Pursuing Holiness

I’ve been commenting in this Hot Air thread on Huckabee, and like clockwork, the Huckabites arrived to defend their Leader (pbuh). They predictably did so by attacking the faith of those who claim Christianity but inexplicably (to them, anyway) reject the Prince of Peace Politics.

Christians are absolutely called to assess (judge) other Christians. In fact, other Christians (or people who claim Christianity) are the only ones we’re called to judge; unbelievers are not within our purview.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:3-4

For it is no business of mine to be judging those who are outside; but it is yours to be judging those who are among you; As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary includes this comment on that passage of scripture:

1Co 5:9-13 - Christians are to avoid familiar converse with all who disgrace the Christian name. Such are only fit companions for their brethren in sin, and to such company they should be left, whenever it is possible to do so. Alas, that there are many called Christians, whose conversation is more dangerous than that of heathens!

We can - and must - judge those who profess Christianity. Definitions matter, and we cannot permit the likes of Oprah, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Ann Holmes Redding (the “Muslim-Episcopalian” priest) and the Phelps to redefine Christianity. And of that list, the Phelps are the least harmful because they have the least impact.

However, while our faith certainly informs our political activity - as faith informs every area of life; think of faith as the teabag you put in the boiling water - “correct” political activity it is not the defining characteristic of Christianity. That would not just be ridiculous, but unbiblical.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
(John 18:36)

Supporting the overtly “Christian” candidate is not part of the fruit of the Spirit, and in fact we need to have the discernment to see that the theory of government that Huckabee promotes glorifies government instead of God, and that his political behavior dishonors God.  While all Christians sin, “to whom much is given, much is expected” and a person who takes up the mantle of a pastor and “Christian leader” must be held to a higher standard.  But while I think Huckabee is dead wrong in his politics, and engaging in sin in his quest for power, I have no reason to doubt his Christianity.

There are certain dealbreakers in Christianity - for example if you don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you aren’t a Christian.  Christianity is an exclusive, narrow set of beliefs, and it’s part of the job of Christians to keep it so.  But those verses do not address worldly political activity and the Huckabites would do well to dial it back a notch - or ten.

written by Laura