Theological Thursday --- Christians and Democrats

I recently saw a bumper sticker similar to the one above that said, "You can be Christian AND Democrat". I have also heard people make the argument that based on moral issues (abortion, same sex marriage, stem cells, etc) that you cannot be a dedicated Christian and a democrat. So what's the answer? Is it one of the extremes or somewhere in between?

Well the short answer is this --- of course you can be a democrat and a Christian. Neither party is perfect because both are full of sinners. There are some very strong Christians I know that work in inner-city ministries that are desperate for help as they see people hungry, in need of medical attention, in need of a home, in need of money, etc, etc, etc and believe that more help will come by way of the democratic party. They wish they didn't have to choose between abortion and watching their neighbors die due to lack of proper food an care.

From a Christian perspective, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome a stranger, help the poor, etc...with the final comment of, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me" (Matthew 25:45). I think the key here in discussing Christianity/Democrats is how Jesus addresses this issue. In the Greek, Jesus continually uses the 2nd person singular when talking about feeding, helping, visiting, etc --- which means Jesus asks YOU (singular) to do these things. He is not asking us to expect the government to do them for us. It is our personal responsibility as followers of Christ. How dare we pass off to the government what Christ has called us (personally) to do!

So the big shame in the entire discussion is that Christians have neglected Christ's call to help those in need...and an even bigger shame that other Christians have gone as far as expecting the government to take care of the personal responsibility that Jesus left for us. If we were truly being the church and following the commands of Jesus, and we were all playing our part, this wouldn't even have to be discussed. So please do not choose a political party based on wanting the government to take our Christian responsibility from us. Instead exhort other believers as well as the church to take this need back where it belongs and where Jesus put it --- directly in the hands of each of His followers.