Skip to main content

Thoughts From James Bell

Dear Friends,

As much as I try to be one who keeps politics out on the pulpit, or my teaching, if you live in the United States it is becoming harder not to address it. It fills the airwaves, social media posts, news station reports, and conversations at the cafeteria, gym, workplace and home. Each source and person has their own particular slant, and to totally ignore the conversation is to be out of touch. Therefore, the “thought” I share today (which was sent to me this morning by a friend) I pass along to you. I do so because his words struck a chord in me. Not everyone will agree. I know that and accept whatever consequences or feedback I will receive because of it. After all, when does total agreement on everything ever happen nowadays? (Though as one who has studied much history, I know it's more than naïve to suggest there was ever a time when everyone agreed on everything.) 



Yet, that be as it may, I offer you this post by a man named James Bell, a pastor from Michigan. I know little about him since the post did not come with a bio attached, but from what I can see he is a Jesus-loving, Kingdom of God furthering, Lordship-believing, Gospel-affirming pastor. I appreciated his words (below), and as a pastor I must say I relate entirely to his struggle. I offer this excerpt as a worthy and biblical perspective to consider. Enjoy.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been called a coward by both the left and the right for not “choosing a side.” I’ve been accused of third-wayism, or riding the fence. I’ve been called a puppet for the right who overlooks presidential immorality, and also a pastor compromised by leftist ideology. These accusations come from both sides, each convinced that my refusal to fully ‘align’ proves hidden loyalty to the other.

That reveals the problem. We now live in an either-or world. You are either left or right. There is nothing in between. The demand to choose sides exposes confusion about lordship. The question is not left or right. The question is who is Lord.



Politics offers identity, belonging, purpose, and enemies. Jesus offers a Kingdom. The gospel declares a King who refuses to share His throne. When politics becomes the highest good, disagreement becomes dangerous and loyalty becomes enforced. What follows is not moral courage, but conscience captured by ideology. When politics becomes mixed with our faith, it begins to claim what belongs to God. It is treated as a savior, asked to deliver ultimate hope and meaning, and it demands total allegiance in return.

Scripture does not belong to the left or the right. When we force it into those categories, we distort it. From the beginning, Christianity was not an ideological alignment but a lived out allegiance to Jesus as King, shaping engagement with every sphere of life without being owned by any of them.



Jesus’ disciples make this clear. He intentionally gathered men who would never have chosen one another. Simon the Zealot believed Rome was corrupt and deserved violent overthrow. Matthew depended on Roman authority and believed cooperation was necessary for order and survival. Outside of Jesus, these men would not have shared life together. Yet Jesus called them both—and refused to let either ideology become central. He trusted neither revolution nor empire. He announced a Kingdom that exposed the failures of both.

Jesus did not demand political agreement. He demanded allegiance. Their differences remained, but they were reordered under a higher authority. Neither Rome nor revolution was ultimate. Jesus was.

Politics still matter—but they are not supreme. Jesus confronted injustice without hatred, hypocrisy without violence, and power without coercion. He refused emperor worship and revolutionary bloodshed alike. What some dismiss as third-wayism is simply refusing false lordship. This is not fence-sitting, it is obedience to a higher King.

 


Christians must be free to speak truth to all power. Abortion and sexual ideology, racism and cruelty, violence and hypocrisy must be confronted wherever they appear. If we can only critique the other side, our conscience no longer belongs to the Kingdom of God.

The world demands a side. The gospel declares a throne. Faithfulness is not choosing a camp. It is choosing a King.”



With Our Eyes Fixed on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, Pastor Jeff 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts From John Scudder

Dear Friends, Warmest regards to all on this day before the start of Lent, in the year of our Lord 2026! I hope your day is going well and you are (like me) counting down the days – 47 to be exact – until we get to celebrate Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. Lent is a longstanding tradition in Christian circles, and one that is useful if observed with a desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Today’s entry is not specifically about Lent, although it points in that direction. It is the testimony of one man’s journey to faith in Jesus. A man who worked as a medical missionary in Madras, India, from 1836 until his death in 1855. I am sending it to you because when I walked into my office this morning, moved one book, and found a very small book hidden behind it! It is literally 2 inches wide by 3 inches high and 5/8 of an inch thick, with 214 pages! It’s an embossed leather-bound book, published by “The American Tract Society” in 1846. Its title is: “Provision for Passing ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts on Easter

Dear Friends, I trust Easter was for you a day of hope, rejoicing, re-visiting the empty tomb, and worshipping God for His redeeming grace. I know that in our culture “moving on to the next thing” as soon as a particular day or celebration has passed, is normal. Yet, today (before too much time passes) I wanted to share some true and beautiful thoughts on the resurrection. Easter has passed, but in the Christian faith the Lord’s Day (each and every Sunday, being the first day of the week, or the day Jesus rose) is a mini celebration of the resurrection. With that in mind, I offer you these thoughts. I trust you will find some of them encouraging. Enjoy “Resurrection means endless hope. No resurrection means a hopeless end.”  David Garland “If you don’t believe in the Resurrection, you can go on living your life while perhaps admiring Jesus the man, appreciating his example, and even putting into practice some of his teachings. But if you believe that Jesus rose from the dea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts From Dolores Curran

Dear Friends, There is much going on in our world that has many alarmed, saddened, conflicted, angry, and unsure what to think. Some posts I’ve seen online from prominent Christian leaders are speaking about this being the “end” leading to Christ’s return. Yet, as I was thinking about all that, I spotted a handout I use in premarital counselling on a pile on my desk. The heading is: “The 14 Traits of A Healthy Family.” It’s not a deflection from addressing all that’s going on, but a plea to remember that despite all that’s happening, there are still marriages or families that need help. There are families going through difficult times. There are children who still need direction. Children need to feel safe, see healthy relationships, and be taught healthy ways of responding or living in such stressful times – maybe even more so in these stressful times.   Therefore, I offer you these helpful insights to improve family health. They are the result of compiling a survey sent...
Post a Comment
Read more