Politics of Jesus

[L]egalistic interpretations of biblical meaning ultimately must be rejected: because they leave no room for the love, mercy, justice, and grace that undergird the Gospel at every turn. This Jesus pointedly affirmed in Matthew 23:23: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you out to have practiced without neglecting the others."

Rather than taking a literalistic or legalistic approach, the politics of Jesus calls for scrutinizing every political policy and policy proposal by this standard: Is it based upon the command to "love your neighbor as yourself"? That is, does it treat the people and their needs as holy?

From The Politics of Jesus, by Obrey M. Hendricks, Jr., page 323.

We have too many modern day Pharisees. They legalistically pick and choose in the Bible, condemning those they believe to have broken the 'law', while ignoring the obligations placed upon them in the Gospels to tend to the needs of 'the least of these.' The modern day Pharisees campaign strenuously against abortion, but ignore the policies that allow for 1 in 5 American children, once born, to live in poverty. The modern day Pharisees express outrage against gay marriage/civil unions, but seem unmoved by the needs of 45 million Americans who have no medical insurance and thus cannot receive adequate health care.

We need to broaden our view in this nation regarding morality and politics. So long as the Republican party is a prisoner to the religious right, and the Democrats shun religion, right or left, it seems unlikely that our view will be broadened any time soon.

Perhaps you, gentle reader, will be a part of the solution to this problem. That to the Pilgrim is a hopeful thought.

GP