Thoughts About Being an Out-Spoken Christian

I keep hearing that authors shouldn't speak out on political issues on Facebook or other social media;  that posting views on controversial issues could alienate people, maybe even make them hate you—and that's not what we're called to do.  I'd like to examine the usual reasons given for us to keep our mouths shut and offer a different viewpoint:

 Argument: It could alienate readers/make them hate you.

The Response:  If my politics alienates anyone they wouldn't like my books, anyway. My books are strongly Christian and staunchly conservative. Also, did Jesus care if he alienated people? Lots of people hated Jesus for telling them like it is. When I share political stuff, I'm not just spouting opinions—but links to articles that I believe are telling it like it is.     

Argument: We're called to write, not get into politics.  

The Bible says the ungodly "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." If the ungodly suppress the truth, doesn't it stand to reason that the godly should do the opposite? Broadcast it? I post headlines and links to things mainstream media purposely suppresses. Why should I join them in silent collusion when I can do what they're not doing and help spread truth?

 It isn't "nice" to talk politics.

That may be true at a family dinner or reunion, but on places like Facebook there is no captive audience. I don't make it a habit to tag people, or post to their pages—I stick to my own turf. No one has to put up with it if they don't want to. And we as a church are so busy being "nice" and guarding the front door that the wolves have been coming in the back. We need to stop playing nice, and get real. (We've been so nice, historically, that society has fallen to its current level. Society can only fall as low as the church will allow.)

As writers, our job is to entertain, not cause possible strife.

 That may be true for some writers, but personally I try to imbue my work with much more than entertainment. If I wanted to simply entertain people I'd be a stand-up comic.  My job is to be authentic, a Jesus follower in view of the world.  I feel strongly about the issues of the day, and I am being authentically me not only when I share my faith, but when I share how that faith engages with social issues—and that includes political things.

If you're not an expert on the issue, you're not qualified to share your opinions about it.

Having the right to discuss issues does mean running the risk of being wrong on occasion; so what?  Few of us have time to exhaustively research every matter—but that doesn't preclude the need or right to discuss them. (It sure as heck doesn't stop the progressives from sharing their opinions. )Social media is an open forum—many people recognize this and share their thoughts if they disagree with a post, or think you're mistaken on an issue.  And that's just fine.

Don't share it if it doesn't have eternal value.

This sounds strangely like "if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all." That's great advice when you're talking about mom's dinner, but it's not great advice when the wolves are at the door and you need to tell them to keep out.  I make no claims that my political posts have eternal value—but do other posts get this stringent requirement? If I put a picture of my beautiful backyard roses online, does it have eternal value? Must it have eternal value to have any value? If we all stuck to this requirement, the only thing we could talk about would be God and scripture.

It comes across as negativity.

That's exactly what the Pharisees thought when Jesus pronounced woe on them. Some people don't like posts that imply abortion is murder, or that sodomy is still sin, or that traditional marriage is the only real marriage.  To them, it's negativity.  In fact, I'm not trying to offend people, but in truth, they're offended with God, not me. He made the rules! As for purely political posts, many see that as negativity, too, for all the above reasons. But for people who are like-minded, these posts are encouraging. They know they're not the only ones who care.  And many people really are ignorant of God's views on issues, and need to be told.

Christians should spread love, not hate.

The most loving thing to do for people other than pray and witness the gospel is to be honest with them. If I keep silent on social issues in order not to offend some, I am also failing to offend the ones who need to be offended. Yes, you heard that right. Sometimes we need to be offended—with our sin. Coming to God requires the acknowledgment of sin, yet we are told to avoid discussing social issues that the Bible calls sin. Why? Because it makes people uncomfortable?  Sometimes discomfort is the path to faith. And we are the church—who else will call out abortion for being murder, or homosexuality as an abomination to God?  You don't have to be ordained or stand at a pulpit to stand firm on God's Word. People need to know that God has definite views on these issues. Perhaps this knowledge could lead to repentance!   It is not unloving to administer truth.

You won't win any popularity contests by being opinionated.

To paraphrase a famous line of fiction: "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a darn."  Would you tell a Bonhoeffer to keep quiet?  Or Luther not to pin his 99 articles to the door at Wittenburg? Thankfully, we don't have to be a Bonhoeffer or a Luther to stand up against ungodliness; or to share what we feel is right, politically. All we need is a place to be heard. And a willingness to ignore those who only want us  to play nice. 

In the end, Jesus' commitment to sharing truth got him crucified. Which was, of course, God's plan from all eternity, for our blessing and salvation.  Jesus knew the end from the beginning. He knew exactly what his destiny was and stayed true to his calling.  Calling out sin got John the Baptist beheaded. For us, being willing to stand counter-culture in the cause of righteousness may end up bringing persecution our way, too. But that's no reason to remain silent.  It identifies us as light-bearers, people who swim the other way in this sea of fish, who stand against the tide when the tide is going in the wrong direction. 

Some fish are going to knock into us and tell us to get out of the way. All I can say, (and I hope you'll say it with me) is, "Here I stand. I can do no other."  

Do you agree? Still think Christians ought to keep our mouths shut? Tell me why in a comment.    

           

Linore Rose Burkard grew up in NY and graduated from CUNY (City University ) with a magna cum laude degree in English Literature.  Linore  wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened up the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard. Married with five children, she home-schools her youngest daughter, preferably with coffee in one hand and an iPad in the other. Her latest  PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a "chilling possible future for America."

Our God Reigns!

By the time you see this post, the voting will probably be over. The new president will be elected. I wanted to share this guest post, however, for it reminds us of eternal truths that are relevant no matter how the election turn(ed) out and no matter who is in office.
Read and be blessed:

11/04/2012

God Reigns God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. Psalm 47:8   God reigns over the entire earth. He is not just the God of the east or the God of the west. He is the God of the north, south, east and west. The long arm of the Lord reigns over everyone. The sun never sets on the omnipresent shadow of our Savior Jesus. Indeed, He is the greatest in power, high and lofty in dominion, extremely eminent in wisdom and elevated in excellence of glory. Our God reigns, our God reigns. He reigns in war. He reigns in peace. He reigns in crisis. He reigns in calm. He reigns in economic catastrophe. He reigns in economic prosperity. Our God reigns. He reigns over evil. He reigns over good. He reigns over nations. He reigns over individuals. Our God reigns. Moreover, He reigns from His holy throne. His is not a throne soiled with corruption and self-serving scenarios. His throne is full of grace and truth. His throne is marked and defined by holiness. It is a throne that has never been stained with sin, corrupted by cover-up or defiled by injustice. God is seated on His holy throne. He never sits dismayed or in a dilemma. God does not wring His hands in worry. He sits in serenity, for He knows His own power and sees that His purposes will not miscarry. He sits on a throne from where He dispenses truth and wisdom. Therefore, approach His holy throne boldly but reverently. Furthermore, God reigns over the human heart. It is here that we can submit to or spurn the Almighty’s authority. We are wise to jettison the latter. It is in submission to our reigning King Jesus that we come to know His will for our lives. Obedience leads to opportunity. Because our God reigns, He can be trusted. His rules are for our good pleasure. Christ is not a cosmic killjoy. His rules are inviting when we are in right relationship with our reigning King. It is when we resist Him that we foolishly push back from His gracious guidelines. Therefore, love Him and you will love to follow His statutes. Indeed, our God reigns in love and holiness. It is easy to follow an unconditional lover. He reigns lovingly. Therefore, we have reason to celebrate Christ’s reign. His kingship brings praise to our lips. Our Lord reigns. Halleluiah! We have no real reason to worry or stress out because our God reigns. We can put the kibosh on our complaining and murmuring because our God reigns. We can rest in a peaceful sleep at night, not toss and turn in distrust, because our God reigns. We can let go of control and not be controlled because our God reigns. We can give Him our grief, sorrow, and sin because our God reigns.   Our God reigns for the purpose of His glory and His glory alone. It is all about Him and His eternal aspirations. Our God reigns for righteousness’ sake. Our God reigns for the sake of the gospel. Live like He reigns. Live free and by faith. Tell all whom you have earned the right to tell. Your God reigns. Validate your words with your life of faith and faithfulness. Your God reigns. He reigns now and for evermore. Amen and amen! Taken from Reading #34 in the 90-day devotional book, “Seeking God in the Psalms”…  http://bit.ly/InvUdR Post/Tweet this today: We can let go of control and not be controlled because our God reigns. #trust Download the free Wisdom Hunters app… http://bit.ly/OVrYb9

If you enjoyed this, consider subscribing to Wisdom Hunters, as I have. A friend recommended it to me, and it was a good move.
Blessings,

Linore

Why Christians Must Vote

Politics is a touchy issue, and I know I run the risk of alienating readers with this post. But hey, it's my blog,  and I'll rant if I want to.  And here's the reason I want to:

It came to my attention recently that a lovely Christian couple of my acquaintance were not planning on voting this year. I was saddened, to say the least.  It made me think about why we should vote, and how being people of faith only adds incentive to that responsibility.

And make no mistake, voting is a responsibility. These misguided people (and many Americans) evidently think of it as an optional activity, to be exercised only if they wholeheartedly approve of a candidate.This is naive.

First of all, there's this principle which says that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. Jesus said "He that is not with me, is against me." (Matthew 12:40)
Obama could say, "He that votes not against me, votes for me."

Here's the thing: By abandoning their responsibility to choose the candidate who comes CLOSEST to their values, they are by default casting a vote in favor of the one who doesn't. 

"Well, I can't vote for a Mormon," they say.

 ..If Christians abandon the political playing field, they do not leave it empty. They leave it to the other side to come and fill the dugout.

Puh-lease! Jimmy Carter furthered his platform by claiming to be a "born again" Christian, and yet, until Mr. Obama came along, his was the single most disastrous presidency of this country's history. While it's true that Christian principles are what made this nation great, it doesn't mean that just being Christian will make someone a good leader, no more than being Christian makes someone a good worship leader or preacher. And if  neither candidate running has the track record of being effective at Christian leadership, then you choose the one who at least supports godly values. Romney takes the record for that over Obama OVERWHELMINGLY. (Not to mention that Romney's running mate is a Bible believing Christian, a Catholic.)

Mr. Obama has consistently acted against Christian principles, but that could fill a post in itself. 

(Did you catch Joe Biden saying his life has been shaped by his Catholicism? Right. And I have a bridge to sell you...)

One preacher put it this way: "I'd rather vote for a Mormon than a moron."

 One preacher put it this way: "I'd rather vote for a Mormon than a moron."

The point is that if Christians abandon the political playing field, they do not leave it empty. They leave it to the other side to come and fill the dugout. As we have seen over the course of the history of this country, misguided Christian people feeling they should stay out of politics has done nothing but empty the field of good people. My husband has long held that the (sorry) state of our nation is because of the church not stepping up to the plate--not participating on the field.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."  We've all heard this before. But are you aware, dear Christian, that by not casting your vote for the better candidate you are effectively doing NOTHING to prevent the triumph of evil in the political arena?

It's more than sad, it's a waste of a privilege. Heck, it's a sin. Voting is a privilege, a right, AND a responsibility.
I will unashamedly cast my vote against the current president who has voted against my Christian principles time and time again. Why? Because I am a woman of God.

That's my rant. 
See you at the polls.