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The Afters
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by Ryan Richardson

Review:
The Revolutionary
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by Ryan Richardson

The Sport of
Politics
by Colin Michael

Men's Health
by Jeff Consiglio




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OPINION

The Sport of Politics

Every Redskins Linebacker Wishes He Could Hit
As Hard As The Average Politician

by Colin Michael

I can't count the number of Christians whom I have heard say, "Politics is just the world taking care of its own, Christians have better things to do than pay attention to that mess", or some such. On the other side, we all know Christians who are at every march for every "Christian" cause, or who rally to the campaign of any quasi-Christian candidate. One sub-section of Anabaptists won't register to vote or serve in the military, while another group is activist and active-duty. Each will quote Scripture and use the heady terms "right" and "wrong" to describe political activity or inactivity by their group or yours. It's no wonder that Modern Disciples try to avoid political conversations.

One big battle gearing up in the USA is over an appointment to the Judicial branch of our government. The appointment is for life and the stakes are high, with many moral questions coming before that august body each year. Here is a chance for Christians to stand together and make a difference, right? Of course not. So far it looks like 60/40 in favor of the nominee, but that could shift the other way any minute.

Meanwhile, on the senate floor, a "good guy" is turning into a "sell out" because he wants to talk about a "side issue" in medical research. Can anyone tell me why people are interested in doing medical research anymore? They spend years and millions of dollars to come up with a cure that gets taken off the market a year later because someone died while using it, and then they shell out millions more to settle law suits from it. No wonder scientists want to run their experiments on unborn children; minors and deceased persons seldom take you to court! But, sure enough, you'll find well-meaning Christians quoting Bible verses to support both sides of this issue, too.

Are you sick of it, totally tuned out? Or are you in there, carrying a big sign, ready to fight it out? Personally, I hope that neither extreme describes you. Let me tell you why...

If you tune out and turn off to everything that smells "political" or controversial, you may be missing a chance to have a voice within your sphere. If you are at least informed about the hot-button issues of our time, you can offer some reasonable thoughts on the subject and tie your opinion back to biblical truth (II Tim. 2:24-26).

On the other hand, if you are on fire for a cause it is easy to overstep the mandate we have from Christ not to offend the sensibilities of the weaker brother (I Cor. 8:9-13). Deep involvement in causes, even good causes, can lead to the loss of your good name and the tarnishing of Christ's Name. Many groups start out with the right motive and carry a good thing too far. Heed John's words in I John 2:15-17 carefully.

Now, before you get to thinking that I am advocating a wishy-washy, middle-of-the-road Christianity, wake yourself up. We need to put on the whole armor of God. Some of the items (see Eph. 6:10-24) of our armor defend us from attack, while others give us the ability to take the battle to the enemy. That we have a sword and shield means that we should be in the battle, not on the sidelines. However, because you have a sword does not mean that you should hack away at every feint, weakening your testimony and your defenses ahead of what may be the real onslaught. We are called to a balanced life.

Quiz time: Did you actually go and read Ephesians 6:10-24? It is an incredible passage. It says to be strong, to arm ourselves, to ready for the fiery darts of the enemy... then to pray, to have faith, and to go out with love. You really have to be a strong and balanced individual to wield a sword with love.

Now, back to politics. Why? Because all human interaction is political. And if you want to really understand politics, read the news and read your bible. Notice I said "read the news" and not watch. TV news is the journalism what the Left Behind movie is to Scripture. There are a number of good web sites that gather actual news from a Christian perspective, or at least a fair balanced POV. Sure, FoxNews.com is fun, but try WorldNetDaily.com, Family News in Focus, Today's Family News in Canada, and BP News.

Finally, let's wrap this up back at the beginning. I called politics a sport, and I mean that in the sense that it is active sometimes intense. It is the world system in action. If you are a Christian you don't need be on the gridiron all of the time. Sometimes you may get called to render first aid to injured souls. Ultimately, you are on the side of the Referee in this one.