(Washington Stand) Worship services in first century Corinth must have been a raucous affair. After lengthy instructions about the way the church should conduct its services, Paul charges those early believers, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (I Cor. 14:40). You can almost imagine Paul writing this with a sigh of exasperation.
You wonder, then, what Paul would have thought about the state of American politics today.
Civility in our public life is at a low point. I’m not talking about tea-time manners or cowardice masquerading as courtesy. We are at risk of coming to blows on a much larger scale than has been seen since the days prior to the Civil War. This is not true of everyone all the time, of course. Instead, it’s the trends we’re beginning to see that are so disturbing.
I first volunteered for the Reagan campaign in 1984. I was involved in local, state, and national politics for three decades. Politics is a tough game. For followers of Jesus, our loyalty to our Lord must always surmount the many temptations inherent in politics to abandon Christian ethics. Within that context, I’m very mindful of how linebacker tactics are part of the push-and-pull of elective politics and public service. (Read More)