Finding a Voice

"What will it take for evangelicals in the United States to recognize our mistaken loyalty? We have increasingly isolated ourselves from the shared faith of the global Church, and there is no denying that our Faustian bargain for access and power has undermined the credibility of our moral and evangelistic witness in the world. The Hebrew prophets might call us to repentance, but repentance is a tough demand for a people utterly convinced of their righteousness."

from Op-Ed in The New York Times: "Wayward Christian Soldiers" by Charles Marsh

I know this is not the United States, and this Op-Ed grapples mainly with the Iraq invasion. However, with the Canadian election coming up on Monday and with an evangelical Christian, Steven Harpur, among the top three contenders for Prime Minister, I can't help but wonder if evangelicals in Canada are setting themselves up for a similar "Faustian bargain" that could compromise "the credibility of our moral and evangelistic witness in the world." On the surface, this would seem impossible, since there some important moral issues at the forefront in this campaign: abortion, homosexual marriage, assisted suicide.

However, I can't help but wonder if some Christians spend too much time trying to influence these things through political channels and if most Christians do not spend enough time incarnationally ministering in relationship with their neighbours and other people in their communities. When we organize protests or lobby hard, do we erect more barriers than bridges?

Pray for Steven Harpur and other Christians who are involved in politics. I may yet vote for Steven Harpur on Monday -- I haven't ruled him out. But his profession of faith does not automatically make him the best leader for the country in my mind. In fact, the American track record makes me wary ...