Congress, wild parties, and confusion about how sin really works

“In many cases, sin does express itself in shocking debauchery—but most often it expresses itself in more invisible or easily justifiable ways of ‘walking in the flesh.’” - Russel Moore

Discussion

An honest, I believe, assessment of the norm in D.C. — with implicaitons for our own lives. Thoughtful.

"The Midrash Detective"

Well it is a great mix in Washington.

  1. People who have power, people who are seeking to influence power and people who are vying for power.
  2. Money already in hand, money streaming into political coffers and people willing to use money to influence power.
  3. High stress job that weakens moral character and seeks relief

Throw all those together, whether it is political or industrial, and it is a great breeding ground for sin, if left unchecked.

Joeb, Your statements are frequently unpublished because they are usually off topic. You manage to turn everything into a rant about Trump and almost no one cares except you. You are correct that Madison Cauthorne raised the subject but he has not said who was at the parties. So there are no names to name as of yet.

Joeb wrote:

It’s the Christian Right MAGA Legislators who are corrupt

This sounds like you are implying it is ONLY the Christian Right Legislators who are corrupt. Sounds a bit naive to me. My viewpoint is that there is plenty of corruption by people from the entire spectrum of political views, because I believe everyone’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and nothing brings out human sin more than being in positions of control and power. Since many politicians crave control, power, and influence (which is why they rise in the first place), the temptation toward corruption is great.

I sort of see the parable of the sower in politics.

Many seek positions to get power. They don’t genuinely hold convictions, though they may sound like they do. They may not really know what a conviction is, in actuality. Think of them as sort of political psychopaths. If you want to win an election as a Republican, it is advantageous to be pro-life. If you want to win as a Democrat, it is advantageous to be for abortion rights.

Other politicians, when they start, I believe, are well intended. They want to do “good,” and that “good” is based upon their world view. Some believe they are doing good by promoting abortion rights, for example, while most of us would probably say the politicians who are promoting the right to life are doing good. But no matter what the ideals, many lose sight of why they are elected because they cannot properly handle the power, influence, and control they now have.

Others want to do their “good”, but “good” changes with the culture and is not anchored to convictions outside the culture. So when society shifts, they shift with it.

Still others, from both sides, hold to ideals and limit how corrupt they allow themselves to be, for one reason or another (sometimes conscientiousness or convictions) and stay close to their original course. Unless you study them well, it can be hard to tell who is who, and even then, man only looks on the outward appearance.

When it comes to voting, I look at candidates who I believe will do “good” based upon my worldview. But I recognize that such a “good” is often a political position to help propel one in power. I know that many who support my views will abandon them if it is politically expedient if they are in one of the negative categories above.

Same concept in other positions of power, whether corporate or even prominent pulpits. The temptation to indulge and cover up sin rather than repent of it is a universal problem we all struggle with at some level.

All humans are sinful, and this article makes the point. But all sins are not alike, and there is something about taking pains and measures to avoid the most detestable ones. But we are not to stop there, which is the point of the article.

To say that godly living is an issue with one party and not the other is ludicrous. Positions of power tempt toward corruption and always have. But, individually, some people resist and put up a fight, others happily go along with temptation. And the name of their party has little to do with it.

"The Midrash Detective"

Madison Cauthorne is talking about Republicans not anyone else.

Where did he say this?