Political idolatry

I just heard from a reliable source that someone in our church who used to be an ANC activist here in South Africa who came to know the Lord Jesus Christ some years back, has decided to stand once again for the ANC in the coming local elections.

 

Now this strikes me as really odd!

 

The ANC stands for things like pornography, abortion, the legalizing of homosexual marriage and other heinous and evil ideologies. How in the world does one reconcile these criminal activities with the Christian worldview? Here is a party, based on its communistic stance, that opposes God directly!

 

This kind of thing happens when a church does not teach proper doctrine or proper Biblical worldview from the pulpit. It is fine to say that there are courses that can handle these things when people are simply too busy living their lives to add all kinds of other courses to their already busy schedules. These things should be preached from the pulpit!

 

To answer my first question, there is no way that a Christian can reconcile himself with standing for a party that aligns itself with the depraved activities of evil! We are told to come out from among them, yet this person is doing exactly the opposite! How about that Godly obedience?!

 

In fact, Paul is very clear on the subject of evil. He told us not to take "part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Eph 5:11) This guy would rather join them than expose them! There is enough to expose in the ideologies of the ANC.

 

What bothers me is that there is one larger Christian party called the ACDP and also a smaller new one called the CDP (this used to be their website address but for some reason it is unavailable right now). That this man could not rather join a Christian party standing for real Christian principles is completely beyond me. Maybe I am just not sharp enough to see that we should rather be standing in elections for godless parties than for Christian parties! During "floor-crossing" even some ACDP party members left the ACDP and joined other parties such as the ANC.

 

When a person's worldview is so distanced from that of the Bible, that he can stand in an election for a godless party, I am inclined to call that person's salvation into question based on the evidence I see. Naturally, only God can make the final call. On the other hand, Jesus did say that we will know them by their fruit!

 

How can we as Christians stand for such political idolatry? In the early church, during the persecutions of that time, if a Christian denied Christ, some Christian leaders would not easily allow them back in the church. I don't think that we should go that far (or maybe we should?), but what I would suggest is that the church must call these people in and require an explanation from them, at the least! When a Christian gives the appearance of denying the faith, the church has a responsibility to stand beside such a person to guide him back to the truth! If the church does not do that, it is failing miserably. It fails the church and its mission to make disciples of all nations. The church is then simply grandstanding; however, with no eternal effect!

 

Just thinking...