The question was raised by Jared regarding the significance of Leftist concerns (to me and to this site) and our understanding of what it means to be “evangelical”. If we accept that evangelical theology is the most orthodox, the closest to the teachings of the Word, then it follows that, among other things, we respond to our critics.
The predominant world view today is not the Christian world view. It is Marxism. It shows itself in international affairs (our Wilsonian foreign policy), in national affairs (the many socialist and communist nations), in economic movements (the redistributive efforts of many who might call themselves evangelical), in psychology (i.e., Eric Fromm), in social agendas (the class wars of the social dialectic), and much more. Including the green movement.
Marxism represents Hegel’s godless theodicy as the ugliest which humanity can become. Marxism always leaves death in its wake. Whether Hitler (10M), Stalin (40M), Pol Pot (3M), or Mao (50M) – big numbers – too big to fathom. Still, every day in our country the Left promotes and protects the bloodshed of its continued eugenics program through abortion, euthanasian, and infanticide. We minister in these areas often and effectively, but I suspect lack an historical context for assessing the efforts of these killers.
Marxism provides an opportunity to minister, not only by working to clean up the mess that it leaves behind (the post-enlightenment philosophers were responsible for the deaths of roughly 1 of every 100 people who even lived on the earth in the 20th century), but to confront it as a heresy and present an alternative model (Mt. 5:13-14) for society. But alas, we have few models and the best we can do right now is to confront the heresy and the bloodshed that it leaves behind.
As one early anabaptist put it: True evangelical faith does not lie sleeping. And while we cannot make this a better world for the mere sake of goodness (nor should we try), we can minister in all areas for the advancement and clarification of the gospel against its challengers. Some of the challengers may appear to be mere philosophical entities, but, as Richard Weaver put it, Ideas Have Consequences. And so does silence.
November 25th, 2009 | 1:32 pm | #1
Collin – Jared is not advocating silence. If I’m understanding him rightly he’s simply insisting that we not conflate political causes with the heart of the gospel that Paul articulates in 1 Cor. 15.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that the Christian faith doesn’t inform our attitude about economics, politics, or philosophy – rather we’re suggesting that making someone affirm a Christian view of economics is ultimately unhelpful because without a clear understanding of the Gospel their understanding of economics is still going to be woefully inadequate for moving the kingdom forward because it simply falls captive to our sinful tendencies. (See: The rampant and disgusting abuse of the free market by multi-national corporations. I wish more evangelicals got as worked up about this stuff as they do the ever-present boogeyman of “Marxism”.)
Simply put – if you’re not clear on individual sin and redemption, you’ll go off the tracks eventually. Even if your position on politics, economics, or philosophy is grounded in Scripture. You’ll either make those things a new moralism (see what some of our more liberal brothers do with social justice issues, for instance) or you’ll treat them as primary things and end up abusing them (like a capitalist who, minus the understanding of their sin and need for grace, ends up treating capitalism as a world-view rather than an economic outworking of a Christian world view).
peace
November 25th, 2009 | 1:40 pm | #2
Why is a Wilsonian foreign policy “Marxist”?
November 25th, 2009 | 1:54 pm | #3
Jake,
I understand that Jared was only raising a point. My direction here was to provide a broad answer to the issue raised.
Pierre,
Yes. It is the implementation of global governance component of the Marxist paradigm.
November 25th, 2009 | 1:57 pm | #4
Jared is not advocating silence. If I’m understanding him rightly he’s simply insisting that we not conflate political causes with the heart of the gospel that Paul articulates in 1 Cor. 15
I have been giving this much thought lately and have been working this out on several blogs. Recently stemming from the dust up in D.C. over homosexuality. We are coming to a point where Liberalism will not tolerate the Church, Gospel centered Christians, from living out the implications of the faith.
This is done by coercing the acceptance of sin. Global warming is just one front on this attack. Abortion is intricately connected to this via population control and exporting abortion as a means to control it. Neither is the judgment that homosexuality is a sin acceptable under this Liberal dogma.
If we are to remain faithful to the preaching of the Gospel we must realize the areas it is under attack, directly and indirectly.
November 25th, 2009 | 2:01 pm | #5
“Yes. It is the implementation of global governance component of the Marxist paradigm.”
Hmmmm….I guess that means sending US soldiers to Russia to fight the Bolsheviks is part of the Marxist program as well.
November 25th, 2009 | 2:05 pm | #6
We are coming to a point where Liberalism will not tolerate the Church, Gospel centered Christians, from living out the implications of the faith.
This could be a blessing. We will see who’s a Christian and who’s not, and the Church will flourish, as it always does under actual persecution.
Jesus promised us trouble but did not command us to freak out, picket, protest, or politic.
Not saying none of those aren’t ever warranted or permitted. I just have a hard time seeing the Scriptures overly concerned with them.
The constant alarmism of my brothers and sisters often borders on the spirit of fear, if it’s not wholehearted adoption of that spirit.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:14 pm | #7
This could be a blessing. We will see who’s a Christian and who’s not, and the Church will flourish, as it always does under actual persecution.
Jesus promised us trouble but did not command us to freak out, picket, protest, or politic.
Not saying none of those aren’t ever warranted or permitted. I just have a hard time seeing the Scriptures overly concerned with them.
The constant alarmism of my brothers and sisters often borders on the spirit of fear, if it’s not wholehearted adoption of that spirit.
I actually agree with this, that persecution is promised by Jesus for those who seek His righteousness and live it out. My concern is that many “Christians” will in fact help bring about this persecution by their accommodation and compromise to Liberalism. Liberalism stand in total antithesis to biblical Christianity, they cannot coexist peacefully.
I also think the root cause of this is idolatry. The same fruit that was produced by the pagan idols in the Old Testament are starting to produce the same fruit today, only under the banner of Liberalism: the worship of nature, murder of children, and sexual immorality. Christians should not be apart of propagating these idols and I think that is why this issue is being raised here.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:23 pm | #8
The constant alarmism of my brothers and sisters often borders on the spirit of fear, if it’s not wholehearted adoption of that spirit.
I agree with Jared on this one. When believers engage in Glen Beck-style freakouts over styles of government then we do not have our focus where it should be.
The two reasons I think Christians should be concerned with social issues are because of justice and religious liberty. Religious liberty provides space for the gospel to be proclaimed—an essential requirement for spreading the message.
And justice is something that is a core concern of God as expressed in his word. We defend the widow, the orphan, the unborn, the weak, and the poor because they are the most vulnerable to injustice. I’m not too concerned about vague threats of Marxism. What I’m worried about is what is happening right now that threatens religious freedom and justice for the weak.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:34 pm | #9
Blue Collar Todd, there’s plenty of idolatry to go around. Honestly, the fearmongering about “those liberals” is just as idolatrous as whatever governmental shenanigans the other side is trying to pull.
Fear and worry are symptoms of idolatry.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:41 pm | #10
“Fear and worry are symptoms of idolatry.”
Is this true about our expressions of the Gospel as well?
I’m really not trying to be snarky–I really want to know if we can be so worried about the Gospel that we could, in fact, idolize it.
November 25th, 2009 | 3:46 pm | #11
Matthew Is this true about our expressions of the Gospel as well?
Jared sort of touched on that in this post: http://firstthings.com/blogs/evangel/2009/10/287/
November 25th, 2009 | 4:02 pm | #12
Matthew, yes, I think it’s possible to at the least be legalistic about gospel-centrality.
Paul calls “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” a “treasure” 2 Corinthians 4, so I’m assuming there is a great level of treasuring of the good news we can safely exercise, however.
November 25th, 2009 | 4:16 pm | #13
Thanks for the reply Jared, and for pointing out that post, Joe. I must have missed it.
Continue. : )
Best,
Matt
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