Refusing to be Distracted

https://julieroys.com/ohio-church-refuses-embrace-partisan-politics-shrinks/

The article was good and even refreshing to a degree, but it was not elaborated enough. It felt like there should have been a lot more explanation as to why these positions (what some take to be non-positions) are taken.

The confusion is demonstrated in the comments after the article.

The equation of non-partisanship with the Nazi-era Germans who ignored the Holocaust or even of the Laodiceans in Revelation, misses the real danger, namely that of collaborating with the Beast and thinking godliness is gain – the story of modern Evangelicalism.

Additionally, their accusations do not match the testimony of the Early Church. Were the Christians at Pergamum called to challenge the idolatry of their city? If they were, it was by preaching the gospel, making converts, and bearing witness – even a martyr-witness if called to do so. Abortion was present in Roman times. Does the New Testament call upon the Church to challenge it politically? What about slavery and all of its evils?

No, these people have fundamentally misunderstood the nature of the Kingdom and its martyr calling. Or to put it more bluntly - They won't have it. They define the Kingdom in worldly terms and then live by that worldly wisdom which is about power, money, and the sword, a quest for worldly glory wrought by an ethic of revenge and subjugation and the trampling of their enemies.

Christ does this at the Eschaton and not before. We're not called to that task. We're called to faithfully bear witness and take up the cross.

Only by shifting views of the Kingdom can you 'step back' and gain a different perspective on world events. As I wrote regarding the reversal of Roe v. Wade, I was glad it was overturned but I will not celebrate with the Christian-right. No way.

From what is revealed in the article, the Ohio church has taken a good course. It's not being tepid or cowardly. Rather it's trying to keep focus and while a thousand voices from a thousand directions are trying to distract them, they're trying to keep their eye focused on the Kingdom. The fact that such a congregation would shrink (given today's politicised ecclesiastical context) is hardly surprising.

The comments section saddened me because either these are trolls come to wreak havoc at the Roys Report or it demonstrates how confused its readership is. Given the nature of the website and its slant – which I often disagree with, I am nevertheless surprised by the nature of the comments. It's a sad testimony to the state of things – and that's at a website which would have to be described as moderate at best.