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0:20 Alright, guys, let's close out the week. 0:22 So all week we've been sounding the alarm on a crisis of discernment that is quietly reshaping evangelical Christianity. 0:28 We're using Legionier in Life Way's State of Theology 2025 survey as our launching pad, looking at what self-described evangelicals believe, and then bringing every statement before the authority of Scripture. 0:39 So yesterday we challenged the prevailing view amongst many self-described evangelicals that we do not have an obligation to a local body of believers. 0:46 And today we're looking at whether Christians should operate in the world of politics. 0:51 So I know that most people say that you shouldn't talk about politics nor religion, but those are two of my favorite things to talk about. 0:57 So we're going to talk about them and we're going to talk about them today. 1:00 But what we're seeing a lot in modernity from Christians and non-Christians alike is the idea that we have to pick one of those things or the other or neither. 1:10 So we can either talk about politics without religion, we can talk about religion without politics, or we just keep our trap shut on both, right? 1:18 And even though their arguments advocating for this way of operating aren't good, it seems to have worked. 1:23 I mean, I've seen people of all stripes buy into the ideology that politics and religion should have absolutely zero crossover. 1:31 And a lot of those people consider themselves to be evangelicals. 1:35 So here's a statement from the State of Theology 2025. 1:38 Christians should not allow their religious beliefs to influence their political decisions. 1:44 Fifty-four percent of self-described evangelicals agree with this statement. 1:51 So more than half of evangelicals think that there is no place for the commands, dictates, laws, and morals of God in the world of politics. 1:59 Just stunning stuff. 2:01 But let's actually see what the Bible has to say. 2:03 So if we go to Deuteronomy 6, verses 4 and 5, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 2:10 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all of your might. 2:16 So we see here that the Lord is one. 2:19 So if he is one, that means he is supreme. 2:23 And if he is supreme, that means that there is no competing authority that outranks him, right? 2:29 And if no competing authority outranks him, that means that all of the subservient authorities must appeal to his standard when doing just about anything. 2:39 And when it says that we should love the Lord your God with all your heart, guys, there's no separation of the heart into different parts with different focuses. 2:49 Okay? 2:50 It doesn't say that we should love the Lord your God with the religious part of your heart, but not your political part. 2:56 Like it doesn't say that we should love the Lord your God with the public part of your heart, but not the private one. 3:02 I mean, that's just not a thing. 3:04 It says that we are to love him with all of our heart. 3:08 And attached to the heart is the will and the mind, right? 3:11 And downstream of your will and your mind are your decisions and your actions. 3:16 So yes, your political decisions and actions are part of the heart. 3:20 And it goes on to say that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our soul and might. 3:25 So that encompasses all of the other categories not covered by the heart. 3:30 I mean, this includes your resources, your energy, your activity, your attention, your influence, right? 3:36 All of it. 3:37 Which leads us to the teachings of Jesus. 3:40 And we see the following in the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5, verse 13. 3:45 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 3:51 It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 3:56 So, as Christians, we are the salt of the earth. 4:00 But what is salt? 4:02 Its most basic function is as a preservative. 4:06 And what does a preservative do? 4:08 It prevents, or in most cases, slows decay. 4:13 So Jesus is telling Christians that we are to preserve the earth, and in order to preserve anything, we must stay salty. 4:21 As Jesus said, if we lose our saltiness, we're no longer good for anything as it pertains to this world. 4:26 So if you don't like politics, or if it's confusing to you, or if it scares you, this might make your tummy hurt a little bit, but here's the reality: if Christians abdicate their responsibility to the political sphere, then the vacuum will be filled by wicked people who hate God. 4:42 Is that what you want? 4:44 Is that what you want for your country? 4:47 For your state, for your city? 4:49 Is that the legacy you want to leave for your progeny? 4:52 That you, you know, didn't get involved in the political process because you became convinced of some nonsensical abiblical blather about how Christians should just stay out? 5:02 Well, that's a pretty good way to lose your saltiness, and I would caution you against it. 5:06 Alright, guys, thanks for your attention this week. 5:08 Stay sharp.