Church is Messy: Living Like the Elect Before an Election

In this episode Rick and Svea try to bring light, not heat to the discussion of politics.

Svea recommends watching the message on which this episode is based before listening to the podcast.
Find the video here: https://youtu.be/KHN2c6-z-Ow

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:09 Discussion of Politics and Churches and Church Leaders
• 04:46 Rick's goal as a pastor is to teach people how to think about politics and how to align with the Bible.
• 06:12 How do we reconcile the idea that everyone is trying to do their best with politics?
• 07:00 The early church in Rome had complicated interactions between Jews and Gentiles.
• 10:53 How to seek unity without conformity; "bring the light, not the heat."
• 13:22 What are churches to do about engaging people with political issues?
• 15:41 How to seek to understand others with different views from yours versus trying to convince each other to change.
• 19:59 Discussion on single-issue voting.
• 24:45 How do people interact when we challenge their perspectives or try to control them?
• 29:04 How do we engage in local government?
• 30:58 What Biblical principles can we apply to understanding politics?
• 32:07 Rick shares how prioritizing and weighting different issues can help us make decisions: Which candidate will be most helpful for the issues that are most important to you?
• 36:32 Discussion of supporting the interests of others while voting.
• 39:29 How do we engage online politically or engage with our peers online?
• 41:28 What about the use of fear in today's political rhetoric?
• 45:31 Be informed, but don't get formed by negative influences.

What is Church is Messy?

Church is messy podcast recorded at Autumn Ridge Church in Rochester, MN