How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? E-Book

Jonathan Leeman

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Church Questions
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 49

Beschreibung

Introducing the Church Questions Series from 9Marks How should Christians respond when they disagree on political issues? Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. 9Marks Church Questions is a series that seeks to provide ordinary Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions Christians have about church life. Each volume offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. This booklet offers six practical recommendations for Christians who are divided on political issues. Authors Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli propose that Christians should learn how to disagree on many such issues with a spirit of gracious understanding by recognizing the importance of what binds us together as a local church body.

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Endorsements for the Church Questions Series

“Christians are pressed by very real questions. How does Scripture structure a church, order worship, organize ministry, and define biblical leadership? Those are just examples of the questions that are answered clearly, carefully, and winsomely in this new series from 9Marks. I am so thankful for this ministry and for its incredibly healthy and hopeful influence in so many faithful churches. I eagerly commend this series.”

R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Sincere questions deserve thoughtful answers. If you’re not sure where to start in answering these questions, let this series serve as a diving board into the pool. These minibooks are winsomely to-the-point and great to read together with one friend or one hundred friends.”

Gloria Furman, author, Missional Motherhood and The Pastor’s Wife

“As a pastor, I get asked lots of questions. I’m approached by unbelievers seeking to understand the gospel, new believers unsure about next steps, and maturing believers wanting help answering questions from their Christian family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers. It’s in these moments that I wish I had a book to give them that was brief, answered their questions, and pointed them in the right direction for further study. Church Questions is a series that provides just that. Each booklet tackles one question in a biblical, brief, and practical manner. The series may be called Church Questions, but it could be called ‘Church Answers.’ I intend to pick these up by the dozens and give them away regularly. You should too.”

Juan R. Sanchez, Senior Pastor, High Pointe Baptist Church, Austin, Texas

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Church Questions

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?, Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli

What If I Don’t Desire to Pray?, John Onwuchekwa

What If I’m Discouraged in My Evangelism?, Isaac Adams

What Should I Do Now That I’m a Christian?, Sam Emadi

Why Should I Join a Church?, Mark Dever

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Copyright © 2020 by 9Marks

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2020

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7179-4 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7182-4 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7180-0 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-7181-7

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2020-02-26 10:02:11 AM

“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.”

Matthew 17:25–26

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 15:5–6

It was the Sunday after a presidential election. I (Jonathan) had been teaching an adult Sunday school class on Christians and government that fall. The church, like most of the nation, was still absorbing the result of the election’s unexpected outcome. And feelings that morning were raw.

I began the class by talking about sympathy. I wanted to encourage members whose candidate had won on Tuesday to sympathize with members whose candidate had lost. Christian maturity, I observed to the class, knows how to both disagree with someone and yet still show compassion. An older minority woman whose candidate had lost raised her hand and said that she had not felt any sympathy from the church and that she was scared. Minutes later, a middle-aged white woman raised her hand and said she was astonished at my call for sympathy because the losing side was “evil.”

At that moment—you can be sure—I second-guessed my decision to teach that class that morning.

Yet those two women offer us something very honest: a picture of how challenging it can be to love people with different political opinions, even when they are members of the same church.

This question is what we want to address in this book: How can we love fellow church members when we disagree on political matters?

Make no mistake: Andy and I are writing this booklet because we need it too. We can both think of moments that highlight our own challenges to love when political topics arise. Moments like:

Avoiding that guy who always wants to talk about his political hobbyhorse.Regarding that woman condescendingly because she just feels too far right or too far left.Feeling like that fellow member is the enemy, maybe not even a real Christian, because he voted for the other side.