Hi Josh, I made a mistake the song title is Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend.

Good to hear from you John. I can always count on you for both insight and humor. 🙂 I’ll have to look more into that song! Thanks.

Hi Rev. Clark, good to hear from you! Thanks for your comments here! I agree, it’s crucial that we speak to moral issues in our world today, part of being salt and light in our world. And I agree, “civil discourse,” is something that is so often neglected among those who are trying to argue for their position; something that can sadly often be lost in our politically divisive society. Thanks for sharing!

I believe and have said so from the pulpit many, many times, that in my opinion; churches are never called to speak for, against and in support of a certain politician or party, we are called as Pastor and Teachers and indeed in daily life as followers of Jesus to speak to moral issues from a Biblical perspective both inside and outside of the church.

A failure to do so, is an abdication in my mind of the idea of pointing people to the context of the need of the grace of God within the application of the justice of God which cannot be separate but are in fact in perfect harmony within the nature and character of God. Though I grant you not easily either completely understood and or explained.

This has the obvious element of Christian apologetics but I would also suggest that exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in both our declarations and responses is not a choice to be made but an essential element to be incorporated. A discuss of the “Nashville declaration,”would be a current example I would site.

By nature conversation, opinion and argument are not a large distance from one another. For the context of your blog, they involve both the proponents and the opposition of any particular issue both inside and out of the church. This is where the variance of opinion also must be allowed always but from where I stand always in the context of soli scriptura of course, though therein lies a line in the sand as well.

I would suggest that it is indeed the believer’s responsibility to engage in political discourse outside of the church in order to fully be salt and light.
Jesus did with various people, the disciples did (and it cost them their lives) and Paul did with King Agrippa, with Roman authorities, Jewish religious leaders and indeed when it came to the first church leaders for the structures he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give to set “the church,” in order.

My perception of Scripture also instructs us to “pray for those in authority over us,” and I furhter agree that I do not read where it is acceptable to cursing those in authority over us. Of course it could also be argued that God gives us the authorities we deserve for our obedience but that is more deep water to think about.

I sincerely believe that even in the areas you suggested, believers of goodwill and attention must be granted the right to a difference of opinion such as justice, protection, immigation, drug prevention and almost every other hotbutton issues.

And this side of Heaven in Western Culture where decisions on every public policy are made through the political process, I think it is not in fact optional but instead incumbent on every teenage, adult and senior who is a follower of Jesus to participate, to raise a voice and yes a standard, while recognizing that the carnal mind is at emnity with God of course.

A child cannot for the obvious reason, reason, so to speak and I would add should never be placed in a position of being a political pond or chip for anyone’s agenda Christian or otherwise.

If this is not done in a prayerful and loving way it is of no value and we sadly must also accept that freewill is not limited, even the freewill to do silly or worse hurtful things in the name of Jesus – see the Westboro Baptist folks and yet God still loves them too.

I strongly and wholeheartedly, affirm your assertion; that far, far to often believers are guilty of placing the non-believer beyond the hope of grace and redemption.

That is a not a Biblically supportable position to take in my view. In fact I think it is an horrendous view of both of those truly limitless attributes for which every follower of Jesus needs to remember and thank God for daily in their own lives and never ever diminish the potential for its application to “whosoever will,” may come.

To summarize, there is an old concept which many people could use a refresher course in which was and is, “civil discourse,” in every aspect and angle of the phrase.

Thanks for letting me run on with some thoughts!

Rev. G.A. Clark

Good to hear from you Dave. I’m assuming they won’t all be crooks though…let’s pray for them. 🙂 Thanks for your note Dave.