As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“In a culture of death, nothing can satisfy us. The things of our world have become exclusively means… of our self-directed projects of building and securing worth, goodness, and meaning—and thus are no longer meaningful, good, worthy ends in themselves.” - Desiring God
“Though all elections have consequences—some more than others… they reflect more than they determine. Their outcomes matter, at times greatly. Still, these outcomes result from larger trajectories.” - Breakpoint
On the whole, I’ve written a lot less about the voting choices before us in this particular election cycle. From my point of view, it’s pretty much 2020 all over again, only with more clarity about the cultural and character factors.
More clarity? I’m sure many don’t see it that way. I’m not saying people are seeing more clearly. Subjectively, things seem more muddled than ever. Objectively, though, the character and positions of the candidates are even more clear than in 2020.
“If true Christians would vote for their biblical values, we would live in a very different country today. Some Christians have biblical values but do not vote. Some Christians do not live or vote by biblical values.” - P&D
“There does exist a general definition of his Christian realism. It’s a political theory based on three Christian ideas: that we are basically sinful, that we are free because made in the image of God, and that we are called to love God and our neighbor.” - Acton
“There is a sense that this talk about cultural Christianity is a refreshing change. Sociologists and educational leaders have been declaring Christianity the scourge of the planet for decades…. The problem is that a return to a cultural, but unbelieving, Christianity is not enough.” - P&D
“The vast majority believe the Bible speaks to modern issues. Just 13% say the Bible is silent on most of the big questions our society is facing. More than 4 in 5 (83%) disagree.” - Lifeway
“If we truly love our neighbors… how can we not work to shape the policies that affect our neighbor’s flourishing? And yet, there is a temptation in this age toward partisanship that goes beyond mere civic action, a totalizing approach that becomes less about stewarding citizenship and more about an all-encompassing social identity.” - Daniel Darling
“God intends for the beauty of brokenheartedness to mingle with the beauty of boldness so that a new reality emerges even more beautiful than the sum of both—a new reality called brokenhearted boldness. It is one of God’s most beautiful works. And it is one of the most needed in our day.” - Eternal Perspective
“Such are the times in which we live. And we are tempted to believe that these cultural circumstances make us strangers and exiles in a world that once embraced our values. But that’s not the whole story.” - Rosaria Butterfield
Also… Hospitality in the Bible: Following Jesus’s Hospitality of the Cross - Word by Word
Discussion