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temporal1 wrote:

Judas Maccabeus wrote:UGGGGGGGH! If you want the divide in society to become greater, make the only major nonpartisan institution in society a branch of the _________party. (Fill in blank with whatever you like)

I do not miss the pressure to "get behind good "christian" (Republican) candidates!
J.M.

hmm.
JM, i appreciate your view on many matters, i'm not following your response here.
"the standard" for political activism in churches lies within liberal ("un-churches") who value and formally chase-after politics. these folks have caused division in all churches, all denoms. empty pews reflect the influence.

i suppose i would prefer there be no human law to prohibit, BUT, either way, that wise pastors+laity would freely choose not to participate.

in all honesty, laws prohibiting are not effective.
those who desire politics find ways to indulge in them. imho.

Depends on where you are. Many of the conservative evangelical churches in the area I live in are so republican that they almost don't seem like churches, but republican clubs. We continually faced pressure to get behind one or the other cause/candidate. We actually had a couple come into the pastor's office and state that would leave unless all democratic registered leaders were removed.

In my current church, worldly politics do not seem to play a role. For this I thank God.

J.M.

temporal1 wrote: hmm.
JM, i appreciate your view on many matters, i'm not following your response here.
"the standard" for political activism in churches lies within liberal ("un-churches") who value and formally chase-after politics. these folks have caused division in all churches, all denoms. empty pews reflect the influence.

i suppose i would prefer there be no human law to prohibit, BUT, either way, that wise pastors+laity would freely choose not to participate.

in all honesty, laws prohibiting are not effective.
those who desire politics find ways to indulge in them. imho.

You may need to visit around some more... it's a problem on the right/conservative as well as your "liberal"...

Judas Maccabeus wrote:Depends on where you are. Many of the conservative evangelical churches in the area I live in are so republican that they almost don't seem like churches, but republican clubs. We continually faced pressure to get behind one or the other cause/candidate. We actually had a couple come into the pastor's office and state that would leave unless all democratic registered leaders were removed. J.M.

Same here.

Jazman wrote:

temporal1 wrote: hmm.
JM, i appreciate your view on many matters, i'm not following your response here.
"the standard" for political activism in churches lies within liberal ("un-churches") who value and formally chase-after politics. these folks have caused division in all churches, all denoms. empty pews reflect the influence.

i suppose i would prefer there be no human law to prohibit, BUT, either way, that wise pastors+laity would freely choose not to participate.

in all honesty, laws prohibiting are not effective.
those who desire politics find ways to indulge in them. imho.

You may need to visit around some more... it's a problem on the right/conservative as well as your "liberal"...

That is why I left the blank to be filled in with the party of your choice.

J.M.

Judas Maccabeus wrote:

Jazman wrote:

temporal1 wrote: hmm.
JM, i appreciate your view on many matters, i'm not following your response here.
"the standard" for political activism in churches lies within liberal ("un-churches") who value and formally chase-after politics. these folks have caused division in all churches, all denoms. empty pews reflect the influence.

i suppose i would prefer there be no human law to prohibit, BUT, either way, that wise pastors+laity would freely choose not to participate.

in all honesty, laws prohibiting are not effective.
those who desire politics find ways to indulge in them. imho.

You may need to visit around some more... it's a problem on the right/conservative as well as your "liberal"...

That is why I left the blank to be filled in with the party of your choice.

J.M.

I am thankful we are in a worship service where politics are left out- if we know the Lord we know how He views things without someone else telling us- especially when that is not why we are there.
Mindful of the Zealots during the days of Jesus' ministry- focus was wrong even with right intentions for their Jewish people.

Judas Maccabeus wrote:That is why I left the blank to be filled in with the party of your choice.
J.M.

i did not know what that line was for, the sentence following filled in the blank.

however, it seems many-many more now have their eyes open to the fact that career politicians, both parties, are closely aligned, invested in themselves, not in representing those who elected them.

but, the history of preaching from the pulpit, and/or prideful church membership political activism without apology, is with the "liberal-minded" churches. in my area, decades ago, i recall complaints of politics from the pulpit in Methodist churches, and, of course, Universalist churches .. the latter not acknowledged to be churches.

i do not expect a sudden rush to return to conservative churches to join in political activism.
i do not see that happening.

neither do i see a big movement to "organize" and i hope not.
true, some conservatives have organized for political activism, they see it as a response-requirement for survival, they've felt under attack.

imho, the unorganized majority is "key" to what makes the U.S. a desirable place to be.
without, it quickly becomes just another banana republic.

(i believe) all groups, all sides, owe a debt of gratitude to the unorganized majority.

this is the "group"/ungroup that defines+protects the freedoms we enjoy, including free speech, freedom of religion, et al. all others, out of balance, would not allow what we think of as basic essential freedoms.

According to Mark Chavez, Catholic and black Protestant churches are more politically active overall than either liberal or conservative white Protestants.

According to Pew, here are the political leanings of various religious groups in the U.S.

temporal1 wrote:but, the history of preaching from the pulpit, and/or prideful church membership political activism without apology, is with the "liberal-minded" churches. in my area, decades ago, i recall complaints of politics from the pulpit in Methodist churches, and, of course, Universalist churches .. the latter not acknowledged to be churches.

Yes, that was true decades ago. Mainline and progressive evangelical political activism rose and fell in the 1970s; the history is documented in the book Moral Minority. Since then, preaching from the pulpit, and/or prideful church membership political activism without apology, is primarily the domain of the "conservative-minded" churches.

Perhaps the relatively liberal views predominant in your area are an exception to the national trends. Still, I visited the Bible Church on Lincoln Avenue (I see it's still there) on a random Sunday morning in the fall of 1988 when automotive indisposition prevented my being Conservative Mennonite that day; they were distributing voter guides with a heavily Republican slant. That's typical of what I observed among conservative evangelicals around that time period and since.

ohio jones wrote:

temporal1 wrote:but, the history of preaching from the pulpit, and/or prideful church membership political activism without apology, is with the "liberal-minded" churches. in my area, decades ago, i recall complaints of politics from the pulpit in Methodist churches, and, of course, Universalist churches .. the latter not acknowledged to be churches.

Yes, that was true decades ago. Mainline and progressive evangelical political activism rose and fell in the 1970s; the history is documented in the book Moral Minority. Since then, preaching from the pulpit, and/or prideful church membership political activism without apology, is primarily the domain of the "conservative-minded" churches.

Perhaps the relatively liberal views predominant in your area are an exception to the national trends. Still, I visited the Bible Church on Lincoln Avenue (I see it's still there) on a random Sunday morning in the fall of 1988 when automotive indisposition prevented my being Conservative Mennonite that day; they were distributing voter guides with a heavily Republican slant. That's typical of what I observed among conservative evangelicals around that time period and since.

Round here, we have "Bible Presbyterians" of the Carl Mcintyre stripe that have been around a bit longer, and a presence on our airwaves since I can remember.
http://www.indefenseoftruth.org/

Broadcast used to open with the word "Communism" shouted at high volume.

J.M.