Time for a Separation of Church & GOP

Every year, particularly during the election and Christmas seasons, Americans argue…a lot!

And what do they argue about?

Well,  probably the arguments that generate the most passion center on this; How much Christianity can be injected into the civic life of the United States?

The arguments often descend into debate on the (somewhat fuzzy) notion of “separation of Church and State”.  The 1st Amendment of the Constitution guaranteeing religious freedom was left just vague enough by the framers to at least guarantee that lawyers, pastors, politicians, and the public would be at each others throats two centuries later.

But with the recent election last week, and in the wake of the absolute shellacking the Republicans received, I would like to propose an even more radical notion;

I think its time for a Separation of Church and GOP!

It was an experiment in merging party and faith that has, admittedly, failed abysmally and needs to be chalked up to the “we’ll never do that again” category.

The experiment began in 1980 when evangelical Christians rejected the “born again” Democrat Jimmy Carter in favor of “the Gipper” Ronald Reagan.  Reagan spoke of God, America as a ‘City on a Hill’, and boldly standing up to the Soviet Communists; Evangelical Christians fell in love. From that point they flooded into the Republican Party and the marriage of convenience was born.

Or should I say “love affair”.  See the problem is the church already has a husband in Jesus Christ.  When the American church so singularly identified itself with its “new lover” it began to develop the reputation that people tend to get when everyone knows they are cheating on their spouse.

Then the relationship between Church and GOP began to produce “out of wedlock” offspring such as the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition, and Focus on the Family.  The relationship now had a family that had to be supported and fed.  The effect being that instead of Christianity being something beautiful and attractive, it had been reduced to nothing more than the ethics police and behavior monitors of the nation.

God forbid that the Bride of Christ be seen as an angry school master ready to thrash a student with a cane.

Yes, the experiment should be deemed a failure and the church should return home to her true husband, Jesus Christ.

Let there be a separation of Church and GOP!

And this is not meant to be anti-GOP either.  Hey, I am a member of the GOP,  A separation is in the interest of both parties.  The Republicans can go back to focusing on fiscal issues as well as implement strategies to expand its appeal to America’s changing demographics.

And the church?

The church gets to have its prophetic voice restored.  Declaring its love for Jesus Christ and calling all men and women to participate in the Life that comes from that relationship.  It gets to shine again.  Its gets to LOVE people again!  It can again become the Shelter in the Storm that people seek out rather than avoid.

It gets to be beautiful!

Yep, time for each to go their separate ways!