Wednesday, October 29, 2008

ecclessiology, missiology, and political philosophy...

Big fancy words for the ideas floating around in my head as I try to work through my thoughts on what's the church supposed to look like these days, what does that mean for our mission/purpose, and how does that intersect with our nation's obsession with how to use power.

What does the church care for who is in power? Would that actually stop the church from proclaiming and living out the good news? No. From feeding the poor, caring for the orphans, loving the widows, visiting prisoners? No.

If the church is to be the good news it is proclaiming, then obviously this good news ought to affect our participation in the economy, the military industrial complex, the justice system, education, etc. And to what extent do we rely on the elected officials to help make happen what we are convinced of is necessary to come to pass because of the Gospel?

Since nothing is perfect, and power often leads to some form of corruption, and since we must use power and thus partner with imperfect politicians to infuse the good news into the economy, education, environmental issues, health/life issues, etc, then how do we process our frustration at the compromises and betrayals that result from working with politicians?

Liberal Democracy is seen by some as the final form of governance to emerge out of our human history; it's obviously been tainted in our country. Where are the Christians who are seeking to live out the good news of the kingdom in partnership with people who seek to establish liberal democracy in its best form?

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