As we explained in a previous post, Joshua One is written by two “Evangelical Independents.†I wouldn’t be surprised if blogger Mark Daniels would also be happy to accept that label. I enjoy Daniels’ observations on politics and other topics and recommend his Better Living blog.
Daniels, a native Ohioan and founding pastor of Friendship Lutheran Church in Amelia, Ohio, has been writing Better Living for more than four years. Daniels is one of those bloggers (how do they do it?) who posts to his blog every single day. I read through the past two months of posts and found that Daniels is drawn primarily to four topics:
* Religion: Daniels has the interesting practice of posting notes during the week as he works on his sermon for Sunday;
* Sports: Daniels is an Ohio State grad and Buckeyes booster, as well as Cincinnati Reds fan;
* Rock music: Daniels is a Beatles fan, as I am – not unusual, since we are both in our early 50s.
* and Politics.
Daniels also shares his political insights on a Christian political blog, RedBlueChristian. Nowhere in the writings I’ve seen at RBC or Better Living has Daniels identified himself with either the Republican or Democratic parties. Perhaps he is a fellow independent; if he has an affiliation, he isn’t revealing it. In one post he proclaims: “Jesus is Not a Republican … [or] a Democrat.â€
He writes:
Theologically, I would describe myself as being a confessional Lutheran with a reverential attitude toward Scripture that some might say is conservative. (I would agree with them.) But I loathe the Pharisaic politics of people like Jerry Fallwell, James Dobson, and Pat Robertson. They don’t represent my views theologically…or politically.
I’m generally opposed to the politicization of the Gospel which leads, almost inevitably, to an idolatry of ideology that subordinates Jesus Christ to a particular political agenda. This is as much a problem on the Christian Left as it is on the Right which is why, while acknowledging that Jim Wallis is a bright guy, I don’t like his political ministry either.
With rare exceptions, I don’t believe it’s possible to draw straight lines from Biblical faith to specific political ideas. That’s why, unless I feel that the Bible leads to a clear perspective, I almost never comment on political issues.
From those remarks it is obvious that Daniels is not trying to make friends among the Religious Right. However, Daniels wrote the above to express his shock that Slate magazine recently described him as a “liberal” blogger. Perhaps, like Rod Heggy and myself, Daniels would embrace the label “Evangelical Independent.â€
Despite his claim that he “almost never comments on political issues,†Daniels does write often about politics, and I enjoy what he has to say. For example, while almost everyone seems to have accepted as a foregone conclusion that Hillary Clinton has the Dem’s 2008 nomination sewn up, Daniels predicts Clinton will not be that party’s nominee. Instead, Daniels names Birch Bayh III from Indiana as the most likely Democrat torchbearer. If Bayh gets the nod two years hence, Daniels will look like a political genius.
Daniels also wrote an interesting piece evaluating Barack Obama’s qualifications for the presidency at this stage in his political career. Daniels correctly notes that the most common qualifier for the presidency is not legislative experience but having served as governor. That point applies not only to Obama, but to Clinton. (Although a first lady who worked as partner to a governor and a president and then became a senator in her own right is unprecedented. One could argue that Hillary Clinton is the most qualified presidential candidate to come along in years).
One of Daniels’ comments above is particularly profound: “With rare exceptions, I don’t believe it’s possible to draw straight lines from Biblical faith to specific political ideas.” I believe every Christian, as a free citizen, has the right to express his opinion on political issues. However, many Christians go too far when they confuse their own political views with “the gospel truth.” As Daniels says, there are no clear Biblical instructions on many of the political questions that confront us.
