God’s Politics
“ “The Gospel is not partisan, and God is neither a conservative nor a progressive. As Christians, we must not begin with our secular political beliefs, convictions, and commitments and to use the Gospel to prop them up. Rather, we must begin with the Gospel and allow the Gospel to shape our politics whole-cloth.” Barkley Thompson, In the Midst of the City, p. 21-22.
Yesterday was the first day of early voting in Arkansas. Robert and I went to two polling places to try to vote. In one civic center there was not a parking place to be found. In the second venue, a library, the line was out of the building and around the block and again no place to park. We both had never seen anything like it even for the presidential election of Arkansas’ native son. Today is two weeks until the election. We plan to try again in a few days. I hear from friends all over the country about the same situation. It is encouraging that so many people want to have a voice in the direction for this country.
A frequent question among spiritual friends is “what is the relationship between politics and religion?” I am reading Barkley Thompson’s new book, In the Midst of the City, the Gospel and God’s Politics. Barkley reminds us that the great theologian, Karl Barth told us to read with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. However, what is often left out is Barth’s mandate to interpret what the newspaper tells us is going on in the world in light of our knowledge of the Bible, not the other way around. We are not to use the Bible to support our political views but to support our politics according to our knowledge of God’s politics as presented to us in the gospels.
Thought for the day and perhaps the next two weeks. The gospels are political but not partisan.
Barkley will be at St. Mark’s April 27, 2019, at the Literary Festival to speak more about how we can discern God’s politics in view of the political situation in our world.
Joanna joannaseibert.com