I said it over at MCB and I’ll say it again over here.
Those of you, like William, who would like us to keep our religion out of politics have little business inserting your politics into our religion.
I get that it’s a really popular game right now to say things like “Yah! What would JESUS say about you murdering Iraqi babies in cold blood?!?” or “Would Jeeeesus deny federally funded health care?”
More often than not these questions come from people who eschew a relationship with said Jesus. They are Spiritual without being Christian (an increasingly popular faith system) or Atheist or Gnostic. Now, I have no qualms with anyone practicing any of these faiths or abjuring all faiths. Whatever floats your boat.
But I think these “gotcha” games, these abuses of Jesus’ name, are about ridiculous and tired. Not to mention insulting. There are many of us who are Christian Libertarians precisely because we believe that Jesus has asked us to separate matters of religion from matters of state. In case you’ve missed it the first hundred times I’ve said it….Jesus is EXACTLY why I’m a libertarian.
Government is a necessary stricture of my time here on earth. It is not my faith and is not to be confused with my faith.
Let me try this analogy. It’s as though I speak two languages. There is the tongue I use for my earthly life, the lingua franca with which I conduct my business here on this planet, in this time and of this culture. Then there is the language of faith. My native tongue, the one I’ll speak for eternity. There is some overlap, but even our word “Love” comes out meaning two vastly different things, depending on which language we’re speaking.
So you can keep trying to bring Jeeesuuus into politics, but regardless of our place on the spectrum–right, left or libertarian–you’ll never FULLY understand our answer.
It’s from a different language.
Just Another Pretty Farce 
Amen Kat.
Have you ever read any John Howard Yoder? He’s a mennonite theologian who taught at Notre Dame. He is one of my strongest theological influences.
I’ve met John Howard Yoder–years ago. He was speaking at Goshen when I visited there. I actually seriously considered attending Goshen but was led to Taylor instead.
He’s written many things I agree with, but we differ on some points.
Nevertheless I’ve always respected and admired him.
I thought I remembering reading that you had some mennonite connections.
One of the bible profs at lipscomb did his doctorate under JHY. He wrote a book called “Mere Discipleship” that kinda summerizes a lot of Yoder’s ideas. I read that before “the politics of jesus”… and it literally changed the way I thought about everything.
Also, I’m glad that there’s another libertarian voice out there in the wilderness of MCB. Its good to know if I start talking political theory, that at least one person out there doesn’t think I’m crazy.
Thank you. Really.
Some of these people seem to think that you can get into heaven by using the IRS to take other people’s money and give it to the poor.
You have a gift with words that I envy. Excellent explanation.
Kat,
Thank you for this post. I couldn’t agree with you more.
[…] Katherine Coble speaks of the division between religion and politics in her own mind: It’s as though I speak two languages. There is the tongue I use for my earthly life, the lingua franca with which I conduct my business here on this planet, in this time and of this culture. Then there is the language of faith. My native tongue, the one I’ll speak for eternity. There is some overlap, but even our word “Love” comes out meaning two vastly different things, depending on which language we’re speaking. […]
Excellent post. Thank you. I fit in the Christian Libertarian framework also.
justinmundie – Are you sure he didn’t teach at the famous Amish univervisity, Yoder Dame? 🙂
“Those of you, like William, who would like us to keep our religion out of politics have little business inserting your politics into our religion.
Your statement would hold much more water if we had an administration that didn’t veto bills based on religious convictions (stem cells) and a president who hadn’t touted his christian moral values to get elected.
Otherwise your complaint would be completely justified.