The Political Disciple

“Great opportunity, right? It was at this point that I had a few minutes to summarize the message of Jesus. How was I to do this? What sort of answer was I to give? What sort of answer would you give?”

Political Gospel

“That is why Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross. Why Peter was crucified by Nero upside-down. Why Paul was beheaded by the same Caesar. Their messages were the tremors of a new regime. Putting Politics in Its Place But why is this important now? Aren’t we trying to get people to be less political in the church, not more? Recovering the true political nature of our message is vital because it puts politics in its proper place. By putting politics in its place I mean two things. First, the church in many places has become partisan. Political loyalties need to be demoted. In America, some gatherings become a seat for the Donkey or Elephant to gain loyalists. We swallow whole the red or blue pill. Into the matrix we go. Most political discipleship comes from talking heads on cable news, not from reflections on the implications of our faith for public life. I have stopped counting the number of stories I have heard of pastors telling me they have been fired, or their congregants have left, because their message was getting too political or was not political enough. No matter what you think about what happened from 2016 to 2021 in America, the evidence suggests churches have failed to disciple people in the realm of political engagement. Many are leaving churches over politics before they will leave their politics for a church.2 The fire-hydrant of partisan news is winning hearts. A thirty-minute sermon floats like a speck on the ocean surface of cable news. We are what we eat. While most of us theoretically know the gospel transcends political partisanship and division, it is another thing to put that into practice. The fire-hydrant of partisan news is winning hearts. A thirty-minute sermon floats like a speck on the ocean surface of cable news. Second, we need to put politics in its place in a positive sense. Some churches and Christians, in reaction to this partisanship, have privatized their faith. Not much is said about how the gospel should shape our public habits or stances. Without knowing it, we begin to engrave a distinction between personal and political ethics. However, this distinction is hard to maintain. section Jesus’s “return.” All of these are political terms.”

Political Structure

“Jesus’s announcement of victory”

Political Present