I enjoy following politics. In fact, when I was a college student (and even a couple years afterward as a high school social studies teacher) I really thought I would run for public office some day. When I answered a call to full-time ministry at Selmore, those desires seemed to fade, although my wife will tell you that in election years I revert back to my old self. Even so, I understand that God has called me to be a Samuel, and not a David. And I'm glad He did.
That being true, I am going to do my best to avoid excessive political blogging in 2008. (I feel like I need a shower after my last entry!) Certainly, some "political issues" are in fact "Biblical issues" (i.e. sanctity of life, definition of marriage, etc.) and thus must be addressed by men of God. However, I think it's a mistake when pastors play the game of partisan politics at church.
First of all, our energy should be focused on expanding the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the Democrats or Republicans. Secondly, there is no political party worth offending even one person who is genuinely seeking the Lord. While one political party may have a more Biblical platform than another (and in my view, does) no entity on Earth, other than the Church herself, can claim to be the arm of God. How many unbelievers and/or immature believers have left our churches angry, because the pastor unnecessarily used his pulpit time to endorse or attack a political party? We are given a sacred trust in the pulpit to proclaim "thus says the Lord." We violate that trust when we use the pulpit for any other reason... political, personal, or otherwise.
Please don't misunderstand me . . . I believe a person's faith should impact every area of their life, including how they vote. (A faith that isn't taken into the voting booth isn't a real faith at all.) I believe we should teach our people to be guided by God's Word when casting their vote, and not merely their pocketbook. I believe we should encourage our people to become educated and active citizens. I believe we should boldly address the moral issues of our day, and let the chips fall where they may. We just need to be very sure we're standing on the Word of God when we do so.