Chrisitianity Or Politics?

I've got a gripe. That gripe comes from a mailing list I joined for Christians. About 35-45% of the posts are something I would consider somewhat related to Christianity.

Sharing Bible verses and messages from local Christian radio programs. Excellent; that just lifts up everyone on the list. Sharing articles of public figures taking a biblically based stand on moral issues and taking all kinds of heat for it. Excellent; it's awesome to read about people in the public eye defending their position with God's word. Notifications about upcoming events like "Sleepless in San Diego". Excellent; trying to get Christians engaged in events that reach out and help others is great.

Sharing articles about how Joe Politician is going to get us out of some economic mess, or about Obama wanting to restrict defandant's rights, or to get petitions signed against someone who is attacking "right wing conservatives", or articles about the FDA allowing morning after pills for 17-year-olds.

Hold the phone! What does any of that have to do with Christianity?

This got me thinking of something that bugs me. People mixing Christianity with conservatism or environmentalism. I've seen and heard this before in other forums, and it looks like one of those is what I may be it somewhat here.

It bugs me when "Christian" is made synonymous with "American" or "conservative". It bugs me when people insist that Christians have to unite and take a stand on some political issue. It bugs me when people insist that Christians have to unite and do something about some environmental problem.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm all for speaking the truth and standing for what's right, but that's exactly why this type of blurring the lines bugs me. I see the Christian worldview getting warped by people so that it encompasses these other worldly things. Its no longer a Christian worldview at that point. Its a distorted worldview. And when we add additional junk into what we somehow still call Christianity, we diminish it greatly.

I just read a great quote that says what I'm ranting about much more concisely. When you mix religion and politics, you get politics.

I do not want to be aligned with liberals and be labeled a liberal, nor conservatives and be labeled a conservative, nor democrats and be labeled a democrat, nor republicans and labeled a republican. Rather, I want to be aligned with Christ and be labeled what I am, a Christian.