"If God gave you all of His gifts, and yet withheld His presence, would you be satisfied?"
John Piper, God is the Gospel

Taken from the SmartChristian Website

HOW TO ENGAGE IN POLITICS WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL

I titled this post based on Jesus’ statement found in Mark 8:36, What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” The reason that I chose this convicting passage is because over the years I have watched many Christians who became zealously active in partisan politics actually “lose their souls.”

That is, they lost their unique public witness as a Christian; they began to act contrary to the character of Christ and the fruit of the Holy Spirit; and they became agents of division within the church itself.

Below I offer 10 biblical guidelines on how Christians can engage in politics without “losing their souls.”

1 - Christians must never allow ourselves to equate the biblical Kingdom of God with any human political party or nation (John 18:36; Isaiah 9:7; Matthew 6:33, Philippians 3:20, Revelation 11:15). As Christians we must be diligent in maintaining and perserving the distinctiveness between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. We must never fuse the two. The great “utopian illusion” that easily enters our politics is that peace, harmony, and prosperity for all can be brought about in the world through human political means.

2 - Christians must never allow ourselves to elevate a specific politician to a messianic or savior status (1 Peter 3:15). In our entertainment and celebrity culture, it is becoming more common for people to infuse politicians with almost a messianic or savior status. In other words, people begin to believe a politician’s extrordinary promises and that they actually can single-handlely produce almost supernatural social results. As Christians, we have one Lord, and we must resist all attempts to exalt any human politician to unrealisitic heights.

3 - Christians must not just vote, but more importantly, we must pray for our government and the leaders of all political parties (Matthew 5:44, 1 Timothy 2:1-2). In our polarized political society, many Christians are tempted to bless the politician or political party they support, and curse the other one they don’t. How unbiblical! The Bible is clear, we are to pray for all political and government leaders, even our political enemies.

4 - Christians must always remember that our ultimate security is in Christ and in the unshakeable kingdom of God, no matter what presidential candidate or party wins (Hebrews 12:26-29). One of the dangers that many Christians seem to often fall into is that we begin to elevate the outcome of presidential elections to an apocalyptic status. In other words, if our presidential candidate or party does not win, we begin to see it as the end of the world. This is what I call the “Y2K complex.” When we allow ourselves to understand politics in apocalyptic terms, we at the same time express an unbelief in the sovereignty and Lordship of God over his creation and human history. Yes, elections have real consequences for people, but in the larger scheme of history, don’t worry, no matter who becomes our president, God is in contril and will take care of things.

5 - Christians must never allow ourselves to bring the divisiveness and polarization of political parties into the church, the family of God (Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1:11-12). We cannot allow partisan politics to divide the body of Christ. Invidual Christians have freedom of conscience before God and the Bible, and as a result, we must accept the fact that there will be diversity of political opinions in the church. We must never allow diverse political perspectives cause conflict and divisions in the church.

6 - Christians must never allow ourselves to demonize or dehumaize another person - no matter what politician it is - because every single human has been created in the image of God (Colossians 3:8, Matthew 7:1, James 4:12). Christians must not engage in demeaning and judging other people, no matter whether we agree with them politically or not.

7 - Christians must never engage in angry confrontational arguments, instead of being open to learn through civil debate and dialogue (James 1:20, Philippians 2:14-16, 2 Timothy 2:14). When we interact with other people with hard-core dogmatic positions, we demonstrate an ugly pride that demeans the character of Christ. As Christians we must humble ourselves, understand that as humans we are limited in our understanding, and that we all can learn more about the very complex issues that face our nation. Christians must always engage in politics through a path of reason and civility.

8 - Christians must never allow ourselves to become so intertwined so closely with one political party that we forfeit our independent identity as followers of Christ. When we do, we lose the prophetic voice to speak and clarify biblical truth to all politicians and political parties (1 Timothy 3:15, Ephesians 4:15, Romans 3:4).

9 - Christians must never allow ourselves to engage in partisan politics by supporting divisiveness between races, between male and female, between rich and poor, and between the young and old (Matthew 5:9, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Electorial politics is all about dividing society into specific voting blocks. And as a result, politics usually divides our society, instead of uniting it. Christians must always function as peacemakers and reconcilers in the public square, and resist every temptation to join the political tactics of dividing people for political gain.

10 - Christians must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of simply cursing the darkness through negativity, instead of constructively engaging our world as perserving salt and illuminating light (Matthew 5:13-16). The cultural and missional mandate of kingdom Christians requires us to stop cursing the darkness and start lighting more candles that reflects God’s truth, compassion, and love.

Reflecting Glory

Before considering the meaning of the image of God in man, I think it is helpful to understand the purpose of the image. All images exist for the purpose of directing the observer’s attention and thoughts to the reality represented by that image. When we travel to historic places and see statues of famous people, we are prompted not necessarily to consider the beauty or greatness of the statue itself, but to remember the life and accomplishments of the person represented by the statue. Photographs of family and friends are quite worthless in and of themselves, but are treasured as prized possessions when they remind us of what someone was like and our time shared with them. In the same way, the image of God in man is not given for the purpose of exalting or glorifying man, but that we may learn something about the nature of God.

In the Genesis creation account, God creates animals and plant life, darkness and light, land and sea and many other things. He does not, however, bestow upon any of these elements the status of being made in the image of God. This quality is given to man alone.

Because of this, we can learn about the meaning of God’s image in man by drawing comparisons between man, who has been made in God’s image, and other elements of God’s creation not created in His image.

Part of God’s image in man means that man is able to exercise free choice. My understanding of nature is that animals do not have the freedom to choose, but are driven by instincts of self-preservation and other environmental factors. Where apparent choices are made, the animal is simply seeking to avoid pain or death, or to find food, or to reproduce. Animals do not have free choice, but are ruled by their natural instincts of self-preservation.

Humans, on the other hand, have been given freedom to choose those things that are contrary to self-preservation. Oddly enough, these choices which run contrary to self-preservation are the very choices, in many cases, which God has required from us.

A look at the Ten Commandments is very revealing on this subject. The fourth commandment (Sabbath) requires that God’s people rest on the seventh day of the week. As a result, they cannot engage in many activities which serve their need for survival. The sixth commandment (murder) prohibits man from putting to death one who would cause him harm, whether to his person or to his possessions. The seventh commandment (adultery) restricts man’s procreative desire. The eighth commandment (steal) prohibits man from taking what does not belong to him so that he may have increased security. The ninth commandment (false testimony) requires that man tell the truth even when it does not benefit him. Finally, the tenth commandment (covet) requires that man be satisfied and content with the things that he has without seeking to hoard possessions or provisions.

Now, let’s return to our discussion on the image of God and how free choice plays a part in manifesting God’s image through humans.

In Hebrews 1, it is said of Jesus that He is the “exact representation of [God’s] being.” Romans 8:29 says that the goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to this image. This means that as we seek to conform our character to that of Christ’s, our lives will more fully reflect the image of God in us.

How is this life to be pursued? How is God’s image more fully reflected in our character? Through faith! It is my contention that God’s image is most fully realized in us when we make choices not based on the desire for self-preservation as the animals do, but based on our faith in the truth of God’s Word, which many times runs contrary to our desires for self-protection and self-preservation.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the normal Christian life, which is a life lived by faith. He says that when people strike you on the cheek, you don’t go into self-protection mode, but offer your assailant the other cheek. When someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, you give to them your cloak as well. When you are tempted to worry in self-protection, look to God who clothes the lilies of the field and the sparrows in the sky. And when you are tempted to retaliate against an enemy to protect your own interests, you love and pray for them “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Heresy and Humility

James 1:21

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Suffering in the Christian life is an inescapable reality. Paul said, "it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him." (Phil. 1:29) Believers suffer through the deaths of those close to us, suffer from the consequences of sin, from physical and mental illness, from persecution, from relational strife and from wars and rumors of wars, among other things.

This intense suffering can become difficult for followers of Christ to understand. If we hold to the Biblical teaching that God is good, all-knowing and all-powerful, we are presented with a dilemma in our understanding of suffering.

As Epicurus noted:Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; Or he can, but does not want to; Or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. But, if God both can and wants to abolish evil, Then how come there is evil in the world?

The problem of evil. Why does God let it continue? Does He enjoy seeing His creation in pain and agony? Are the God-ordained purposes of evil worth the pain that evil brings?

One way that recent Bible scholars have attempted to reconcile this dilemma is by promoting the idea of open theism. This doctrine teaches the openness of God, that God does not know "the end from the beginning." He knows all of the possibilities, but He doesn't know which possibility will actually occur. We have 4 cards in our hands, and God has no idea which one we will play. Therefore, God is not to blame for your suffering, because He is not all-knowing. God had nothing to do with 9/11, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, or the 2004 Tsunami. All of these events caught Him by surprise, and He cannot be blamed for the horrific suffering that came as a result. Does this sound like a God you can trust?

Back to the verse at the top.

Open theism, while perhaps well-intentioned, does not "humbly accept the word..." but rather pridefully asserts it's own ideas over and against the simple truth of God's Word. How much Scripture do you have to deny to arrive at open theism? How many prophetic verses and promises of God are nullified by open theism?

This doctrine has "a form of godliness, but denying its power." It seeks to vindicate God, while at the same time making suffering unendurable for the believer. How can there be purpose, good purposes, in suffering if God has nothing to do with it? How can I "consider it pure joy" whenever I fall into trials? How do "all things work together for good" if God is missing from the equation?

Power comes when we fall into the all-knowing, strong arms of a good and loving God. We can see ourselves as more than victims, we can see ourselves as revolutionaries, entrusted with the Spirit and gospel of Christ for the purpose of world transformation. Whenever children of God are persecuted or endure any form of harsh suffering, it is an occasion for Christ, the hope of glory, to be revealed through us to a lost humanity.

One revolutionary put it this way: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

Kind of hard to do if you can beat God in poker.

Ignoring Beauty

Originally posted on the Desiring God Blog, April 9, 2007





The Washington Post conducted an experiment to see if beauty could be recognized through the mundane malaise of day-to-day life. They arranged for Joshua Bell, a preeminent violinist, to play incognito in a busy corridor in D.C. one morning--a free concert from a musician who plays a $3.5 million instrument. He had his case open for donations and played the best music most of the workaday passers-by had probably ever heard. To what effect? Virtually none.
The article asks those who come into contact with street musicians: "Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? ... Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?"
Is it immoral to ignore beauty?
I couldn't help but read it as a parable:
As it happens, exactly one person recognized Bell, and she didn't arrive until near the very end. For Stacy Furukawa, a demographer at the Commerce Department, there was no doubt. She doesn't know much about classical music, but she had been in the audience three weeks earlier, at Bell's free concert at the Library of Congress. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what the heck was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn't about to miss it.
Furukawa positioned herself 10 feet away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Furukawa, remained planted in that spot until the end.
"It was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen in Washington," Furukawa says. "Joshua Bell was standing there playing at rush hour, and people were not stopping, and not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I wouldn't do that to anybody. I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?"
She was appalled that anyone would have either the naivete or the gall to condescendingly flip a quarter at one of the world's greatest musicians. She was shocked that something as astoundingly beautiful was so easily disregarded.

Tribute to an Old Saint

Buck Holloway went home to be with the Lord last Friday, but his ministry lives on in my life and the lives of many others. This man loved Jesus and loved people, giving his life to serve others.

The church that I grew up in was begun in his home and he was my pastor's father. When my parents' roof began to leak, Buck was there to fix it, for free. In the early stages of Grace Community Baptist Church, Buck could always be found setting up or breaking down equipment for church.

His farm was full of wonder. I remember October hayrides and bonfires at his farm, and it was there that I began to understand the meaning of community. The characteristic most easily remembered about Buck is his quiet spirit of humility. He never raised his voice and never grew tired of us kids who were happy to benefit from his fun-loving nature. He had a peacock and a good-natured Rottweiler named Rosie. On occasion, Rosie had puppies and it was not uncommon to see 7 or 8 of them chasing one of us around. He also had a zipline in his backyard that us kids would take turns on.

These are my memories of one who is now with Christ and has made heaven that much sweeter.

Thank you, Buck Holloway, for a life well lived.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25235

A young Buck Holloway training for flight with the famed 1st Air Commando Group during World War II. He went on to serve a far greater cause: the mission of Jesus Christ.

Buck and Kitty Holloway with a boy they befriended at an orphanage in Honduras. Visiting orphans was one of Buck’s favorite ministries during multiple mission trips to Honduras in recent years.

Posted on Mar 22, 2007 by Erich Bridges

Editor's note: Buck Holloway passed away around 3:30 a.m. Friday, just hours after this column was posted

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--After the long, dark night of winter, Easter’s approach brings thoughts of new life, new hope, new beginnings. Buck Holloway, 83, is waiting for a new beginning, too. The morning light of spring washes across the bed and the nearby easy chair where he spends most of his time at home these days. Airplane models of all sizes perch, as if ready for takeoff, on his shelves. Hanging from the ceiling right above his bed is a spiffy P-40 fighter that looks just like the one Buck trained in during World War II.

Kitty, Buck’s wife of 60 years, cares for him with help from other family members. When he feels up to it, he enjoys visits from some of the legions of folks he and Kitty have blessed over the years.Buck labors to breathe, but he still grins, still cracks jokes, still teases visitors. He even struggles out of his chair from time to time to help with chores around the house and in the rolling fields on his property. Will he be able to mow his beloved fields this spring? Just in case, his son Craig has mounted a bucket seat, salvaged from an old car, onto Buck’s trusty tractor.

Buck has good days and bad days. He doesn’t always recognize people or remember names, but that’s OK. One day soon, Buck will awake to see a face he surely will recognize. He will behold a light far brighter than the morning sun of Virginia. Buck’s heart, which I always thought was big enough and strong enough to beat forever, has just about given out. We all knew it was coming, but we didn’t want to imagine a world without him.

Buck slowed down a lot over the last few years. He stopped going on mission trips. He couldn’t ride his motorcycle (complete with sidecar) anymore, or pedal a bicycle backward, or pull laughing kids behind his tractor during the annual church hayride at his place. He endured multiple operations and hospital stays related to his weakening heart. He grew thinner as his Sunday suits hung limply on his stooped frame.And now, Buck is waiting to see Jesus –- not through a glass darkly, but face to face.

Buck’s older son is my pastor, Guy Holloway. Our church, Grace Community Baptist in Richmond, began 22 years ago in Buck and Kitty’s living room. He’s a spiritual father to everyone in the church. He’s also one of the greatest men I have ever known. Buck Holloway epitomizes that “Greatest Generation” of Americans who served the cause of freedom during the dark days of war -– and went on to serve an infinitely greater cause: the mission of Jesus Christ.Buck grew up riding a horse to school. He never lost his love for horses, but his true passion was airplanes. “As a young boy he was intrigued and mesmerized by airplanes,” Guy says. “I’ve got wooden model planes he hand-carved that look like they were made from kits.”War raged when Buck finished high school. He joined the military almost immediately. “There wasn’t much choice,” he told me with a chuckle the other day. “If you didn’t choose them, they would choose you.”

By 1944 he was flying P-51 Mustangs and cargo planes with the famed 1st Air Commando Group, ferrying supplies “over the hump” (the Himalayas) from India to Chinese troops fighting the Japanese in northern China. The day before his first scheduled mission over mainland Japan, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

After the war, Buck married Kitty, his high school sweetheart. They settled down and started a family. He attended optometry school on the G.I. Bill and began a 51-year career as an eye doctor. Buck eventually opened his own optometry practice, became a Southern Baptist deacon at a prominent Richmond church, served punch and cookies to junior boys every week in Sunday School.“He was a nice guy. He didn’t run around with women or drink or smoke or cuss,” his pastor son relates.

But deep down, Buck wanted more. He’d made a commitment to Jesus as a 12-year-old and been baptized, but he wasn’t growing spiritually –- until he encountered a modern English version of the New Testament. He read the book of James once, then again –- and again. He began reading the Bible between eye exams. He read to his patients. “It was just going deeper and deeper, and the Holy Spirit was fanning the flames,” recalls Guy, who at the time was a college sophomore headed for the ministry. “Dad had this insatiable hunger for the Word of God. I came back at Christmas, and I thought I was going to tell him (spiritual) stuff -– and he had stuff to tell me.”

An even bigger surprise came later. It was the early 1970s, and Buck couldn’t tolerate hippies or the rebellion they represented. But the downtown church he attended was reaching out to longhairs, bikers and other non-traditional folks.“I got this picture from him after Thanksgiving,” Guy says. “All these hippies were sitting around Mom and Dad’s Thanksgiving table. Dad’s got this big smile on his face, and he’s leading a Bible study with all the people he used to detest, reject and castigate. It blew my mind. It was a fundamental value change. He had a love for anybody that had any sensitivity or interest toward the Lord –- and these guys loved him, too.”

Buck sold his optometry practice -– just when it was beginning to make some money -– and went to Bible school while continuing optometry on the side. He and Kitty later began a ministry to singles at their Richmond church; it became one of the largest Christian singles groups in the city. After finishing seminary, Guy (and his new bride, Gay) returned to lead the singles ministry his parents had launched. When Guy felt led by the Lord to start a disciple-making church designed to “raise up saints for ministry locally and internationally,” his parents opened their home.

Buck and Kitty, of course, had long been modeling the kind of missions-oriented discipleship their son had in mind. They ministered to survivors of the devastating 1976 earthquake in Guatemala, led lay witness renewal conferences up and down the East Coast, participated in partnership missions projects in Europe and South America. When the young church began sending volunteer mission teams to Central America, Buck and Kitty went repeatedly. They collected boxes of old eyeglasses to help needy people see clearly for the first time, taught children and adults about Jesus, handed out medicine, hugged orphans. Buck, the tough war veteran, always choked up when he came back and told church folks about his mission excursions.

Closer to home, Buck and Kitty have led scores of people to Christ, discipled hundreds more –- and taken needy folks into their own home over the years, ranging from young people desperate for direction to a couple struggling to overcome drug abuse.They have experienced many joys, including seeing their children and grandchildren become committed followers of Christ and mission volunteers. They have felt great sorrow, such as the day their youngest son, Jeff, drowned in 1976. But that tragedy enabled them to minister to many others in pain. They have led more than 40 people to Christ using the evangelistic tract Jeff had in his pocket the day he died.

I could go on and on. My point is this: Buck could have lived a very comfortable life over the last 40 or so years. Instead, he chose a meaningful one.“We need to encourage believers to live for eternity and not just for time,” Guy reflects. “We don’t have a whole bunch of models around, and a model is so much more than a sermon. Dad reminds me of what God can do through a normal person saying, ‘I’m not my own.’”

Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and He is alive today. You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within the great heart of Buck Holloway.

Buck’s heart might stop one day soon, but it will never die.

Erich Bridges is senior writer with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.