27 RELIGION, POLITICS, AND CIVIL DISCOURSE on authority, and demands for loyalty. … A Spirit-formed, Christlike culture, on the other hand, nurtures truth, offers healing for the wounded, seeks opportunities to show redemptive grace and love, focuses on serving others (rather than being served), and looks for ways to establish justice in the daily paths of life.” They go on to emphasize, “A Christlike church culture always has its eyes on people because the mission of the church is all about God’s redemptive love for people.”13 CONCLUSION In today’s world, one must not ignore issues of social injustice and public morality. In fact, Jesus calls his followers “the salt of the earth,” implying the need for Christians to engage the culture, preserve it, and make it better. However, as if to warn them of the dangers in the world, Jesus continues, “…but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”14 Christians are called by God to be a positive presence in the world, to bring about personal repentance and societal change, and to reach out to the outcasts of society. As seen in American history, Christians have attempted to accomplish these goals, sometimes alone and sometimes through the use of politics. In a few instances, such as the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement, American Christians, along with other religious bodies, have successfully and prophetically impacted the government. Concerning other political issues, American Christians have seemingly lost more than they have gained from politics.15 The power politics provides greatly tempts religious idealists who believe society can be perfected through implementation of their beliefs. Participation with government often leads to heartache for the church: “At its best, faith in God has been used to hold the nation to divine accountability … But at its worst, biblical proof-texts to support ideological causes has made both religion and politics look bad.”16 Instead of developing a Christian hegemony, the mixture of Christianity and politics has caused increased dissension, not only among Christians and other groups, but within American Christianity as well. The Religious Right and the Social Gospel movement have sought to create a society that fully embraced Christian principles; however,
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