Repent or Resign

At the end of this post, I will post a link to an article about a church who took their politics too far.

So, what's this all about? Well, it seems that an over-zealous, right-wing pastor allowed his political convictions and opinions divide a church. This pastor crossed some lines by telling church members how to vote and that they needed to "repent or resign" if they voted for John Kerry. Why? Well, because their church stands against abortion and if you voted for Kerry you were voting for abortion. So, it's an issue of church discipline. However, I wonder if that's true??? And, is abortion the only issue that should be of concern to Christians? What about peace? What about holding our leaders to telling the truth? What about welfare, Social Security, feeding the hungry, etc? Well, the church said that people that were asked to leave the church were not asked to leave because of their politics. Instead, according to an interview on CNN, they were asked to leave because they "cussed and shot birds in the church." So much for the church being a "hospital for sinners" (I never liked that description anyway).

The pastor was urging people to take their religious convictions with them when they voted. That makes perfect sense. And, he apparently made it quite clear which way God would want Christians to vote. Anyone that wants to learn about God's politics should read Jim Wallis' book, "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It." He clearly shows how both sides of the political spectrum have it all wrong. And, here's something I struggle with...Why does a free, democratic nation only have two strong political parties? Anyway...

It's very clear the the American Evangelical church has been pushing conservative politics and morality in the modern day. Many churches make it clear that to be a Christian is to be a conservative Republican. Interesting...I sat in a room the day of the last Presidential election and had a fellow ministry leader in Muncie say, "Well, I'm not sure how the rest of the world voted today. But, at least I can be sure that everyone in this room voted for the right person." Wow! I didn't realize everyone else voted for Ralph Nader! Hahaha!

I guess, for me, I don't really want to be in a church that tells you God's way of voting for political candidates. I want a church that tells me the truth of the Gospel and lets me figure it out for myself. I want a church that gives clear, Biblical statements regarding morality and living as a Christian in the world. I don't want a church that tells you you're out if you aren't just like them.

Anyway, I'll let you read the article.

Pastor Resigns