“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” – Titus 3:3-8
Tag Archives: Evangelical
Christianity, Politics, and Faithfully Engaging in the Process
Christianity Today Interviews Michael Gerson on Christianity and Politics:
Christians’ retreat from American politics would be a mistake, argues Michael Gerson, against those who prefer more behind-the-scenes forms of cultural engagement. As President George W. Bush’s speechwriter for five years, and now as senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement, Gerson has seen first-hand how policy has tangible cultural effects. Gerson recently co-authored City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era(Moody) with Peter Wehner and began a one-year fellowship with the ONE Campaign, the Bono-backed nonprofit devoted to funding international aid programs. Gerson will be working on the campaign’s religious and conservative coalition on development, disease, and trade issues. “I am not, however, in charge of distributing U2 tickets,” he says.
Gerson spoke with CT online editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey about why Christians should remain vigorously engaged in the political sphere.
You gently critique the Religious Right, saying, “The biggest problem with the Religious Right has not been tonal or strategic but rather theological.” Could you flesh that out? How might Christians approach politics differently?
We are in a moment of transition. There’s a discontent with an older model of social engagement. One reason is tonal. The Religious Right reacted to the aggressions of modernity, to the impression that leading institutions were imposing an alien vision on American society. Its fundraising appeals presented politics through the prism of a bitter divide. It was the children of light against the children of darkness.
Another element is political and strategic. Because it brought many moral concerns to public life, the Religious Right became an appendage of another political ideology: the Republican Party. So you would see voter guides that were not only on moral issues but also on tax policy and missile defense. I am a conservative, but I think the Christian faith stands in judgment of all political ideologies. When it’s too closely identified with any of them, it becomes a tool in someone else’s power game.
The third element is theological. After 9/11, when Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson publicly blamed the suffering of the American people on various American sins, they left out other sins: exploitation of the poor, pride, and vanity. When an American religious leader says that Orlando might be destroyed because of Gay Day, and a hurricane hits Disney World on Gay Day, it seems cruel rather than compassionate.
The book also addresses the underestimated virtues of the Religious Right. The movement led conservative Christians back into social engagement after a period in the wilderness, and it raised issues about the value of human life and the importance of traditional values and family. (read the rest of the interview)
We need careful reflection and we need faithful action. Voting tomorrow is an important exercise of our civic responsibility and our call to engage as good ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
Living as a citizen of the kingdom in the city of man
Politics. Few words are more controversial today. How should Christians, who seek to be thoroughly biblical, engage in the arena of politics? Great question. Here are three books to set you on your path and one just came out (City of Man by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner) with a foreword by Tim Keller.
These are challenging days. We need to think carefully and Christianly about how we engage in the public square.
Muslims Coming to Christ at Historic Rate Evangelists Say
There is a lot in the news right now about Islam and Mosques…so I thought I would share this recent story to remind us that God is powerfully working to draw Muslims to Himself!
“Christians ministering quietly in the Middle East say Muslims are coming to Christ at an unprecedented pace despite intense persecution of those who leave Islam.“Probably in the last 10 years, more Muslims have come to faith in Christ than in the last 15 centuries of Islam,” said Tom Doyle, Middle East-Central Asia director for e3 Partners, a Texas-based missions agency.
A former pastor, Doyle has been to the Middle East around 80 times and last week returned to the U.S. from a trip to Jerusalem, where he said both Muslims and Jews are turning to Christianity.
Earlier this month, more than 200 former Muslims were baptized during a training conference in Europe led by Iran-born evangelist Lazarus Yeghnazar. Brenda Ajamian, a former missionary to the Middle East who partners with Yeghnazar’s 222 Ministries International, said the event was unlike anything she’d seen during her years ministering in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.
“That many Muslims who converted to Christ in one place boggled my mind because missionaries have worked in the Arab world and Muslim world generally for years and without much fruit,” Ajamian said. “God is at work among Muslims.”
Ajamian said she was told at the conference that drug addiction and depression run rampant in many nations, particularly in Iran, where the cleric-led government has attempted to squash pro-democracy movements. “People are so fed up with the kinds of lives they lead. … They’re turning to Christ even in spite of the very real possibility of persecution and death and imprisonment,” she said.
Desperation is also a big factor in bringing many Jews to Christ, Doyle said. “In the last 20 years more Jews [also] have become followers of Jesus than in the last 2,000 years of Christianity,” he said.
Radio, television and Internet-based Christian programming have been key in evangelizing Muslim nations. Yeghnazar claims more than 3,000 Iranians are converted each month through his Farsi-language television and Internet broadcasts.
And Doyle said Father Zakaria Botross, a born-again Coptic priest, reaches about 60 million people through his television programs broadcast across the Middle East. “The apostle Paul to the Muslims is no question Father Zakaria,” Doyle said.
But many Muslim-background believers have said they came to Christ after having dreams and visions of Jesus.
“I can’t tell you how many Muslims I’ve met who say: ‘I was content. I was a Muslim, and all of a sudden I get this dream about Jesus and He loved me and said come follow Me,” Doyle said.
Doyle notes that the supernatural is an important part of the Islamic faith. Through the course of his life, Mohammed claimed to have had visions and encounters, particularly of the angel Gabriel.
“God is going into their context,” said Doyle. But instead of finding guidance from Allah, Muslims are finding Jesus….” (Read More)
2010 EPS Apologetics Conference: Set Forth Your Case – Equipping Christians for Discipleship and Evangelism
I want to tell you about an incredible conference you don’t want to miss. I have attended this conference several times over the years and was blown away by the quality of training made available. This year I am honored to participate on a panel discussion on apologetics and youth.
“Come for three days and learn from Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, Greg Koukl, Randy Newman and twenty-five other influencers in Christian apologetics as they equip you about the issues facing contemporary Christian witness. Enjoy individual plenary sessions, breakout sessions, and panel discussions on cutting-edge issues facing contemporary Christian witness.”
View Sessions and Tracks, click here
Here are the Top Five Reasons to Attend:
- Receive training from nationally-recognized leaders and communicators in prominent areas of apologetics, theology, philosophy, history and science.
- Grow in confidence in God and the truthfulness of Christianity as a worldview.
- Catch a vision for how apologetics work and training is fruitful for the local church.
- Learn how to graciously persuade and compel people to consider reasons and evidences for Christian truth claims.
- Network and partner with fellow Christian leaders, organizations, teachers, and authors intent on equipping and edifying people to be an empowered witness for God and His kingdom in our communities.
When & Where?
More information to come soon, but if you can, sign up today. The challenges facing the church today are staggering. Are you ready to respond? (1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3).