My pastor called last night. Funny, I called her my pastor; I never joined her church. My wife and I attended that church off an on for quite a number of months, worship services only. No Sunday school, no church dinners or Bible studies. The timing of her call couldn’t have been better because we had decided almost that very day that we wouldn’t be going back.

That sure made for a somewhat uncomfortable conversation. She was pleasant and gracious; I made small talk. She countered with small talk. Even though I wasn’t prompted, I readily confessed that we had missed last Sunday because of a family reunion, which was true. Then I thought, “What do I say next —

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The Bible says that we are “in the world, but not of the world.”  What does that mean?  Are we just “passing through” like the old gospel song proclaims?  Or should we get involved?  If so, just how involved should we get?

There is a growing fear with some in our country that many who have conservative values are fanning the flames of fanaticism.  Neal Gabler with the Los Angeles Times thinks that there is something terrifying happening in the nation (see Politics As Religion In America).  He writes:

Perhaps the single most profound change in our political culture over the last 30 years has been the transformation of conservatism from a political movement, with all the limitations, hedges and forbearances of politics, into a kind of fundamentalist religious movement, with the absolute certainty of religious belief.

Now, I really don’t care to write about politics, but, as a Christian, I have to ask myself, “What is my role as a citizen within the context of being a believer?”

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