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The Fine and Often Blurry Line Between Religion and Politics
Townhall.com ^ | January 25, 2020 | Michael Brown

Posted on 01/25/2020 6:23:36 AM PST by Kaslin

President Trump’s historic speech to the March for Life crowd on Friday reminds us that there is often a very line (and, quite often, very blurry) line between religion and politics. And as much as some of us would like to separate those two entities, putting each of them in their own category, it’s not always so easily done.

On the one hand, the realm of religion – in the best sense of the word – is not political at all. It calls for human beings to come into right relationship with God, whether those human beings live in a dictatorship or a democracy. It offers new life, forgiveness, redemption, and transformation (speaking here in specific Christian terms). And it does all this without politics, without court decisions, without elections.

“Jesus saves” regardless of who is in office, regardless of political trends, regardless of partisan politics.

In short, the gospel completely transcends politics.

Politics does not produce divinely inspired Scriptures.

Politics cannot reward with eternal salvation or punish with eternal damnation.

Politics cannot reach into the world to come.

Politics cannot change a person from the inside out.

In short, in a very real way, the gospel and politics do not intersect.

But then, in another very real way, they do.

Let’s take something that virtually all of us agree is terribly evil: human trafficking.

Let’s say you find out that young teens are being trafficked in your own city. Deeply burdened, you share this with your pastor, who then shares it with your church, calling for urgent prayer.

But does it stop there? Don’t you see what action you can take to help rescue and rehabilitate these children?

And what if you learn that there are serious loopholes in the law, because of which trafficking is allowed to flourish in your city? Do you not then call on your elected officials to take action as well?

Isn’t this what moved the abolitionists to action? And didn’t they call on the government to act rightly as well?

Or consider something broader, namely, the economy.

What if government laws and regulations were set up in such a way as to oppress the poor and enable their oppressors? Should Christians merely pray for justice? Or simply hand out food? Or should they also work to change the system?

When William Carey, known as the father of modern missions, moved from England to India, he was shocked to witness the practice of widow burning. In this horrific custom, when a husband’s body was burned after death, his wife was often burned along with him – meaning, burned alive.

If I lived in California, as a spiritually-minded follower of Jesus, the killing of babies in the womb would matter to me, right into the voting booth. I would not be able to separate the gospel from politics when it came to pro-life action.

Or consider the issue of religious freedoms. It is true, of course, that the gospel can flourish in any setting or situation. But I would much rather bequeath religious liberty to my children, and grandchildren then leave them with violent, state-sponsored persecution. I would much rather leave them with the ability to practice their faith without government intrusion or penalty. And much of that depends on politics.

In fact, as I have met with persecuted Christians in other parts of the world, they have expressed their hope to me that President Trump’s strong leadership could provide a rebuke to their own government’s actions. Elections do have consequences.

That’s why many of the people of Hong Kong and Iran deeply appreciate Trump’s public expression of solidarity. These are issues of freedom vs. oppression as well.

Of course, it is absolutely true that the gospel must come first, as I have emphasized time and again. (Most recently, see, “Let the Politicians Focus on Politics While Pastors Focus on the Gospel.”)

And it is true that, as followers of Jesus, we cannot become an appendage of a political party. (Sadly, we often fall short in this area.)

And, speaking more broadly, the words of Dr. King remain as relevant as ever. “The church,” he said, “must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

Amen and amen.

At the same time, we must realize that, in many case, the gospel and politics do intersect. The president’s March for Life speech is a dramatic, important, case in point.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: marchforlife; prolife; religion
Here is the transcript of President Trump's speech via Lifenews.com
Thank you very much and thank you, Jeanne. It is my honor to be the first president in history to attend the March for Life. [applause] We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential. [applause]

For 47 years, Americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life.

And today as President of the United States, I am truly proud to stand with you. [applause]

I want to welcome tens of thousands – this is a tremendous turnout – tens of thousands of high school and college students who took long bus rides to be here in our nation’s capital. And to make you feel even better, there are tens of thousands of people outside that we passed on the way in. If anybody would like to give up their spot, we can work it out.

We have a tremendous group of people outside. Thousands and thousands wanted to get in. This is some great success. [applause]

Young people are the heart of the March for Life. And it’s your generation that is making America the pro-family, pro-life nation. [applause]

The life movement is led by strong women, amazing faith leaders, and brave students who carry on the legacy of pioneers before us who fought to raise the conscience of our nation and uphold the rights of our citizens. You embrace mothers with care and compassion. You are empowered by prayer and motivated by your unselfish love. You are grateful and we are so grateful ­­– these are incredible people – to be joined by Secretary Alex Azar and Kellyanne Conway. [applause]

And thanks also to Senators Mike Lee and James Lankford who are here. Thank you, fellas. And Representatives Steve Scalise, Chris Smith, Ralph Abraham, Warren Davidson, Bob Latta, John Joyce, Lloyd Smucker, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Brad Wenstrup. Thank you all. I have to say – and I look at it, and I see it exactly – we have many more politicians in the audience. But if you don’t mind, I won’t introduce them all.

All of us here understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God. [applause] Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. [applause]

When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation. [applause] When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world – from my family, and I can tell you, I send love, and I send great, great love – and from the first day in office, I have taken historic action to support America’s families and to protect the unborn. [applause]

And during my first week in office, I reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy and we issued a landmark pro-life rule to govern the use of Title X taxpayer funding. I notified Congress that I would veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policy or that encourages the destruction of human life. [applause]

At the United Nations, I made clear that global bureaucrats have no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that protect innocent life. [applause] Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House. [applause]

As the Bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made. [applause]

We have taken decisive action to protect the religious liberty – so important – religious liberty has been under attack all over the world and frankly, very strongly attacked in our nation. You see it better than anyone. But we are stopping it. And we’re taking care of doctors, nurses, teachers, and groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor. [applause]

We are preserving faith-based adoption and to uphold our founding documents, we have confirmed 187 federal judges, who apply the Constitution as written, including two phenomenal supreme court justices – Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. [applause]

We are protecting pro-life students’ rights to free speech on college campuses. And if universities want federal taxpayer dollars, then they must uphold your First Amendment right to speak your mind. And if they don’t, they pay a very big financial penalty, which they will not be willing to pay. [applause]

Sadly, the far left is working to erase our God-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious leaders from the public square, and silence Americans who believe in the sanctity of life. They are coming after me because I am fighting for you and we are fighting for those who have no voice. And we will win because we know how to win. [applause] We all know how to win. We all know how to win. You’ve been winning for a long time. You’ve been winning for a long time.

Together, we are the voice for the voiceless. When it comes to abortion – and you know this, you’ve seen what’s happened – Democrats have embraced the most radical and extreme positions taken and seen in this country for years and decades, and you can even say, for centuries.

Nearly every top Democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. Last year, lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb right up until delivery.

Then, we had the case of the Democrat governor in the state of Virginia, the commonwealth of Virginia. And we love the commonwealth of Virginia, but what is going on in Virginia? What is going on? The governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. You remember that.

Senate Democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. And that’s why I’ve called on Congress – two of our great senators here, so many of our congressmen here – I called upon them to defend the dignity of life and to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in their mother’s womb. [applause]

This year, the March for Life is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which forever enshrined women’s rights to vote in the United States and given by the United States constitution. Such a big event. Today, millions of extraordinary women across America are using the power of their votes to fight for the right and all of their rights as given in the Declaration of Independence – it’s the right to life. [applause]

To all the women here today, your devotion and your leadership uplifts our entire nation and we thank you for that. The tens of thousands of Americans gathered today not only stand for life – it’s really here that they stand for it so proudly together. And I want to thank everybody for that. You stand for life each and every day. You provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care to the women that you serve. You find loving families for children in need of a forever home. You host baby showers for expecting moms. You make – you just make it your life’s mission to help spread God’s grace.

And to all the moms here today, we celebrate you and we declare that mothers are heroes. [applause] Your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. Because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history.

We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting.

And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God. [applause]

Together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. We will set free the dreams of our people. And with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility, and grace of every American child.

I want to thank you. This is a very special moment. It’s so great to represent you. I love you all. [applause] And I say with a true passion, thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all. Thank you. [applause

Life News.com

1 posted on 01/25/2020 6:23:36 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Religion (not spirituality) is politics.
Politics for D’rats and progressives is their religion.


2 posted on 01/25/2020 6:42:11 AM PST by polymuser (It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and so few by deceit. Noel Coward)
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To: Kaslin

How can a line be fine and blurry at the same time?


3 posted on 01/25/2020 6:46:40 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics)
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To: Kaslin

‘or punish with eternal damnation.’

how would anyone find moral guidance in a system that says ‘believe or be damned’...?


4 posted on 01/25/2020 7:20:45 AM PST by IrishBrigade
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To: Kaslin; All

The guy who’s crossed that line with devastating results is Francis, supposed to be my Pope. By accepting and hailing Islamic mono theistic claims and not challenging them, Not only has he not discouraged their tactics he’s actually encouraged them.


5 posted on 01/25/2020 8:06:54 AM PST by mosesdapoet (mosesdapoet aka L,J,Keslin posting here for the record hoping somebody might read and pass around)
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To: Kaslin

“The Fine and Often Blurry Line Between Religion and Politics”
You must be talking about *slam, where there is NO line between the two!


6 posted on 01/25/2020 10:38:04 AM PST by I want the USA back (We have sunk to a depth where restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men:Orwell)
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To: IrishBrigade; ConservativeMind; ealgeone; Mark17; fishtank; boatbums; Luircin; mitch5501; MamaB; ...
how would anyone find moral guidance in a system that says ‘believe or be damned’...?

You mean a systen inn which you either sign up with the winning and right side, believing it to be so, and thus follow its standards, or you do not, and thus realize the opposite reality, is contrary to providing a moral guidance?

7 posted on 01/25/2020 12:50:46 PM PST by daniel1212 ( Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: Kaslin
“Jesus saves” regardless of who is in office, regardless of political trends, regardless of partisan politics.

AMEN!


8 posted on 01/25/2020 1:09:33 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Dr. Sivana
There is really no line.

Your religion is part of who you are and who you are is involved in politics unless you are living on an island by yourself.

9 posted on 01/25/2020 1:13:09 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (A hero is a hero no matter what medal they give him. Likewise a schmuck is still a schmuck.)
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To: Kaslin; daniel1212

If one simply steps back and look at how morally wrong abortion is, then there is no need for bring in religious views. How many people really want to allow people to chop up innocent babies in the womb? Our problem is we don’t want to graphically discuss the process of aborting a baby. If people started talking about that the discussion would be over in a heartbeat.

This isn’t about Religion and Politics. It’s about good and evil.


10 posted on 01/25/2020 1:24:24 PM PST by HarleyD
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Well said!


11 posted on 01/25/2020 2:26:40 PM PST by Tax-chick (You're only one book away from a very good mood. (Washington County, UT, Library))
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