Why do pastors tweet their politics? Jesus is bigger than your political preferences. Pastors who do this harm the cause of Christ. Jesus is not a Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, libertarian, socialist. He's God enfleshed!
As several have tweeted lately, the American Church is far too politicized and far too little "gospelized."
The "gospel" or "good news," just to remind everyone is nutshelled by Jesus in John 3:16 (that's in the Bible):
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
The Great Commission given to the Church by Jesus is to be and to make disciples, that is, followers of Jesus.
Churches, pastors: You can win people to your political point of view (and turn away others) but still not do the ONE THING the Church is meant to do: to be and to make disciples (Matthew 28:20).
The politicized Church with its legalistic attempts to impose human versions of righteousness on non-believers that tries to win political arguments reminds me of the Pharisees condemned by Jesus in Matthew 23...
"You travel over land and sea to win a single convert [to your program for improvement], and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are." (Matthew 23:15)
Getting people to agree with our politics doesn't bring them eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Church IS called to speak out on matters of idolatry and injustice, but always in service to our one and only mission...
The Church IS called to speak out on matters of idolatry and injustice, but always in service to our one and only mission...
Political pastors and political church bodies make the gospel odious to people who need the saving good news of justification by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The best thing that pastors and church bodies can do right now is to do what God has charged no other entity in the world to do: proclaim the good news of new and evrlasting life through repentance and faith in the crucified and risen Jesus!
