The dream that has been on my heart lately is to create a blog that expresses God's heart in politics and to explore the possibility of the world described above. Christians have a pretty bad reputation of being dishonoring when it comes to addressing alternative political views. I would like to create a space where people can come to learn and discuss political issues from a perspective that honors God and one another. I want a place where those who have encountered the lavish love of God can explore how to engage with a world that has not fully realized that the Kingdom of Heaven is in its midst.
Ultimately I will begin with the following premises:
About God:
- God is all-powerful, lacks nothing, and is for the good of all mankind.
- God loves every person on the planet infinitely and unconditionally, and is in a good mood.
- Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for humanity. His death and resurrection declares all of mankind "not guilty"; it is now the choice of each person whether they want to be in relationship with God or not for all of eternity.
- God is in the business of convincing the world that He loves them; not coercively, but romantically. It is this love that is the heartbeat of the Kingdom of Heaven.
- The "job" of those who believe in and accept His love is to enjoy, demonstrate, and share that love with those who don't know about it yet.
- The United States of America and ultimately the World is a pluralistic society with persons of many opinions, beliefs, and moral codes.
- The intended purpose of the US government is:
“The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.”
- Thomas Jefferson
In some ways I feel completely inadequate in facilitating this sort of discussion, but God keeps reminding me that what I bring to the conversation is His heart. He has told me that I will learn a lot. I don't have all of the answers, but He does. As we engage with the issues facing this world that are in contrast to His Kingdom (His love), He will provide us with the wisdom in how to move forward.
I'm excited to see where this goes. It is just the beginning of a new journey and I have no idea where it will take me. Check out the site at: http://HeavenAndPolitics.blogspot.com.
Thanks for reading.
Janet
1 comment:
“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.”
You are not inadequate. People should be encouraged to take part in the political process regardless of qualifications. Most of the time, we earn qualifications and grow as we go.
Well I have a question for you. In this new world filled with God's love what's the purpose of law and how would society work without a law. The American Government model is rooted in social contract theory discussed by John Locke which establishes a contract between the people and the government.
Can you think of the social contract from a relationship perspective or does it always have to involve some kinda of law, punishment, etc?
On that note, in order for the social contract to work out the citizens are expected to be active participants e.g. vote in elections. The structure of voting today is that people are free to vote but not required to vote. There I see relationship because there's freedom to choose. But in order for somethings to work you need laws and regulations or not? e.g. the economy - free market vs. keynesian. As economist I don't prefer neoclassical economics over laissez faire, I think they are both faulty but neoclassic definitely is a better model for the whole economy.
What is the role of laws and regulations given the coolaid God loved the world premises.
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