I purposely try to stay away from politics in this blog, but one of my members sent me a link to an article by Susie Meister entitled, Why I Left the Right: How Studying Religion Made Me a Liberal. He sent me the link wondering if there’s a biblical expose that explains why the prosperity gospel is not representative of evangelical Christianity. Here’s my reply.

Faith is not about taking sides.

Growing up, Susie was “immersed in the evangelical community.” Because of her faith she aligned herself with political conservatism and worked for various Republican campaigns. Then she began studying religion at the University of Pittsburgh and eventually received a PhD in Religious Studies. When anyone who has a solid understanding of scripture reads her article, and then discovers that her dissertation was on churches that preach the prosperity gospel, an obvious flaw appears: she is identifying evangelicalism with the prosperity gospel!

Susie now identifies as a liberal Democrat and cites her faith as the inspiration for this radical change. She insists that what caused her transformation was “not an abandonment of my faith, but a shift in my understanding of Scripture.” She implies that those who formerly influenced her interpretation of the Bible were less than scholarly and read the scriptures through their own biased lenses.

What’s sadder than being a victim is not realizing you are one. Susie’s enlightenment through “unfiltered eyes” and “scholarly investigation” led her to see that her “old Jesus looked nothing like her new Jesus.” She admits that she “could no longer reconcile Jesus’s calls for non-judgment, loving your enemies, and taking up your cross with many of the Religious Right’s positions on social services, women’s rights, and the LGBT community.”

Such a conclusion raises some important questions. Does “non-judgment” mean we condone sinful behavior? Can we distinguish between women’s rights and women’s roles? And is it possible to accept an LGBT person while disagreeing with their lifestyle choices? Reading the article was a little frustrating because these issues are left unanswered.

Ms. Meister goes on to remind us that “Jesus was a champion of the poor, the weak, the meek, and downtrodden…and hung out with hookers and crooks.” According to her, evangelicals are nothing like this and she now studies them for a living. All of this begs the question, “which evangelicals does she mean?” One might take exception to her assumption that evangelicals are compassionless, judgmental, religious bigots whose politics run contrary to the Jesus of the Bible.

The fundamental flaw in Susie’s article is the assumption that Jesus is on one side or the other and therefore, so must we be. The truth is, Jesus transcends politics. In his kingdom it isn’t about seizing power but giving it away. It isn’t about what we think people need, but what God says they need. Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t exclude those who disagree but demands that all men repent and believe the gospel.

The fundamental flaw in Susie’s article is the assumption that Jesus is on one side or the other and therefore, so must we be.

The Politics of the Gospel

When it comes to politics, most people take one of two positions. First, you can bail out of the political process and become apathetic and cynical about government. Or, you can become a political activist and seek to change things through legislative power. But there is a third option for believers because of the gospel. When you enter God’s kingdom, you will find yourself moving away from extremes to a more moderate position. This is not the same thing as taking the middle of the road. People in the middle of the road often get run over. No. The gospel changes you. You become more accepting of those who disagree with you.

The gospel changes you. You become more accepting of those who disagree with you.

Among Jesus’ followers there was a tax collector and there was a zealot; two extreme positions. One worked for the Romans and the other fought against them. But following Jesus changes you. You begin to live for others. It’s no longer about getting the power to force change on those who disagree with you, but about finding a way to engage them on common ground with love and compassion.

The Deeper Issue

So, for the record. I am an evangelical Christian who believes Jesus was indeed a champion of the poor and that because he was, I must be also. But I believe his answer to their plight cannot be solved through human government but only by the power of the gospel because only the gospel deals with the deeper issue, which is sin.

The gospel humbles a person to see themselves as part of the problem, and frees you to love people who disagree with you. Years ago, a newspaper sent an enquiry to well known thinkers and writers asking them to respond to this question: “What’s wrong with the world today?” One of those receiving the request was G.K. Chesterton. He simply replied:

Dear Sir,
I am.
Yours,
G.K. Chesterton.

Susie Meister seems to have it all wrong on this point. She has adopted the Pharisaical attitude that declares, “We’re right, you’re wrong.” I pray that she will come to understand that changing political parties is never the way to address what’s wrong with this world. Only the gospel has the power to radically change a person on the inside. Timothy Keller said, “The gospel is: on the cross Jesus took the poverty you deserve so you could have the incredible wealth of God’s acceptance and welcome and his future.”

One more thing--should you care to know what true evangelicals think about the prosperity gospel, watch the video below: