In this discourse, there is no way to stay completely away from politics although this is not primarily about politics. I think of someone who is liberal as someone who favors reform and progress, not maintaining the status quo or wanting to "conserve" something from the past. A pentecostal is a Christian who has a persuasion that is open to the power and the gifts of the spirit. I am both--hence the name of the Blog. I'm tired of my voice being usurped by the dominant conservative voice among pentecostals. One thing that deeply concerns me is the fact that there is a Christian voice that suggests a "good" Christian is one who is conservative and Republican. I'm an independent because I believe that Jesus' teachings and the Kingdom of God transcend Politics in America.
What bothers me is the hybrid of American Culture and Christianity that most Christians in the USA call Christianity. For some people in the church, there is an ideology that is primarily political, and the church has become a vehicle to support that political belief. And whether or not someone attends that church is whether that pastor's sermons pass the litmus test of being "correct" in the political sense. This ideology is not based in the gospel, rather it is a political belief. Jesus' teachings are so radical, they neither fit nicely in either one of the major political parties in the USA.
My citizenship is in the Kingdom of God, not primarily in the USA. That is why I have what would be considered liberal views on immigration reform. I believe that someone from Mexico who wants a better life is just as much my neighbor, brother or sister as someone who lives on my street.
Jesus criticized the religious establishment, and then went out and invited all who would come--"the least of these" to dine with him. That is why I have what would be considered liberal views on social policy because I believe a society has a responsibility to help support, the poor, the downtrodden, and the mentally ill.
More to come...
