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| Via Google this is an edited photo of the neighbourhood that I spent my first five years in. The trees and houses bring back memories. One house is the same colour still. We were at the end right of this street, connecting to the avenue. This perspective backwards was still forest when I lived there. Not anymore. |
I like to mix things up somewhat with my writing and yet stay within my educated academic disciplines. I am not interested in speculating in ignorance.
Viewing and reading about recent political and economic protests in British Columbia, I thought I would quote Blackburn, a very good trusted secular source, in my humble opinion, on the worldview values of the political left and the political right. My work, God willing, remains within an objectively, non-heated approach. So much of what I read in today's western culture seems radicalized.
God has guided me to write rationally and reasonably in Jesus Christ, not to be radicalized.
We should consider that this entry from Blackburn was written in 1996...so there has been some evolution of concepts in 24 years.
I provide the information that I am politically and religiously a moderate conservative within a 2020 context.
Left (political)
'Most generally, any political stance which is for the poor, the oppressed and the underprivileged, and against the power, property, and privilege selectively conferred by class interests and established economic and social institutions.' (215)
Blackburn lists related ideas of anarchism, collectivism, Marxism, political rights, socialism. (215).
Being biblical in a New Testament context, requires one to acknowledge that God reasons that some rich abuse some poor.
James 5:1-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of [a]Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have [b]fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and [c]put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
Footnotes: a James 5:4 I.e. Hosts b James 5:5 Lit nourished c James 5:6 Or murdered
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Wealth is not inherently wrong, but its misuse is...
Biblical Christians can theologically support reasonable church, government and private efforts to oppose the exploitation of the poor by the rich. Biblical Christians can likewise oppose all sorts of evil (s).
But, I view battling class interests and established economic and social institutions, and to what degrees, as less clear. These divisions can exist by abuse of the rich on the poor, and the abuse by the powerful on the weak, but then again, not always necessarily so.
We realize that some people work harder than others. A few do not wish to work at all.
2 Thessalonians 3: 10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
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Some people have more intelligence than others in regards to business and making money. Some people work smarter than others. Some people damage their bodies through substance abuse. Some people need social assistance due to health issues, born with and/or developed. I am not opposed to social assistance when needed.
There is the believers call to seek first the Kingdom...
Matthew 6:33 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
33 But [a]seek first [b]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be [c]added to you.
Footnotes: Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom Matthew 6:33 Or provided
Luke 12:31 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
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The gospel call places a Christian regenerated life (Titus 3, John 3), being guided by the Holy Spirit, as taking great priority over any leanings toward a radical left wing, political agenda.
There are politically left points of truth and the biblical Christian needs to support the truth; but within a gospel mandate. My own bias is that for example, philosophically, opposing the exploitation of the poor or of the planet is not a left-wing issue, solely. I do not, for example, consider the pollution of oceans with plastic bags a solely left-wing issue. That is wrong and should be reasonably dealt with.
Right (political)
'The branch of political opinion that is for the freedom of the individual in economic matters, and therefore protects the distributions of property and divisions that such freedom generate.' (331).
Blackburn states that the right may be authoritarian. (331). Personally, I favour a moderate form of governments and societies which would be conservative-libertarian and allow for the political, worldview, religious and non-religious, freedoms and social assistance for those that truly need it.
As with the left, Blackburn writes that the right can also support anarchism, as well as the right supports conservatism, fascism, individualism. (331). The gospel call places a Christian regenerated life (Titus 3, John 3), being guided by the Holy Spirit, as taking great priority over any leanings toward a radical right wing, political agenda.
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In the current British Columbia news context, I do not support political protests that do not obey law and order (via the state). Romans 13 (1 Peter 2) commands the believer to obey law and order. If a Christian was to disobey the law for the sake of maintaining biblical faith, it should not take place in a disruptive protesting manner. As much as it is up to us, be at peace with everyone (Romans 12: 8).
