Power For God Or For Power? As a Christian conservative, I can tell you those working as activists in the Religious Right believe strongly in what they do…that they are serving God. They correctly see terrible things in our society and feel, if the laws were just changed to reflect Biblical principles, everything would be better. But, in the pursuit of worldly political power, we risk missing a far greater goal. It isn’t that our motives and goals are wrong, just that the political system in any given country is the wrong way to achieve those goals. We fight on a different battleground!
Christians And Political Participation: As Christians in a democracy, it’s our duty to Jesus and to our country to participate in the political system, trying to influence it for the good…this really isn’t the question. We should do our best to make sure whoever and whatever we vote for matches up with the principles we see in God’s Word. The problem is, as this election season bears out…no one matches up! We get as close as we can but, in doing so, we begin to compromise our own values. That’s politics, you say? How, then, do you think we can politically achieve our goals as Christians? …that is, if we even agree on those goals! We conservatives support the Republican Party only to empower corruption and moral decay…the very things we were voting against. But there are liberal Christians, just as committed to Christ, supporting Democrats and getting the same or worse results. Vote, yes, but don’t expect things to dramatically change even if your champion gets the job. As hot as the issues are…the battle isn’t in the ballot box.
Abortion, Homosexuality and Death Penalty are just a few of the hot-button issues repeatedly brought before us, to win our votes. Our mailboxes, TV’s and radios are full of accusation, innuendo and outright slander to try to convince us that the other guy doesn’t measure up…that our guy will deliver. Christians are deep in this game on both sides, even publishing craftily-worded voting records to prove this person is for or against the issue of the day. Prominent Christians promote both sides in news, film and the arts, to push their political agendas. The liberals say, “How could Christians be for the death penalty and against Government aid to the homeless and hungry?” The conservatives say, “How can Christians support abortion and homosexuality?” These Political organizations are just pushing our emotional hot-buttons to swing us one way or another. Vote, yes, but don’t let political manipulation take us off our game. The stakes are too high for us to spend much time or effort on an election’s hot-button issues. We have far greater work to do.
Love And Good Works: The work our Lord called us to is not to change laws but to heal hearts. When evangelical Christians sit atop their ivory towers and decry the sin in the world, they’re looking the wrong place for sin. Sin in the world is a given! Jesus said for us to get the log out of our own eyes…not to judge others. Once you’re perfect, you can start throwing stones. When people like Pat Robertson say 9-11 or earthquakes are because of the sin in America, how does that make people want to be a Christian…like him? Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world…He came to save it. Maybe it’s about time we evangelicals stop judging the world, get out of our churches and into the world to help one more person find the love of Christ. Where are the people today who will “become all things to all people” so some will find Jesus? Jesus gave us a 2-step plan for evangelism…love everyone…do good works. This is how the world will know His people and want to be His people. Everything else is a distraction. Vote, yes, but if you really want to change things, spend your time and money sharing love and good works…this is the battleground of true Christians. “God is love…in this world we are like Him.” 1 John 16-17 The more we’re like Him, the more they’ll want to be like us.
How do you feel Christians should participate in politics?

For many reasons, people do not have as much time to read as they might once have had. This can be due to a busy work schedule, family obligations, and other time constraints. When time is tight yet you would like to get some Bible study in, one easy way to do that is to listen to the Bible being read. This is easily available when you utilize the audio Bible as part of your regular Bible study program. The NIV audio Bible, along with other popular versions, are available in an audio bible CD format or an MP3 audio Bible version. All you need to do is pop the CD into your CD player in your home, car or portable player, and listen while you drive or work around the house. Tiny mp3 players loaded with the audio Bible make Bible study an easily portable pursuit. Take the Bible with you in mp3 format for your next workout, and the time will fly by. The NIV version of the Bible has a remarkable history behind its origins.

Translation work on what ultimately became the New International Version of the Bible began in 1965, and was worked upon by a multi-denominational group of theologians, including Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Evangelicals and others. These scholars hailed from all over the globe, including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. The first full NIV translation version was available in 1978, and a modified version came out in 1984. What sets the NIV Bible apart from other versions is that it is known as a Protestant translation that closely follows traditional conservative Evangelical theology.

There are study versions of the audio Bible that feature the New Testament that many find useful on a day to day basis. If you have never actually read through the entire New Testament, that is a great place to start in your Bible study. There are CDs available that break the New Testament up into forty short sections, and if you can spare 30 minutes every day to devote to listening to this program, you will be able to read the entire New Testament in only 40 days. If you have not spent much time exploring the Bible, this program provides a wonderful way to go about it. It does all of the organization and planning for you, so all you need to do it play the CD on your CD or DVD player or computer, and you will be able to fit this valuable New Testament study into your schedule at your convenience.

Your spiritual life does not have to stagnate because of a lack of time. Let the audio Bible help you fit Bible study back into your life in an easy way, and see how it helps your spiritual growth.