved by a particular gov’t policy. The issue is justice.

Besides, why should I take at face value the claims of the statists that gov’t health care will save lives? Remember Twain on statistics…

Folding in a response to DAC, above, Jesus did indeed have something to say about government and what it’s supposed to do (unless DAC is a ‘red letter’ Christian*, in which case he and I don’t have enough common ground to intelligently discuss this from a Christian basis). His Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, made it pretty clear, admittedly in a brief and broad outline, what government was for and why it ‘carried the sword’. The list of things that God does not want gov’t to do would be endless. It is foolish to demand that the Bible make this list explicit. Instead we should recognize that, Biblically, health care and other ‘welfare’ issues are clearly laid at the feet of family, neighbors, and the church. Law enforcement is assigned to gov’t.

*A ‘red letter’ Christian is one who claims that only the the words directly spoken by Jesus (the ‘red letters’) are authoritative.

You would think that perhaps he had bigger concerns, but that’s probably just the evangelical in me.

That’s a great comment which, I think, has more to offer if you’re willing to play along a bit.

As a person who agrees with you in principle — that is, that abortion is not a “problem” but is in fact an “abomination” of Old-Testament Biblical proportions — how do we frame up for the person who is reading and is not “truly born from above” that using Government to restrict abortion to save lives is Christian compassion but not using government to dispence health care (which, it is said, will save the lives of those who do not get health care) is somehow also Christian?

I had to delete my answer so I could see yours first. let me know what you think.

No, of course, God’s not a Republican (though He certainly isn’t a Democrat!). No, the Gospel is not a matter of politics. But a true Christian, who has embraced the Gospel, and is truly born from above, should have his outlook on all life altered, n’est-ce pas? Such that, e.g., where he previously ‘rode the fence’ on a hot topic such as abortion (as I, to my shame, once did), he no longer does so, and can no longer countenance supporting a politician or a political party that would claim that a woman should have the legal ability to have a butcher pull her baby halfway out, stab him in the skull, and pull him the rest of the way out, dead, eh? And should not a mature understanding of Scripture drive us to recognize that statist ‘solutions’ (e.g., welfare, gov’t-run medical care, massive bureaucracies of this and that) to problems caused by human failings will only make matters worse?

What am I to say to someone who identifies himself as a Christian, or an Evangelical, and claims to trust in Jesus, but who proudly and stubbornly identifies himself with the party of death? I think Bonhoeffer knew the answer to that question.

Wow. OK. :-)

As to those that would tarnish the name with their political gambits and self aggrandizing proclamations – well – they are not evangelicals, and we should not be afraid of saying so.

Interesting proposition. I have wondered if it is worth trying to re-capture the term evangelical. Maybe it is too far gone by now.

Regardless of the term used, someone will come and claim it. Or, certain magazines, such as those whose initials are “CT” will simply apply said label to whoever they deem to be so.

In our Protestantism, we will have to continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus by grace alone through faith alone.

But…I feel ya!

Mark

This was awesome. I’ve always loved that song too, but I’m never going to listen to it the same way again. I wonder if they’d mind if we made a T-shirt out of it…

You raise many important questions for evangelicals. I especially appreciate your last two lines, and your humility. I look forward to reading your contributions here.

In the peace of Christ,

- Bryan