Benedictine Convictions
Pope Benedict said this in Latin America a few days ago:
“You believe in the God who is Love: this is your strength, which overcomes the world, the joy that nothing and no one can ever take from you, the peace that Christ won for you by his Cross! This is the faith that has made America the “Continent of Hope.” Not a political ideology, not a social movement, not an economic system: faith in the God who is Love—who took flesh, died and rose in Jesus Christ—is the authentic basis for this hope…”
A little conviction now and again is good for the soul.
Benedict is on a soap box I have inhabited for years. Too often, the church is filled with Democrats and Republicans, not Christians. Christians can share many hopes, dreams, and convictions as Democrats and Republicans. Christians can join these parties and share their goals. (I have.)
However, it is a disaster for a Christian to forget they are “in” such a party, but not “of it”.
No Christian should be a Republican because they are conservative. They should be a Republican because they believe the sanctity of unborn life, the value of frugality and industry, and protecting the freedom God gives the individual. They should be a Republican because they believe in defending Christian values in the public sphere and the in utilizing our witness to assist the communal moral vision.
No Christian should be a Democrat because they are a liberal. They should be a Democrat because they believe in defending the widow and the orphan, the “least of these” and the outcast. They should be a Democrat because they value have God’s concern for the poor and God’s vision for an inclusive kingdom without end.
In short, Christians should be Democrats or Republicans because they are Christian first.
When asked what my political stand is – whether I am liberal or conservative; Democrat or Republican – my first response is usually, “I’m Methodist”.
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