CPAC 2014: Finding Balance Between Christianity and Politics

IMG_6152I confess. I am a “news junkie”. Every morning, I read headlines from around the world (there’s an app for that). Some I skip, but if time allows, I click on the provided link to find out more. On Facebook, friends and pages that I have “liked”  deliver a wealth of information through memes, individual posts, or by posting breaking news-some of it true; some…not so much. The more I watch national and world events unfold, the more prone I am to “get into my head”, as one friend put it. To put it bluntly, I gravitate from anger to fear to depression.  Everything is happening and changing too fast for me–whether it be societal issues, political issues, foreign issues, or domestic issues.  Sometimes, I feel I can hardly catch my breath with all the upheaval in the world we are faced with.

When I started writing, I started from a position of “sum zero”.  I had never been involved in politics or with a political party, and to be honest; I’m still not. I freely admit my naiveté, lack of knowledge, and lack of experience. As my editor can attest, this has caused me a lot of angst over the last two years. Don’t get me wrong. I know what I believe in and I know what (or whom) I stand for. I will never shy away from speaking out against policies and issues that are diametrically opposed to what I hold dear– while continuing to hold great admiration for those on “the front lines” battling for our country with unswerving conviction.

However, my dilemma has been in how I personally should respond to this world spinning out of control. I write under the moniker of a “Conservative Christian” and again, I confess–my thoughts, actions, and yes, some of my articles could and should be construed as most decidedly “un-Christian”, especially those written in anger.

As one who ends each prayer with, “May everything I say and do be pleasing unto You, oh Lord”, and as one who fails miserably to live up to those words, my question becomes…

When we know that we should be “joyful in all things”, that our struggle is “not against flesh and blood”, and if we believe that God is in control, and that “on our knees” is the most effective course of action, then how involved should we, as Christians, be in worldly affairs?

Then…along came Phyllis.

I had the great fortune to speak privately with Phyllis Schlafly, president of Eagle Forum, at CPAC and share some of my individual struggles. She is a personal hero of mine that I have admired and followed for years. To my embarrassment, my eyes literally welled up with tears when  I saw her walking towards me.

For those unfamiliar with Mrs. Schlafly, the  stated mission of Eagle Forum is “to enable conservative and pro-family men and women to participate in the process of self-government and public policy making so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty, respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private enterprise…”

As we talked, Mrs. Schlafly looked me in the eye and asked, “Why are you struggling? We must  recognize that God gave us the most wonderful land in the world… save this country from those vultures!” All I could say was–

Yes, Ma’am!

LydiaSusanne

Lydia Susanne has conducted exclusive interviews with Israeli author Lela Gilbert, activist and lead singer of KANSAS John Elefonte, Todd Daniels of International Christian Concern, and Bob Fu of China Aid, among other notable subjects for PolitiChicks.com.

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