When most people hear the word "politics" they think of 2 parties and the issues and platform planks of the respective polar opposites. If people can't easily categorize me into one camp or the other, they usually jump to the conclusion that I am with "THEM". There really is no middle ground or space outside of polarity. There are news and information channels that belong to the left, and news and information channels that belong to the right. You can quickly ascertain which flavor of propaganda someone is digesting on a regular basis by their vocabulary and consistent opinion-parroting that the majority of people engage in. it's all been published before, now it's just recited by the disciples of the respective streams of opinion and information.
I occasionally tune in to NPR to hear what's happening in liberal land. after a short time, I have to turn it off because I feel like I ate too much Ice cream too fast or breathed in paint fumes too long. Sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh for awhile to hear what's happening in conservativeland. before long I have to change stations before my blood pressure gets too high. I find them equally distasteful, similarly negative, identically brainwashed. I only tune in to find out what my friends are marinating themselves in all the time. And I have friends from one end of the spectrum to the other! The socialist/democrat friends are frustrated that I don't subscribe to their worldview, and can't believe that I could stomach 30 minutes of Rush Limbaugh! My conservative friends think that I am a whacko and it must be because NPR rotted my brains out.
In short, I believe that the Kingdom of God as revealed by and instituted by Jesus Christ is above all of the opinions of mankind, and does not look, feel, smell, taste, or sound like the political propaganda of either party or any empire. All of the worldviews (however apparently opposite) have the same source- the Deciever! He is a propaganda master, playing one side against another, twisting language and logic to destructive, violent ends. His goal is to divide and cause misery. All of his servants believe that by oppressing their enemies through violent coercion, the "good guys" can triumph. The Deceiver does not care which form of delusion you prefer- as long as you choose one of his brands of delusion. He keeps the world in darkness, worshipping false gods, addicted to pleasures and comforts, in fear of enemies who will destroy "our way of life".
Jesus Christ placed his people inside the enemy's system of deception and violence to be a subversive insurrection that testifies to the Eternal Reality of a Kingdom not of this world. He did not intend for his people to buy into the propaganda of the kingdoms of this world while at the same time preaching that "eternal life" is just for after you die and go to heaven. There is a revolutionary Way of Life in Christ that confounds the "wisdom" of this world.
I am appalled when my liberal Christian friends hold up Federal Welfare programs that are subsidized by tax dollars as Christian obedience to Jesus' command to take care of "the least of these". Jesus left heaven and descended to earth to institute redistribution of wealth by the state? How insulting! What a waste of his life and his power and his love that would have been! To establish something so pathetic and temporal as a government for the salvation of the world! If God wanted to do that, he could have sent any ordinary human being.
It makes me sick to my stomach when my conservative Christian friends announce proudly for all the world to hear that the shed blood of soldiers in warfare provides the good things in life that we enjoy. I cannot think of anything else more blantantly in-your-face Anti-Christ! Our freedom to worship was paid for by somone's son being blown up by an IED in Iraq? Your ability to provide for your family was bought by the blood of a man in the mountains of Afghanistan? The proposition is at best non-sequitor! If a cult member came knocking at your door telling you about their heroine, Claudia Fern Sleschinger whose death can provide wonderful things for us, we would give her an earful about heresy and false teachers and quote bible verses to her and then shut the door. But somehow when the Empire's troops clash on the battlefield leaving a trail of corpses strewn on the earth there is a sacred reverence for the quality and efficacy of their blood?
When Jesus came to earth, there was blatant emperor-worship, which was normal and mandatory. The word "gospel" was used by the emporer's propangandists to announce the wonderful attributes of the god-emperor and the blessings of living under his dominion. When the apostles used the words "Gospel of Jesus Christ" and referred to Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whose reign would never end, whose reign was foretold by the prophets of old, to whom every knee will bow, they were in stark contrast and competition to the emperors and gods of this world. Not one of the prophets or apostles spoke of a kingdom or government besides that of Jesus Christ for which God's people are to hope for expectantly. From day one, the kings of earth considered Jesus to be a threat that should be eliminated. Jesus spent the first several years of his life in exile in Egypt in order to save his life. I am sure there were many Jews in Israel at the time of Jesus' birth who were Herod supporters. By the time of Jesus' death they were shouting "We have no King but Caesar!" But the men who seek to hold on to power by slaughtering infants and crucifying the Lord of Glory are the children of Satan who do not know the true God.
So I ask you to examine your heroes. Are they anything like the Lord Jesus? Would Jesus fire missiles at his enemies? would Jesus be a playboy? Would Jesus insult and mock others? Would Jesus even defend His own honor by striking down his challengers? Is the empire you love anything like the Kingdom of God? Is the Kingdom of God so weak that it can be overcome by the death of its citizens? Is the Kingdom of God so pathetic that it must be defended by killing? If these questions confuse you, please go back to the Bible and find out more about my Lord and His Eternal Kingdom.
Many of the men and women who taught me about Jesus while I was growing up have come to divorce politics and the gospel, as far as I can tell. I respect them very highly and I am grateful for the truth they gave me, but I had to leave and learn from other teachers in order to hear the Gospel of the Kingdom. These are not 2 gospels, nor is one emphasized more than the other in scripture. The Messiah and His reign of peace were spoken of by the prophets. Jesus preached repentance and salvation from sin as well as a Kingdom of which He is Lord. The Apostles carried both messages with them into all the world as one message, and were all prepared to die without resistance for the sake of the Reality they had found. Only after 3 centuries did the Deceiver manage to convince humans that military and political power were the tools of the Church. Since then virtually every denomination has been confused on the subject and has chosen to prostitute themselves for very cheap- in exchange for temporary power and influence won by violence.
I got to know an old WWII veteran extensively, and he told me old war stories about being shot down in a B-17 and captured by Yugoslavian bounty hunters who were women etc. He was friends with Paul Tibbet, the man who dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima. Tibbet actually gave him the first opportunity to fly the plane over Nagasaki, but my veteran acquaintance declined and another man flew the mission. "I'm glad I didn't go" he told me, "I don't think the death of 100,000 human beings would set well on my conscience. If the Japanese are human beings, that is, which I suppose they are." I assured them that they are indeed. He continued; "The man who dropped the bomb on Nagasaki killed himself over it. Paul said he'd do it again." Now the man who told me this story was a high-level Mason and very anti-Christ. The man who flew the mission over Nagasaki was allegedly a believer, and Nagasaki was a center of Christianity in Japan.
This reminds me of Jesus' prophecy that "Brother will betray brother unto death". As long as there is some goal, or agenda, or loyalty higher than the unity of Brotherhood in Christ, the Deciever will find a way to co-opt us into destroying our loved ones and ourselves. Many believers think that they can have both kingdoms at the same time and reap the benefits of both. I can donate my body and my money and my stuff to the earthly kings, and just give my spirit to Jesus so I can go to heaven. (Do you even know what Spirit is? maybe that's why it's so easy to surrender it. It's like it doesn't exist in the "real" world, so why not give it away? It's not going to cut into your retirement account, is it?) Jesus and James are very clear on this matter: you can either love your brother and love God, or you can hate your brother and hate God. Whoever loves God loves his brother, whoever loves her sister loves God. Whoever hates her sister hates God. It is so simple my 2 year old could understand it.
You cannot reap the benefits of a system predicated on violent coercion for your temporal life and then happily commune with the Most High and all the saints for all eternity. The communion with the One and All is not awarded just because you kicked the bucket. "If we are crucified with him, we will also be raised with him". Every acorn wants to be an oak tree, but nobody wants to go through the death process so the life inside can break through.
I have plenty of friends who are anti-war, but somehow think that every other branch of government besides the military is for our own good (unless the wrong party is in power, in which case the whole system becomes corrupt again!) Roads notwithstanding, we are still talking about the largest, most violent gang on planet earth in 2018. And you are "priviledged" enough to avail yourself of its services instead of being a target? Bless your heart. Don't like the way your neighbor is raising their children? Make one phone call and your hired thugs will be right over to intervene. Don't like the way your neighbor is digging their septic drainfield? (This one has tempted even me this week). Don't think your neighbor should have so many dogs on chains? Don't think your neighbor should play their music so loud at 2 am? Someone with a firearm will be over within the hour to create a potentially lethal situation so your cowardly rear end doesn't have to walk out into the real world and love thy neighbor.
Why should the wealthy, comfortable church get involved in communities that are dysfunctional and angry and ignorant when we can pay someone else to do it for us? If you feel like donating your paycheck to Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders or whoever that is one thing. For one thing, if a missions agency or NGO proves an irresponsible steward of the donated funds, donors can voluntarily withdraw their support and reallocate it to someone more deserving. NOT SO with your taxes! Not only have Federal employees consistently demonstrated their complete ineptitude and degeneracy, but they are insulated from negative feedback from their constituency due to the fact that THE MONEY WILL BE THERE REGARDLESS! If you decline to contribute, violent men will bodily escort you to a prison and all your property will be forfeit until you are coerced into paying them their cut. After all, they also made the money and all of the rules concerning its usage.
A very large percentage of my friends tell me that they feel it is their Christian duty to influence the earthly powers in the right direction. We have been given "dominion" and we should be "salt and light". So we call our representatives when a bill is on the table and give them our opinion, we vote, we participate in the political process to end injustices like abortion or deforestation or torture of detainees (although it is hard to find one Christian who cares about all 3!!) I don't believe there is enough scriptural injuctions to make a clear open-and-shut case against political involvement. It is a matter of conscience. All I want to say about it is 2 things:
1- It is not anything like the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. After the last "election", my good friends from both sides gave me a very hard time about my non-participation on the grounds that God wanted this or that outcome for America and I am being too haughty and idealistic to be part of his plan. Wow. The least I can say is that all of my friends are sadly lacking in imagination if they think this 3-ring circus smoke and mirror dog and pony show is anything resembling God's plan for mankind!
2- When you help a bill get passed, or report a neighbor for breaking the law, you have put his or her life in jeopardy. After every law or regulation is a silent addendum: "...or we will kill you". The state is inherently violent. Even in Romans 13 it says that the government is "a terror to the evildoer, and does not bear the sword in vain". So read each law out to the logical conclusion: "No one may sell loose cigarettes on the sidewalk....or we will kill you". "All persons residing in the United States must complete the appropriate paperwork and keep current forms updated....or we will kill you". Before you send a neighbor into a situation involving a firearm and a young buck all hopped up on red bull and steroids, think about if you yourself wish this neighbor dead.
If you have read this far and are completely at a loss regarding what Kingdom of God I am talking about, please saturate yourself in these scriptures, which have the power to bring Life:
Matthew chapters 6, 7 & 8
I John Chapters 3 & 4
Isaiah 11
Isaiah 42
Romans 8
Ephesians 1
1 Corinthians 15
Revelation Chapters 20-22
Some of these may be your favorite passages, some of them may be new, some of them may evoke feelings of resistance in you- but they were written so you could know what Divine Love has in mind for His children He loves so much, especially you.