If Jesus viewed the desire to acquire political power to be a temptation of the devil, why do so many American Christians fight to acquire as much of this political power as they can?
Do you know what you get when you mix religion and politics? You get politics.
A friend of mine once suggested that, today, many Christians are more American than Christian. I am beginning to think that he is right. Many Christians are more likely to be moved to tears over the sound of the national anthem being played, or of someone quoting Ronald Reagan, than they are when someone reads the words of Jesus out loud. Many are enraged at the mere suggestion of someone disrespecting their flag, but they hardly bat an eye when someone contradicts the teachings of Jesus… When I see people who claim to love and follow Jesus placing more emphasis on the Constitution than the Sermon on the Mount, or living their daily lives according to their rights as American citizens rather than as surrendered servants of Christ, it greatly concerns me.
– Keith Giles, Jesus Untangled
“The temptation to consider power an apt instrument for the proclamation of the gospel is the greatest temptation of all.” – Henri Nouwen
