The purpose of this post is not to cause divisions or sow discord but to truly examine a belief that has become more and more prevalent over the years. It is vital that we walk in the TRUTH and not buy into “religious fads.”
We are coming up on the next presidential election this year and all of the political gridlock and drama has already begun to surface. I’m hopefully going to stick to my promise to the God and try and stay out of the political debates and hype as much as possible. After all, politics has done nothing but cause dissention, hate and divide this country in such a way that it is really quite sad. I believe that this division may be one of the very things that bring on the downfall of this country as I’m reminded of what Jesus Christ says in Matthew 12:24-26. Nowadays, I read blogs that are full of hateful comments and racist rants that make me think that we are back in the times of Jim Crowe. And I’m really sick and tired of the terms “liberal” and “conservative” because frankly, I no longer really know what they mean because their definitions seem much skewed. I call myself an “independent” because I will never put my faith in any political party ever again.
So why am I asking whether or not God is a “conservative?” Well, I will be honest and say that it is a waste of time asking whether or not He is a “liberal” or Democrat because the answer is a no-brainer. Their overall agenda is called “progressive,” but as far as I’m concerned, they have only progressed into blurring the morality line, if not completely erasing it, when it comes to various issues. However, many of the so-called Christians in this country support the conservative agenda and label you a heathen if you don’t, no matter how holy your lifestyle might be. So just as black Americans are often accused of being brainwashed by the Democratic party, I submit to you that many Christians have drank the Kool-Aid of believing that the Republican party actually represents Jesus Christ. Therefore, I see the need to examine this ideology a little closer.
A good friend of mind said it best: Republicans stand for righteousness and Democrats stand for social justice. I guess the better way to say this is that they at least appear to stand for those things. Well, I stand for both, so I don’t fit into either one. Scripture also supports that God stands for both because while He obviously hates sin, He also abhors oppression and dishonest scales, which are mentioned at least a couple of times in the book of Proverbs.
It amazes me that the same people who are jumping up and down screaming about taking prayer out of school are the same folks who have an insatiable lust for capitalism. Don’t get me wrong because I am not necessarily anti-capitalism and I do believe that it is a travesty that prayer has been taken out of school. It just seems like I’m worshipping a different God than many of them because He clearly stated that we can’t serve two masters, according to Matthew 6:24. We will hate one and love the other. I have read and heard many people say that they believe that Jesus Christ would be a Republican if He were still on earth. Uhh… The Jesus I know and read about in the Gospels wasn’t a politician; He only personified the Truth of God. Politicians have to change with the times in order to satisfy their constituents and also end up compromising their belief system through bills and laws that are passed. Also, since when did Jesus Christ become a capitalist? Would He have considered anyone that is not rich, lazy and irresponsible? These are the common talking points of conservative talk radio and the attitudes of many of those who profess to have the love of Christ in them. They would have us believe that Jesus would have favored laws that benefit only the wealthy, which brings me to my next question: Was Jesus Christ an elitist? Would He have supported favoritism shown towards the rich over the poor? According to scripture, He didn’t even have a place to lay his head and traveled from city to city with his disciples. The things He spoke to the rich young ruler about selling all of His possessions and following Him says something quite different than the Jesus that this political party has tried to portray. Read Matthew 19:16-23 for the full account.
While the conservative movement may have views on the issues of gay marriage and abortion that line up with the Word of God, does that really make someone a true believer in Christ? Well, I know that that crazy pastor from Arizona who called for his congregation to pray for the death of Barak Obama surely isn’t. (Google this story) There were also polls taken that indicated that a very large number of conservative politicians believe that President Obama is the anti-Christ. Absolutely insane! Obviously, these “Christians” don’t read the Bible, or are just as flat out lost as they claim everybody else to be. The same folks who talk about family and God are the same ones who I love the spoken word video by Jefferson Bethke that has now gone viral on YouTube (Why I hate Religion but Love Jesus) because there is a line in his poem that says “just because you call others blind, doesn’t mean that you have vision.” This is the TRUTH screaming loud and clear at all of us.
I want to bring up this term “evangelical Christian,” which I hope nobody ever calls me. Why is it that this term always comes up in the midst of politics? I personally believe that this term has a political agenda attached to it (like The 700 Club), and it seems to refer only to a certain demographic of people. A few years ago someone emailed a prophecy to me spoken by Pat Robertson. Near the end of his prophetic word, he said that “they’ll embrace Socialism to ease their pain.” While I’m certainly not advocating Socialism, I don’t believe for a second that the Holy Spirit said that to him. This is the problem when politics involve PIMPING Jesus Christ in order to gain favor with certain groups of people! This is kind of similar to all the rhetoric I heard back during the previous presidential elections since 2000 that stated that “true” Christians would vote for George W. Bush. Again, God is not a politician! The conservative agenda has involved attaching their manmade political ideology to a pure and holy God! This is very dangerous and deceptive!
While I fully understand that there are in fact true followers of Christ who happen to support the conservative movement, I believe we just need to understand that politics is simply that: politics. A manmade political ideology that did not come from God can never be righteous or holy. The gridlock we see in this country with biased reporting from the overwhelming majority of news networks has nothing to do with God. Well, I hate to bust your bubble, but the conservative movement is no different. It also uses isolated statistics and typical rhetoric to further its agenda. The idea that conservatism represents “Christianity” is one that I personally can never support because there are way too many contradictions from my vantage point. However, each one of us will have to make a choice of what to believe. The God I know doesn’t have a political party and never will. His Word will remain the same forever and ever.
Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012
spiritualhardcandy 
MVP
January 23, 2012 at 9:03 am
Brotha,
I could not agree more with your blog. I recall a message that was preached back in October of 2011. It spoke of living at our true level of creation. Ascending above the distractions of life, such
as this political divide that we are witnessing worsen with each new ad campaign. All smoking mirrors. All beneath us. Why? We were made to focus solely on being more like Christ. Identifying with ones spirit, not skin color or political perspective. Sure we are “in” this world, but our true citizenship is “of heaven”. Why do we waste time bickering & complaining about the fallacies of Man? Better question, why do we place so much stock in Man? Man, in and of himself, is the embodiment of sin. Capable of the darkest atrocities (read your history books). My hope is solely in Jesus Christ. The only true President, King, Lord, Messiah. I too have chosen not to sip the cup of discord (engaging in political debates). I would much rather focus on unifying all to the Saving Knowledge & Acceptance of Jesus Christ. After all, that is why we were created. Our true level of creation. God Bless.
Tony Dedmond
January 23, 2012 at 9:04 am
Nathan – I don’t think God is “into” politics at all. The fact that Men and Women have moral failures are not limited to which political party they support. There are far too many examples of people that held themselves as moral that proved amongst the most immoral in our midst. True thinkers are people that are willing to listen to what the politicians are saying and not be wedged into the “liberal” or “conservative” pidgeon holes. Over the years I have found myself supporting politicians from both sides of the aisle, but my support of God has not wavered. Of course, we have to keep in mind that more people have died in the name of religion than for almost any other reason except old age.
Anonymous
January 23, 2012 at 10:12 am
Excellent post bro. We really have to focus on what really matters: Living for Christ & being the light in this dark world. Politics have done nothing but show the frailties of the human condition. At the end of the day, we all have to be led by the spirit in every area of our life, including who we should vote for, then leave the rest in God’s hands. The only side that holds any weight is God’s side. We may favor one candidate over another, but it should never get to the point where we’re trading insults, accusations or half-truths to sate our case. More than anyone, Christians should never get caught up in this tug of war called politics that only instigates division.
Kyra
January 23, 2012 at 11:09 am
This reminds me of a church I once attended. We were a church that believed God could do anything, so we were quick to believe a good testimony. A man came in with a great testimony of his spiritual, physical and financial healing. He talked God all the time- gave “words” to people, talked about the scripture, was generous to people who needed help— and then pulled a ponzi scheme on church members by saying he started an investment company with investments in various things that “God told him to do.” He ended up getting about $400,000 from church members before everything hit the fan and he got caught. This story reminds me of politicians because you can preach all the morality you want, you can quote all the scripture, you can say generous words to the people, you can say you care about America, and you can get audiences to cheer for you and God. But beyond the suit and the photos of kissing babies, what is the real agenda? “We the people” we are sometimes not able to discern the difference between who is really “for the people” and who is “deceiving the people.” But those who decieve the people using Jesus name, still have to stand before Him and give an account for their lives. And I imagine gaining the world and losing one’s soul will prove to not be worth it. But I hope for our sake that someone who does believe they will stand before God and give an account for their life with make it to the presidency. But we also know that nobody is in power unless God has allowed it for a season. He is the King of Kings.
Tarsha L. Campbell
January 25, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Great post Nathan! I’m not much for politics and all the confusion that goes along with it. Mmm…is God a Conservative…I’ve never thought about it. However, when I look up the word conservative it says: holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion. I definitely know God holds truth to his values and expects us as his children to do the same. Although his methods may change for touching the heart of man (I believe God is so into innovation), his underlaying principles remain the same. If we could just follow his divine principles we could dwell in peace and every man would prosper. But all this is predicated on having a relationship with him, living according to all his word and foregoing religious rituals.
Dayana Jacques
January 30, 2012 at 9:43 am
Wow. Very thought provoking! Thanks for having the courage to write such insight on this matter.