Let’s Change Hearts and Minds and Laws, Too – The Gospel Coalition Blog.

via Let’s Change Hearts and Minds and Laws, Too – The Gospel Coalition Blog.

This helpful article got me thinking about culture and political engagement.   I agree that we should be politically engaged to “reform our civic institutions from within while faithfully articulating the grounds for legislation in ways that are cheerful, reasonable, and kind.”  After all, if our civic institutions are actually causing harm (which, I would argue, many of them are) how can we love our neighbor without addressing that harm?

Yet, it seems that our culture didn’t arrive where we are overnight.  It took time for the foundations to be eroded to arrive at the point we are at now.  One only needs to look at the news to see that America is a different place than it was just a few generations ago.

To that end, I think one of the most loving tasks we can undertake is the training of disciples.  Beyond spiritual disciplines and foundational truth, we need to challenge one another to think–and to think in Biblical terms.  Developing a culture of thinking Christians might just kill two birds with one stone.

On the one hand, thinking helps ‘win hearts and minds.’  Ultimately salvation is a sovereign work of God, but he uses us as tools in that work.  Addressing others winsomely, showing the rationale behind our conclusions may help them see that the church isn’t trying to rain on their parade, but to love them.  On the other hand, thinking Christians, engaged in the political process, can’t help but improve the condition of our culture.

In the end, though, the one take away to remember is this:

The way forward, politically at least, is to work to reform our civic institutions from within while faithfully articulating the grounds for legislation in ways that are cheerful, reasonable, and kind. (emphasis mine)

Whatever our political leanings, let us strive to be cheerful, reasonable and kind in all of our conversation.