Unsettled Christianity

During this past year, we’ve heard the subtle cry of secession start to moan across the land (here, here, here, here, here, and here to name a few)

During a previous life, I was a member of a third party in American politics, although some might never have heard of us. We were the Southern Party (the tech savvy among you might be able to dig it out of the Google cache). I won’t go into detail here, of my involvement, but I’ve been to West Point, Alabama, and well, never mind.

One of our goals was to reach out to the churches of the South. Because of this strategy, we had to develop certain techniques, including ‘restoring’ biblical mandates and allowances for the things we wanted to do.

One my favorite mini-sermons to preach was about secession:

What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ” Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. (2Co 6:15-7.1 NLT)

It would have been from the King James, of course.

What I would help others to see is that this allowed us to separate from the ungodly, the sinners, which ‘they’ were. The ‘they’ being Yankees, atheists, PC’ers and Democrats and all others which had destroyed and trampled and raped the glorious South of everything that had made her great. The best thing was to leave the ‘they’ unsaid.

You understand, right? I mean, you understand what I was doing in my previous living arrangement. And maybe, you understand why I stand now.

Post By Joel (9,259 Posts)

Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).

Website: → Unsettled Christianity

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