In this episode, we talk about what is at stake for the church in politics — namely, that people will draw their first opinions about Jesus from how his followers engage in politics. Between how the “evangelical church” is reported on by media and how people actually mistreat one another it is hard to find people who have a positive opinion of the church.
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
NOTES:
What is at stake here?
- Unity — By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 ESV)
- What is Jesus like? — For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (Joh 13:15 ESV) People SHOULD figure out what Jesus is like by what Christians are like.
- Character/Moral Authority of the church
- Identity — Is identifying with Jesus more compelling than being Republican or Democrat?
- If Christians prioritize politics in the same way as everyone else in the world, onlookers cannot help but draw the conclusion that we don’t have anything better to offer than anyone else.
- Combining Christianity and Politics would lead the uninitiated to equate a certain political position with Christianity, further confusing that first impression.
RECAP/TAKEAWAYS:
- Assume people have an opinion of Jesus formed by popular media.
- Each person you talk with will either see Jesus as for their political ideals or against them.
- They will likely have a low level of trust in the followers of Jesus because of their political behavior.
- People really need “normal” Christian friends like you!
- Pause before every comment on social media, or every forwarded article, or every conversation, and realize the reputation of Jesus is at stake in your interaction.
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MUSIC:
Little Lily Swing, Tri-Tachyon, Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International, https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/the-kleptotonic-ep/little-lily-swing
Sorry, Comfort Fit, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Germany (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DE),