Articles for tag: Politics

January 17, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Beyond Facebook

By Mark A. Taylor Last fall a Facebook friend was protesting a political comment I posted. “I”ll be glad when this election is over!” she wrote, as if she thought disagreement about politicians would end after November. But instead of retreating, the rancor has ramped up. Perhaps we should expect that from the voices talking over each other on CNN and Fox News. They, and their counterparts cluttering talk radio, keep their ratings by stirring controversy and pandering to the perspectives of their audiences. But the time has come for Christians to move on. This doesn”t mean that government is

November 8, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Tomorrow

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s a theme song for every upset voter in America. With Annie in the musical of the same name, we can sing, “The sun”ll come out tomorrow.” That was Peggy Noonan’s theme in her post for The Wall Street Journal last week: “Someone is going to win Tuesday,” she said, and then with tongue in cheek added: “If trendlines that have proved reliable in the past continue, the sun will come up on Wednesday. (We claim this with a 3 percent margin of error.)” Max Lucado was looking ahead to tomorrow, too, when he wrote “My

September 20, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

How to Protect Your Church”s Tax Exempt Status at Election Time

By Mark A. Taylor Sometimes it”s important to repeat what we think everyone already knows. This week we”re giving space to advice from a Christian lawyer in Maryland to remind us what churches and church spokespersons can and cannot say as our national election approaches. Philip Chong, an attorney with the international law firm Duane Morris LLP, and treasurer and board member at the Baltimore Church of Christ, sent the following advice, which we”re pleased to post here. You may want to share this information with a Christian leader you know. Just because everyone seems to be talking about the

August 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Competition and Compassion

By Joe Boyd We live in a competitive culture. We see this at every turn, but are more aware of it every four summers when two cycles converge””the presidential election and the Summer Olympics. Both, in very different ways, show us that deep in our core we can”t help but compete. Of course, we don”t need these macro-events to know this. We”ve all been to a Little League game or a dancing competition where, seemingly, the kids are having a good time but the parents and coaches are driving the competitive fervor. It can seem we grown-ups spend a lot

August 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Rushing to Blame

By Joe Boyd Not long ago in Cincinnati, where I live, a very unfortunate accident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. As you probably remember, a young boy somehow made his way into the gorilla habitat. Ultimately it resulted in the hard decision to kill Harambe, a powerful and beautiful western lowland gorilla, for the sake of the child”s life. Soon after that, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others. (And some of the injured are still clinging to life as

May 22, 2016

Christian Standard

Steps to Improve Political Discourse

By Joe Boyd I”ve been writing this column on culture for nearly a year now. The big idea is to look at what is happening in America to see what good or bad ramifications it may have for the local church. It”s not always easy to decide what to write about each month. Over the last several months I”ve been tempted to broach a specific subject, only to talk myself out of it. I can”t avoid it any longer. It”s politics. Though I”m sure some will look for clues to my political leanings in what I write, I”m not going

May 10, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

We Can Do Better

By Mark A. Taylor As every media outlet in the U.S. comments on this year”s most unusual election, distinctly Christian voices are seldom heard above the noise. And even though I have no expectation that CNN will be quoting CHRISTIAN STANDARD, I have decided this week to weigh in. Actually, it”s not my opinion but those of two others I feel compelled to share. The first is from our Culture Watch columnist, Joe Boyd, whose “Steps to Improve Political Discourse” appears in CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s May issue. His three points (“We can drop the labels,” “We can appeal to the best in

February 25, 2016

Christian Standard

Theology in the Public Square

By T. R. Robertson Polarization. Insults. Railing against wrong. The apostle Peter showed approaches better than these for Christian response to injustice in government and society. A once great nation is in the throes of transition from a democratic republic to a de facto dictatorship. A neophyte has been given the reigns of power, to which some critics maintain he has no birthright. The gap between the super rich and the middle class is widening. People from other countries covet the benefits of citizenship, yet the nation”s reputation among the rest of the world is declining. Christians find themselves increasingly

December 10, 2014

Christian Standard

Power, Politics, and the Kingdom

By Jim Tune There seems to be a set of unwritten rules and preferences concerning which political party one must belong to in order to be considered a Christian of good standing among many Evangelicals. I have heard such things as, “I am sorry, but I really have to question your faith if you”re a Democrat.” Of course, the left can serve up remarkably similar disdain by inferring that no real thinking person could possibly vote Republican. Both sides claim to cherish freedom, democracy, and the American way. Political differences are so polarizing that they can readily turn friends and

September 24, 2014

Christian Standard

Living with the Tension

By Jim Tune Jesus Christ turned conventional views of power upside down. Jesus was remarkably indifferent to those who held political power. He had no desire to replace Caesar with his apostles. He gave civil authority its due, rebuking both the zealots and Peter for using the sword. This seems to have infuriated the religious right of his day. In an effort to discredit Jesus, the Herodians tried trapping him over the issue of allegiance to political authority. I am mystified by the Evangelical obsession with power and influence. A made-in-America Jesus seems more concerned with nationalism, patriotism, and power

October 26, 2012

Christian Standard

A Mormon President”” a Good Thing

By Brian Mavis Barack Obama is a professing Christian. Mitt Romney is a professing Mormon. Most of the Christian leaders I know are voting for the Mormon. The rise of Mormonism from animosity to acceptance to prominence is remarkable. In 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs gave an extermination order against the Mormons””an officially sanctioned desired holocaust. Next month, a Mormon may be our president. From death row to the Oval Office””not bad.   Mormonism Is Going Mainstream Mormonism (aka, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has achieved acceptance and status, in part, by saying they are like us.

October 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Say It Again, Ben!

By Mark A. Taylor Ben Cachiaras”s “Let Me Tell You How You Should Vote” continues to challenge readers to place their hope in God, not in the promises of politicians. It has garnered much positive response at our site and in personal correspondence to him and to our office. One preacher wrote to say he was making 800 copies of it to distribute as widely as he could. But one reader wrote Ben to debate a couple of his arguments. Ben”s response was so helpful I felt compelled to share at least one of his points here. He has given

October 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Keeping it Christlike on Facebook

I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions. Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone. Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American

February 17, 2012

Christian Standard

The Candidates and Causes We Worship

By Mark A. Taylor In her post this week, Eleanor Daniel offers one warning as we face the claims and counter claims leading up to another U.S. national election: Look carefully for the truth instead of believing the latest rumor or accusation. In his powerful little book Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller suggests another: Be sure you avoid the error of some people who have turned politics into an idol. Keller”s thesis is that even good things become counterfeit gods when we look to them for the fulfillment, security, salvation, or hope that can come only from God. He speaks incisively

November 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Christians Should Care about Collective Bargaining

By Troy Jackson Church leaders have taught us to be very cautious addressing political issues. We have heard about the errors of Constantine, who wedded Christianity and the Roman Empire. We are also justly concerned about the co-opting of the church by politicians and political parties. Over the past few years, however, I”ve been alarmed by the fallout of congregations attempting to completely avoid political discussions. My concern is rooted in the task of church leadership as described by Paul, “to equip his people for works of service” and to help the church to “become mature, attaining to the whole

April 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Megachurches: The First 100 Days

By Kent Fillinger In business and in politics, much is made of a leader”s first 100 days in a new role. With 25 years of ministry experience, Gene Appel had a plan as he transitioned from Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago to Eastside Christian Church in Southern California on October 1, 2008. Appel”s plan was simple: focus on getting to know his new staff, their strengths, and the key influencers in the church; preach well; and prepare for a fantastic Christmas. Catalytic Appel really wanted Eastside”s Christmas services to be a catalytic energizer for the church. In those

June 27, 2007

Christian Standard

Our Greatest Hope

By Mark A. Taylor “This world is not my home; I”m just a-passin” through.” We sang the words with gusto in my youth group in Waukegan, Illinois, about 40 years ago. I”m not sure we understood what we were singing, or even believed it. Like typical teenagers everywhere, we were more about this world than the next. “We live in the greatest nation on earth.” British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke the words in a speech announcing his retirement this spring. I was taken aback by his claim. Oh no, Tony, you”ve got it wrong. I live in the greatest

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