Some years ago a skeptic made the oft quoted statement, "Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."1 Of course, we could fairly reply that science builds bombs and religion builds hospitals, but the truth is that a lot of evil has been done in the name of religion. Much evil has been done in the name of Christ.
How do we answer the charge that "faith" is a force that leads people to do awful, irrational things?
I know you feel like this sometimes: There are so many things that need to be done for the Kingdom. There's a world full of people who need to hear the gospel. There's spiritual warfare that needs to be fought. There are young believers who need to be discipled. There are children who need homes, hungry who need food, hurting who need comfort. But what can I do? I'm weak. I have no special gifts or talents. I don't know how to do things like that. I can't do anything.
As followers of Christ, we should want the word of God to inform our political views, and when we try to do that, one of the first things we are faced with is that there is no political party who gets it all right. Last time we looked at some things the Bible doesn't say. This time, let's look at what it does say and wrestle a bit with how we apply that in our world.
The Bible rarely speaks directly to our political issues, so believers are free to work out their own political views. Obviously we really should let the scriptures shape our political views, but that's a lot of work and much harder than simply mining the Bible for proof texts to support our preexisting views. Many even dispense with the prooftexts, instead using vague, loosely Christian sentiments to ground their political views. OK, that's their right. If you're going to do that, though, be careful that you don't make an all-too-common mistake.
I was about twenty when I decided I really needed to sit down and read through the Bible. I can't tell you how many times I've read through it since then, and yet I am continually coming across passages I don't remember ever having read before. I know I've read them, but the Bible is just so big it's hard to contain it all in your head.
It's easy to forget how massive the Bible is; after all, you can get a version that will fit in your pocket. But when it's printed like a normal book, meaning proper paper and readable font ... well, Crossway used to publish it as a six-volume set. That's a lot to remember. Fortunately the church has produced a way to help us keep the most important things at the forefront.
