This morning I received an email from a born again reader thoughtfully chastising me for being a liberal.
"Why are you still fairly liberal since becoming a born again Christian?" he wrote. "I was once liberal, but when I was born again, I believe the Holy Spirit changed many of my views to those I think the norm for all who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit."
For the record, I'm neither liberal nor conservative. Some of my opinions are conservative. Some are liberal. Depends on the issue. Call me a Liberal Republican. Call me a Conservative Democrat. Better yet, don't call me at all---especially if you want to talk politics.
But this guy's point is interesting. Because most Christians are politically conservative, right? But I always figured that had as much to do with culture and regional history as anything else. At the moment I became a Christian, I didn't think, "Sweet! Now I know how to vote!" But apparently this reader's conversion experience did lead him to start voting differently than he had before he joined the faith.
Do you think voting Republican is a natural consequence of being Christian? If it is, then isn't any Christian who votes as a liberal Democrat less of a Christian---less indwelt by the Holy Spirit---than one who votes as a conservative Republican? And if it's not---if believing in Jesus has no natural or particular bearing on a person's political affinities---then isn't it wrong for conservatives to assert that they have any better or more comprehensive a grasp on Christ's spirit than liberals do?
Share your thoughts here.