Comments on William W. Birch: Saturday Devotion: Early Baptists for Religious Fr...

I do pray for them all, and I do appreciate civil ...

2012-01-21T16:28:57.330-05:00

I do pray for them all, and I do appreciate civil discussions. You know, irob sharpens iron and all that jazz!

I live amongst a strong Anabaptist community and a...

2012-01-21T15:32:40.357-05:00

I live amongst a strong Anabaptist community and actually have a great deal of respect for their approach to separation, even though I don't agree with it. I can agree with you that the church should not participate in politics (by and large), but I think some people are made with talents along that line by God and would do both God and their fellow man a disservice by not serving.

Let me say first that I make every attempt not to ...

2012-01-21T14:53:49.324-05:00

Let me say first that I make every attempt not to judge. My personal opinion is that participation by a "church" is very wrong. A participation in politics by an individual is many times sincere, but it inevitably leads to compromise, a mixing of gospel and morality, and an obscured perception of the kingdom of God. It also almost always leads to unbiblical alliances.

I realize I am in the minority, however more and more are at least giving that view some consideration.

Rick, Do you distinguish between the church and th...

2012-01-21T13:11:52.955-05:00

Rick,
Do you distinguish between the church and the individual (i.e. the church should have no participation, but the Christian may)?

Wow. We don't see eye to eye there.

2012-01-21T11:24:17.736-05:00

Wow. We don't see eye to eye there.

I understand those propositions but I personally l...

2012-01-21T10:05:54.691-05:00

I understand those propositions but I personally label them as plan B. Plan A?

The church should have no participation in the politics of governing at all (except to pray for them). Let the dead bury the dead. In fact, the church has grown substantially under persecution, while often the church becomes compromised and enamored with itself when given earthly freedom and encouraged to expend energies in that fallen freedom.

I am more anabaptist than I am baptist. But I go further since I am anational, apolitical, and I feel that the church in general has been assimilated by its surrounding culture, resulting in a pie chart allegiance.

Jesus gets a piece of that pie.