Politics vs. Evangelism

I was looking at some news articles today that discussed the fight within the GOP for its future path. There is real divide between old hard-core conservatives and newer moderates. This led my thinking toward the tension we sometimes see as Christians who want to connect to politics. What are we trying to accomplish? Can we legislate morality? Should we? What does it mean to try to preserve the country? Aren't we supposed to be salt and light? These are just some of the questions we try to answer as Christians. I think one of the central tensions actually revolves around confusing politics and evangelism. In evangelism, the goal is to win people over. You want to see people's lives change. You are trying to invite people to know the living Christ and accept Him into their lives, transforming them. Politics, on the other hand, is much more of trying to be like the people. You need to support what the people support, you are responding and changing based on what people want. People want to vote for someone like them, not someone to change them. The very opposite of evangelism. We will not change what the country wants or thinks through politics. Politics are a reflection and amplification of the people's thoughts and wants. To change the values requires evangelism. I am going to post a link below to a fantastic article by Cal Thomas about the need of Christians to get back to changing lives. He has been attacked for the article by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (which I have never heard of). They say we are fighting for the "soul of the nation." The problem is, we are instead a nation of souls. Jesus in Rome did not try to change the government, he tried to save the people. Now, am I saying that Christians should not be politically active? Of course not! I believe that we should be represented in all areas of government. We need Christians, with their influence, everywhere. We should be people who are educated and qualified to lead this country. Let's just not confuse being involved with politics with the goals of evangelism. We will never "save" the people of this country through politics. So lets stay politically active and try to protect the rights of this country, but let's make sure our number 1 goal that receives the most of our energy is to win the lost, not get them to vote for us. Cal Thomas Article