I believe very strongly that Christians ought to take part in the political processes in the countries in which they live, from the national to the local level. I believe in promoting right political ideology at every opportunity. And I believe that there is an ideology that is right, and that Christians cannot land anywhere they want on issues of politics and economics and still live Biblically. There is a Biblically correct view of law and government that excludes all others, and I believe Christians ought to be actively promoting that Biblical view.

But . . .

I also believe that certain segments of the church — not just the apostate Gospel-free church that tends to lean left, but the true church that still maintains the Biblical Gospel and thinks it leans right (but, in fact, does not) — have, at best, badly obscured the Gospel and severely crippled their witness in the world, and worse, in many cases have completely abandoned and actually repudiated the Gospel in favor of a political transformation of society, which, ironically, can never be affected by anything but the Gospel.

While I would hate — really hate — to provoke you to political pacifism, I would much rather see you go Amish than join the religious right (with whose goals I largely agree) and prostitute your witness to politics. The Gospel is what we are to be about. The Gospel is everything we are to be about.

Now, the reason I wrote this post today: I want you to listen to a seminar presented last week by Phil Johnson at the 2008 Shepherds Conference. It's aimed at pastors, but certainly has broad application for all of us, and is especially timely for us Americans right now. First, go here, click Shepherds Conference, then click 2008. Scroll down through the list of seminars to find Politically Incorrect? How to shepherd your congregation in an election. It's a $2.00 download, but well worth it. It is vital that we learn to think Biblically about these things.

Update: You may now download this message free of charge here, or if that fails, find it here.