Be careful with country’s direction
Mr. Chandler wrote about churches allowing the government to prevent them from sharing the Gospel. While there are some churches that do not have an outreach program, there are many more that do — my church, for one (Valley Bible).
We are fortunate to live in the US as the government truly does not prevent the church from evangelizing and from speaking to those who cross our path. It is true that our government protects the rights of others by accepting their lifestyle choices and that Christians cannot dictate to others how to live, but that does not conflict with Jesus ‘message and the Great Commission.
When speaking to non-Christians, the objective is to share the gospel of Christ: We all sin, need a savior, and
Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. Those who truly accept that message will turn from sin through the work of the Holy Spirit.
That should be our focus — not politics, nor lifestyle. We are to come alongside those Christians who may be living a sinful lifestyle but we cannot dictate how they should live either.
You’re right, politics will not solve our problems. The world is filled with different views of good and evil but, per God, “there is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom 3:12). Political solutions continue to fail. There are many dictatorships where different religions and lifestyles are outlawed and those choosing a different lifestyle are subject to imprisonment or death. They are not better off and terrible, in my opinion. I am glad to live in the US where people do have freedom to choose.
To all I would say be careful what you wish for with respect to future direction of this country, or we may end up with one who changes the law to please himself, perhaps abolishing future elections, imprisoning those who disagree. This is not going to solve issues because no single person or group of people is “good.”
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” (Rom 2:13).