I don’t particularly enjoy writing or thinking about politics. Frankly, politicians are stale, and to a large extent, just talking heads—they are a cliché and I would call them irrelevant except that the policies they put forward have an impact on our lives, and in the midst of all the godless ideologies we are all force-fed, we need clarity in our age of mass-confusion.
I appreciate your courage in the Lord to speak scripture to social issues. You specifically addressed the intersection of politics and sexual sin. But I'm a bit surprised you didn't raise other particular sins, especially in your assessment of Republican politicians.
Republican politicians have become so jaded to lying, and so scared of the liars, they can't admit their party's election losses are legitimate. These politicians (including our own governor) prove they know the truth about the Big Lie, and their complicity in its perpetuation, when they hem and haw about "irregularities" without letting their yes be yes and their no be no. If a politician will lie about something as simple (not to mention essential to democracy) as election results, I can't trust him, and cannot vote for him, regardless how fervently he claims to share my (other) values.
Likewise, with regard to racial and political violence toward fellow image-bearers, Republicans are loathe to comment. I'd like to think most of them abhor such things. But they fear those within their party who worship violence — afraid they'd lose power and authority if they speak out. And so, they pull their punches when it comes to violent threats — from death threats recorded on voicemail and posted to social media, to the physical threat of envelopes containing fentanyl powder sent to poll workers earlier this week.
I'm not accusing Republican politicians of committing these crimes themselves. But they know full-well that the miscreants interpret their silence as approval. Worse, the ne'er-do-wells themselves fly "Christian" banners, call themselves "Christian" Nationalist, and pretend to be Bible-believing God-fearing patriots. As a Christian and a conservative, I'm discouraged how few Christians who actually believe the Bible and fear God are willing to call out the hate, fraud, violence and lies.
As you said: "[W]hen we vote for people who propagate these things, we are complicit."
Joey — I love you as my pastor.
I appreciate your courage in the Lord to speak scripture to social issues. You specifically addressed the intersection of politics and sexual sin. But I'm a bit surprised you didn't raise other particular sins, especially in your assessment of Republican politicians.
Republican politicians have become so jaded to lying, and so scared of the liars, they can't admit their party's election losses are legitimate. These politicians (including our own governor) prove they know the truth about the Big Lie, and their complicity in its perpetuation, when they hem and haw about "irregularities" without letting their yes be yes and their no be no. If a politician will lie about something as simple (not to mention essential to democracy) as election results, I can't trust him, and cannot vote for him, regardless how fervently he claims to share my (other) values.
Likewise, with regard to racial and political violence toward fellow image-bearers, Republicans are loathe to comment. I'd like to think most of them abhor such things. But they fear those within their party who worship violence — afraid they'd lose power and authority if they speak out. And so, they pull their punches when it comes to violent threats — from death threats recorded on voicemail and posted to social media, to the physical threat of envelopes containing fentanyl powder sent to poll workers earlier this week.
I'm not accusing Republican politicians of committing these crimes themselves. But they know full-well that the miscreants interpret their silence as approval. Worse, the ne'er-do-wells themselves fly "Christian" banners, call themselves "Christian" Nationalist, and pretend to be Bible-believing God-fearing patriots. As a Christian and a conservative, I'm discouraged how few Christians who actually believe the Bible and fear God are willing to call out the hate, fraud, violence and lies.
As you said: "[W]hen we vote for people who propagate these things, we are complicit."
Joey, thank you for taking the time to write out your thoughts on this topic. I know it isn’t easy, yet your voice is needed in times like these.