Have you heard it before? Campaign Speeches

MadMax · Sep 7, 2008

langal said:

yeah i get it. GOP is evil. DEMOCRATS are good. Half of the country is evil or stupid because they vote GOP. i'm sorry but you're being as black and white as the right-wingers who think all DEMS are "liberal commie pigs".
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Important point here...I see the same judgment coming from the religious left as comes from the religious right. It's just directed at different people. That shouldn't happen, either.

I am particularly frustrated with the religious right, however...as they seem to be in the driver's seat in communication to the people of the United States regarding who Christ is and what he values. I see harsh judgment from that. I see us vs. them in that. I see a group not trying to remake culture with the heart of God, but a group that stands on the outside pointing back at culture with scorn. I see them disengaging from culture in huge churches with workout facilities and christian book stores and christian radio stations so that they can avoid interacting with the culture at all. And I don't see Jesus in any of that.

rimrocker · Sep 7, 2008

MadMax said:

Important point here...I see the same judgment coming from the religious left as comes from the religious right. It's just directed at different people. That shouldn't happen, either.

I am particularly frustrated with the religious right, however...as they seem to be in the driver's seat in communication to the people of the United States regarding who Christ is and what he values. I see harsh judgment from that. I see us vs. them in that. I see a group not trying to remake culture with the heart of God, but a group that stands on the outside pointing back at culture with scorn. I see them disengaging from culture in huge churches with workout facilities and christian book stores and christian radio stations so that they can avoid interacting with the culture at all. And I don't see Jesus in any of that.
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You know you've read a good post when the poster says something that you had been thinking about but weren't able to crystallize into a coherent thought.

Thanks for those last two Max.

rhester · Sep 7, 2008

MadMax said:

This is what I fear...this is what the fear of God looks like to me as someone living in the most affluent nation in the history of nations. This is the consistent theme of the Bible...that God is with the poor. The message of consumerism and capitalism-at-all-costs will fail in the face of God, I promise you. To the extent the United States is the ambassador of that message, it too will fail. To be saved by Christ isn't merely to echo some words of "I BELIEVE" at an altar call. It's not merely mental assent and fire insurance. To be saved by Christ is to find yourself being transformed to resemble more the one who would rather wash his disciples' feet than be served...who would rather reject the call to worldly power that his disciples and others wanted him to pursue...who rejected nationalism and racism and affirmed that ALL OF HUMANITY is created in God's image....and to ultimately be willing to suffer and give one's very life for others; even for those who persecute him.

Luke 16:19-26

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'"

Matthew 25:31-45

[Jesus said]Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Ezekiel 16:3, 49-50

This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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I couldn't agree more.

Politics and religion are runious to following Jesus.

I see the whole republican vs. democrat, religious right vs. the heathen,
conservative vs. liberal... etc thing as evidence of division and strife- in other words pride.

There is a nice bible verse that says "only by pride comes contention"

we who profess following Jesus should live like he lived, that is in the bible also.

for me real faith should reflect my affections and my decisions..

do American Christians love money so much we can no longer sell our possessions and give to those in need? are we that much more self important than the early church?

the difference between the sheep and the goats in Jesus story was what they did and didn't do...

it will be that way in God's eyes...

I personally don't think about the religious right whoever they are, or the liberal left whoever they are, or Bush,Clinton,Obama,McCain, whoever they are.

there are too many people to love and too many people to help and too many people to tell about Jesus to get sidetracked.

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Have you heard it before? Campaign Speeches

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