My short answer is "no".
But he certainly isn't a Democrat, either.
The GOP is a U.S. political party, and as such, is a man-made organization, the main purpose of which is to get members elected and appointed to government offices. It is a flawed organization founded and comprised of flawed people.
I do believe, though, that conservatism can be consistent with Christian principles, and in fact I maintain that my own conservatism is consistent with my Christian worldview. And, in the U.S., it is the GOP that is a home to the conservative movement and is one of the two dominant, effective political parties, hence my support for the GOP.
In an ideal situation, the perfect form of government is a benevolent dictatorship - an absolute monarchy, actually – with the monarch being eternal, unchanging, unequaled, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, holy, loving, merciful, and just. (That’s God, to those of you who are slow on the uptake.) But since He has given us the freedom to govern ourselves for now, and we are a mix of unrepentant sinners and repentant-but-still-unperfected sinners, I do not believe there is a better governmental system than the brilliant one devised by our mostly Christian-influenced founders – our union of states in a capitalist, constitutional, democratic, representative, republic with separation of powers and checks and balances.
It is that system that recognizes that people will generally look out for their own self-interests and in doing so will cooperate where mutually beneficial, and will also engage voluntarily in private charity. It is that system that recognizes that since sin has marred each of us, none of us should have too much power. It is that system that recognizes that people will do wrong, and some of those wrongs demand a collective response from the people as a whole. So, it is a system that understands that true nature of people.
This is a system worth conserving. Hence - conservatism.
Conservatism generally (if not all individual conservatives) promotes respect for human life; defending and esteeming marriage; respect for authority; personal freedom, responsibility and accountability; punishment and restitution for wrongs; private charity; and encourages acknowledging God in all areas of life. These are all very much part of what Jesus taught and affirmed.
Leftists, including some Democrats, cite God as Creator and Jesus' acceptance of prostitutes and others marginalized by society during his earthly ministry, His message of forgiveness, His "cast the first stone" and "take the plank out of your own eye" statements, His commands to take care of the needy, His "turn the other cheek" statement, and His willingness to be beaten and crucified as examples of why Republicans and conservatives are wrong and why Christians should support Democrats in their efforts to:
-expand government social spending (including allowing illegal aliens to come here, stay here, and receive such spending)
-socialize health care
-implement "environmental protection" legislation that is really about forced wealth transfer and infringing on private property rights
-promote pacifism
-promote licentiousness, especially in sexual behavior
Such applications take Jesus' words and actions out of context and twist His words.
It is bizarre to me that people who so stridently promote and defend philosophical naturalism (claiming that we and everything else in the universe are the products of nothing more than natural processes alone) appeal to our belief in a Creator to promote their "environmental protection" agenda. Many of these people are the same people that see nothing wrong with dismembering babies in the womb. Many of the same people who promote government-funded (meaning taxpayer-funded) health care for seniors by appealing to our compassion would just as soon put our seniors to death, claiming it is for dignity and pain-relief, but in actuality because the seniors would become an expensive inconvenience.
Yes, Jesus accepted and forgave people who admitted and repented of their sins. You can't repent of sins if you don't recognize them as sins in the first place. The phrase "Go and sin no more" comes to mind. He saved their souls but did not necessarily protect them from the earthly consequences of their sins. The repentant thief on the cross comes to mind – Jesus told him "Today, you will be with me in Paradise," indicating he was forgiven, but Jesus didn't use His power to remove the man from the cross and stave off death. And yes, people should take the plank out of their own eye before trying to remove the speck in someone else's eye, and if you have repented of your sins and turned to Jesus, then the plank has been removed.
He'll judge the world in the future, but Jesus certainly wasn't "nonjudgmental" during His earthly ministry. According to the written accounts of His teachings, He talked a lot about Hell and had some choice words in public for certain people, and don't forget what He did to the money changers.
Jesus ordered His followers to take care of the poor, not the government. He didn't advocate stealing from the rich to "care for the poor". He told a rich man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor himself, not to sell all he had and give it to Rome for redistribution.
Jesus did not teach pacifism, either. As Greg Koukl points out, "turning the other cheek" likely refers to dealing with insults. Jesus sent His disciples out with swords. I'd agree that Jesus would be against using force unjustly, but not all use of force is unjust.
(Oh - and despite what PETA would say, Jesus was not a vegetarian, either.)
I'd like to note that nowhere does Jesus command us to spread Christianity by force. He commanded us to make disciples, true, but everything about His earthly ministry teaches us to make disciples by preaching the Gospel through our words and living the Gospel in our actions. Promote clean living. Care for those in need, including telling them when, where, and how their sins are causing their problems (IF their own sins are causing those particular problems).
So, while I wouldn't say that Jesus is a Republican, I would say that being a Republican is entirely compatible with being a Christian. Being a Christian is much more than just being involved in politics, however. It also includes living a moral life and giving of your time, talent, and treasure to those who need it. We can't insist that the government get out of social spending and then not pick up the slack ourselves by tending to the legitimate needs of others. That is all part of having a relationship with Christ as your Lord and Savior.
But he certainly isn't a Democrat, either.
The GOP is a U.S. political party, and as such, is a man-made organization, the main purpose of which is to get members elected and appointed to government offices. It is a flawed organization founded and comprised of flawed people.
I do believe, though, that conservatism can be consistent with Christian principles, and in fact I maintain that my own conservatism is consistent with my Christian worldview. And, in the U.S., it is the GOP that is a home to the conservative movement and is one of the two dominant, effective political parties, hence my support for the GOP.
In an ideal situation, the perfect form of government is a benevolent dictatorship - an absolute monarchy, actually – with the monarch being eternal, unchanging, unequaled, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, holy, loving, merciful, and just. (That’s God, to those of you who are slow on the uptake.) But since He has given us the freedom to govern ourselves for now, and we are a mix of unrepentant sinners and repentant-but-still-unperfected sinners, I do not believe there is a better governmental system than the brilliant one devised by our mostly Christian-influenced founders – our union of states in a capitalist, constitutional, democratic, representative, republic with separation of powers and checks and balances.
It is that system that recognizes that people will generally look out for their own self-interests and in doing so will cooperate where mutually beneficial, and will also engage voluntarily in private charity. It is that system that recognizes that since sin has marred each of us, none of us should have too much power. It is that system that recognizes that people will do wrong, and some of those wrongs demand a collective response from the people as a whole. So, it is a system that understands that true nature of people.
This is a system worth conserving. Hence - conservatism.
Conservatism generally (if not all individual conservatives) promotes respect for human life; defending and esteeming marriage; respect for authority; personal freedom, responsibility and accountability; punishment and restitution for wrongs; private charity; and encourages acknowledging God in all areas of life. These are all very much part of what Jesus taught and affirmed.
Leftists, including some Democrats, cite God as Creator and Jesus' acceptance of prostitutes and others marginalized by society during his earthly ministry, His message of forgiveness, His "cast the first stone" and "take the plank out of your own eye" statements, His commands to take care of the needy, His "turn the other cheek" statement, and His willingness to be beaten and crucified as examples of why Republicans and conservatives are wrong and why Christians should support Democrats in their efforts to:
-expand government social spending (including allowing illegal aliens to come here, stay here, and receive such spending)
-socialize health care
-implement "environmental protection" legislation that is really about forced wealth transfer and infringing on private property rights
-promote pacifism
-promote licentiousness, especially in sexual behavior
Such applications take Jesus' words and actions out of context and twist His words.
It is bizarre to me that people who so stridently promote and defend philosophical naturalism (claiming that we and everything else in the universe are the products of nothing more than natural processes alone) appeal to our belief in a Creator to promote their "environmental protection" agenda. Many of these people are the same people that see nothing wrong with dismembering babies in the womb. Many of the same people who promote government-funded (meaning taxpayer-funded) health care for seniors by appealing to our compassion would just as soon put our seniors to death, claiming it is for dignity and pain-relief, but in actuality because the seniors would become an expensive inconvenience.
Yes, Jesus accepted and forgave people who admitted and repented of their sins. You can't repent of sins if you don't recognize them as sins in the first place. The phrase "Go and sin no more" comes to mind. He saved their souls but did not necessarily protect them from the earthly consequences of their sins. The repentant thief on the cross comes to mind – Jesus told him "Today, you will be with me in Paradise," indicating he was forgiven, but Jesus didn't use His power to remove the man from the cross and stave off death. And yes, people should take the plank out of their own eye before trying to remove the speck in someone else's eye, and if you have repented of your sins and turned to Jesus, then the plank has been removed.
He'll judge the world in the future, but Jesus certainly wasn't "nonjudgmental" during His earthly ministry. According to the written accounts of His teachings, He talked a lot about Hell and had some choice words in public for certain people, and don't forget what He did to the money changers.
Jesus ordered His followers to take care of the poor, not the government. He didn't advocate stealing from the rich to "care for the poor". He told a rich man to sell everything he had and give it to the poor himself, not to sell all he had and give it to Rome for redistribution.
Jesus did not teach pacifism, either. As Greg Koukl points out, "turning the other cheek" likely refers to dealing with insults. Jesus sent His disciples out with swords. I'd agree that Jesus would be against using force unjustly, but not all use of force is unjust.
(Oh - and despite what PETA would say, Jesus was not a vegetarian, either.)
I'd like to note that nowhere does Jesus command us to spread Christianity by force. He commanded us to make disciples, true, but everything about His earthly ministry teaches us to make disciples by preaching the Gospel through our words and living the Gospel in our actions. Promote clean living. Care for those in need, including telling them when, where, and how their sins are causing their problems (IF their own sins are causing those particular problems).
So, while I wouldn't say that Jesus is a Republican, I would say that being a Republican is entirely compatible with being a Christian. Being a Christian is much more than just being involved in politics, however. It also includes living a moral life and giving of your time, talent, and treasure to those who need it. We can't insist that the government get out of social spending and then not pick up the slack ourselves by tending to the legitimate needs of others. That is all part of having a relationship with Christ as your Lord and Savior.
I wanted to respond to this on here, on your blog, but it won't allow comments as long as I wrote. So, I apologize for it, but I posted the first on my own blog. When I make further comments, I'll try to post them here, but if they get too long, I'll have to post on my blog. Sorry for any inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteHey, thay's great, actually. Do that as much as you want. I like free speech and different perspectives.
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