Posted on 06/17/2005 10:31:14 AM PDT by Crackingham
In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by two phenomena: the increased activism of the Christian right, especially in the Republican Party, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.
By contrast, moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth. We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree, and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics.
For us, religion should be inclusive, and it should seek to bridge the differences that separate people. We do not exclude from worship those whose opinions differ from ours. Following a Lord who sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, we welcome to the Lord's table all who would come. Following a Lord who cited love of God and love of neighbor as encompassing all the commandments, we reject a political agenda that displaces that love. Christians who hold these convictions ought to add their clear voice of moderation to the debate on religion in politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I wonder if his bishop's boyfriend asked him to write this piece.
No, John....that's "ambassadors"......read your bible.
Moderate = Liberal for those at home.
Danforth = "You don't even have to believe in Jesus to be a Christian in our definition."
Nothing more really needs to be said.....
You can stop seeking and actual read, accept and follow the Bible if you want the truth. You could posses the truth, but you chose not to.
Didn't Danforth write a similar piece last month complaining about the social conscience of conservative Christians? I guess he realized nobody paid any attention to his first rant, so he's now repeating it, louder.
What is a moderate Christian?
Well, John Danforth is an ordained Episcopal priest.
Ya got that right AppyPappy. If a Christian dares to quote scripture, in its intended form, to these moderates, you make them mad and you are a right winger or an extremest or judgemental----fill in the blanks . AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Sure, Jesus sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, but he didn't say "Go ahead, keep doing what you feel like." but more like "forget your evil ways and follow me."
That's what pseudo Christians have trouble understanding.
Sure, Jesus sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, but he didn't say "Go ahead, keep doing what you feel like." but more like "forget your evil ways and follow me."
That's what pseudo Christians have trouble understanding.
They're called Laodiceans.
A person who doesn't believe in the Virgin Birth, Jesus, the resurrection and the truth in the Bible. They just go to church and listen to a gospel according to the NYT! I've met a few and they dirty the name of Christianity.
That was my guess.
Oh. Nuff said!
Two questions.
Do Christians always know what God's will is in a particular situation? No.
Should Christians seek to do God's will and to do what is good and right? Yes.
To introduce Christian principles into political matters requires not moderation, but wisdom, discernment, and God's enabling grace.
Surely leftists also seek to do what is right and good. It's just that they rely on ideology and desire rather than doctrine and principle to derive their concepts of what is right and good.
To me, human ideology is a less certain foundation on which to base political decisions than faith, traditional morality, and the lessons of history.
My favorite response from liberals when confronted with the Truth is always "The Bible says a lot of other things too". Kinda hard to argue with that kind of Mensa-like brilliance.
bi-partisan work in the govenment is: Get your wallets out, we are going to tax you.
The divide came when Americans said stop the taxes and they actually had to work for a living. They just cannot stand that.
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