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Do you think Russia is much better off with their leader being a member in good standing of the Eastern Orthodox church?Valerie wrote:it seems odd to me, to have the belief then that a leader is supposed to be an unbeliever.
Not sure- he seems to be moving Russia in a better direction 'faith' wise- it depends on who you listen to, and I am not there to verify either side of those speaking to me about it.Josh wrote:Do you think Russia is much better off with their leader being a member in good standing of the Eastern Orthodox church?Valerie wrote:it seems odd to me, to have the belief then that a leader is supposed to be an unbeliever.
How sad that this happened. Letting political affiliations to a worldly kingdom interfere with Christian fellowship and take precedence over the worship of God deprives that person who allows it to do so. Be it Democrat, Republican or another political party, one message that Anabaptism blesses the world with is that of the two separate Kingdoms and that God's Kingdom is to be our focus.Judas Maccabeus wrote:In some cases the trigger is exactly why they sing it. A couple left my former (Non-Mennonite) church because they found out that two of the leaders (Including me) were registered democrats. It was apparently seen as one of the most ungodly things that could have happened!TeleBodyofChrist wrote:I do not like the connotations of the phrase and how it is being used lately. I wonder if the churches that would sing this understand the triggers this phrase and the present environment cause for people.
J.M.
Problem for me is my former church changed while I stood in place. Remember, Jimmy Carter was a democrat, and it was just as likely to see an evangelical in either party. That was before the Moral Majority.Gene wrote:Having endured, at least in our own perception, years of having our political beliefs treated with something between disrespect and downright vilification, conservatives may be excused for entertaining the temptation to rub the liberal nose in the triumph, such as it is, the right currently enjoys.Judas Maccabeus wrote:In some cases the trigger is exactly why they sing it. A couple left my former (Non-Mennonite) church because they found out that two of the leaders (Including me) were registered democrats. It was apparently seen as one of the most ungodly things that could have happened!TeleBodyofChrist wrote:I do not like the connotations of the phrase and how it is being used lately. I wonder if the churches that would sing this understand the triggers this phrase and the present environment cause for people.
J.M.
At the risk of celebrating a past that never actually was, I more and more suspect that we had it right when we thought the church should stay out of politics completely, even abstaining from voting.
Of course all right thinking persons should be properly appalled that a registered Democrat!! (I assume you did not intend "small d democrat", with which we all identify) has invaded this last sacred bastion of right wing conservatism, demolishing a carefully constructed purity, honed over many years. You will be prayed for.
Valerie - you have a great heart motive here, and we long for the same things in terms of God's agenda winning out.Valerie wrote:
I, in my heart of hearts, believe Romans 13 as being what it says, that Government is God's ministers against evil- and therefore His will would be that they, used by Him SHOULD control all types of evil, and how does government even know good from evil? I think I will surely be the only one on the forum who thinks that it is God's will, to be involved in the government, but I don't get that from my own human reasoning, but from His Word, prophesies, and even though I agree, only God can change a heart, and although I do not put my 'trust' in government, I believe part of being ambassadors for Christ, is recognizing what being God's minister of good and evil is as leaders over a nation- it seems odd to me, to have the belief then that a leader is supposed to be an unbeliever.
Do you have specific examples of this happening? What kind of 'faith' wise are you referring to? I think some 'faith'-wise directions are actually quite off-base (like the situation this OP starts with)Valerie wrote:Not sure- he seems to be moving Russia in a better direction 'faith' wise- it depends on who you listen to, and I am not there to verify either side of those speaking to me about it.Josh wrote:Do you think Russia is much better off with their leader being a member in good standing of the Eastern Orthodox church?Valerie wrote:it seems odd to me, to have the belief then that a leader is supposed to be an unbeliever.
Other than seeing some headlines, I've read Rod Dreher's comments about this and was saddened as he was. I did have hope that this was a one-off instance happening at a place with well-known and entrenched penchant for americanism idolatry. But apparently the poison must be spread and profited from too... I lost respect for the "worship"-industrial complex a long time ago, but this really takes the cake...Bootstrap wrote:https://songselect.ccli.com is a service for finding worship music. Here's a new song for worship services:
https://songselect.ccli.com/Songs/70790 ... reat-again
This was sung (I assume for the first time) at the Celebrate Freedom Rally with Pastor Robert Jeffress, held in honor of President Trump. Interesting Youtube video ...Make America great again
Make America great again
Lift the torch of freedom all across the land
Step into the future joining hand in hand
And make America great again
Yes make America great (again)
I appreciate this response.Bootstrap wrote:Peter makes a good point here. I really don't want to be bashing, but I do think this illustrates why it is so important for us not to conflate religion with political agendas. In a lot of ways, conflating religion and politics is the most natural thing on earth. It's what Verduin refers to as sacralism.Gene wrote:Isn't that why the internet exists?PeterG wrote:This looks to me like another thread about how wrong other people are.
Maybe starting this thread was a bad idea. Is there a more positive way I could have approached this?
This made me look it up, and Dreher's comments on the issue are excellent.Jazman wrote:Rod Dreher's comments
Rod Dreher wrote:As St. Augustine taught, sin is disordered love. You can love good things in a disordered way, and fall into sin. Christians whose moral imaginations are formed in this way, what is going to happen to them when the US government — under Donald Trump, or some future president — does something wicked, something that followers of Jesus Christ ought to stand against?
What are these people — my fellow Christians and fellow conservatives — going to do when politics fails? [It already did. It was never going to do anything else. —PG] What happens when they have to choose between their country and their Christ? Because mark my words that day is surely coming.
I don’t understand this. Honestly, I don’t understand this. This is not going to end well for the church.
Robert wrote:Maybe this is why.
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/07/04 ... -in-sight/
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/07/04 ... -of-paris/
I was sure these things happened a few hundred years ago,
but I guess news can run a little slow.
