Which is Bigger?

mint, dill, cumin

gnat

justice, mercy, faithfulness

camel

A political party needs to appeal to its base; therefore, it tells people what they want to hear.

The Church should “build up” the body of Christ—to change it (“for the building up of the body of Christ,” Eph 4:11-13).

If the Church allows a political party to set its agenda, it will leave the Body immature; it will not grow, but wither.

A political party seeks power to accomplish its objectives.

The Church is not to seek power, but to serve (“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant,” Mark 10:43).

If the Church lets a political party set its agenda, it will be tempted to power. It may seek, for example, to regain the cultural hegemony it thinks it has lost. This contradicts Christ’s command and mars the gospel message.

Political parties are generally limited to policy or institutional actions—laws, investigations, hearings, programs.

The Church has no limits; unheralded personal actions count greatly in the Kingdom of God (“As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me,” Mt 25:37-40).

If the Church lets a political party set its agenda, it will focus only on policy solutions and miss the value of “small” efforts that help “the least of these, my brethren.”

Affiliation with a political party is based on common interests or beliefs. Those who do not have these interests are outside the party.

The Church’s members are chosen by the calling of God (“God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong,” I Cor 1:26-29).

If the Church allows a political party to set its agenda, it can easily confuse membership in a political party with membership in the Church, forgetting that its members are “those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28).

A political party sees the other party as its opponent.

The Church’s opponents are “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).

If the Church lets a political party set its agenda, we’ll pick the wrong opponent. We’ll set ourselves against political enemies, whom we’re commanded to love, and ignore the real enemies whose attacks creep into our homes and hearts.