Christians Must Stop Seeing Politics as 'Evil' Says Former Congressional Candidate
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Christians Engaged
May 8, 2024
LAKE MARY, Fla., May 8, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- A former congressional candidate says Christians must stop viewing politics as "inherently evil" and be bolder in speaking out in the political arena.
"All parts of our culture, especially politics, need followers of Jesus to be involved within the system," said Bunni Pounds, founder of nonprofit ministry Christians Engaged (www.ChristiansEngaged.org). (Watch the promo video here: https://youtu.be/t62TujtAaMA )
"Get involved somewhere," said Pounds, a committed evangelical Christian. "The founders of our nation gave us a gift in our Constitution, but our liberty requires our participation."
In her new book, "Jesus and Politics: One Woman's Walk with God in a Mudslinging Profession," Pounds draws on her own experiences in politics to identify six things she's learned as both a politician and a Christian.
- Politics is not 'inherently evil'
"Politics is not inherently evil or wrong. It is necessary," Pounds says. "I would even consider it a godly struggle. If the church does not speak up when our government is redefining marriage, sanctioning the legal killing of unborn children, (and) running up debt into the trillions of dollars, we're being disobedient."
- Worship God even in defeat
"In my heart I knew I was losing, and I suddenly realized that the next Tuesday I would have to be at the polls all day greeting people and asking for their votes, all while knowing that I would not be successful," Pounds says. "The painful disappointment, shame, loss, and embarrassment – ultimately my own failure – hit me like a ton of bricks. As I listened to the beautiful worship songs that night, I allowed myself to feel – really feel – the pain of the race since the runoff had begun."
- Always put the gospel first
"We engage in politics to protect our liberties and to strengthen America," says Pounds, "but we cannot use that as an excuse not to share the story of Jesus."
- Never forget the power of prayer
"The American church must go back to simply talking with God," Pounds says. "We can't survive a year, a month, or even a week if we don't talk to him. We forget that we can regularly talk to God about our national burdens and about specific people – even government officials, people in the news, and God forbid, our enemies."
"After returning from Romania, I put the TV away and stopped my daily consumption of talk radio shows as well. Just like that. I then enjoyed the quiet. When I cut out as many of the voices that were filling my thoughts as I could without putting my head in the sand," Pounds says, "I realized that I could hear God exponentially more clearly."
"It's clever how pride sneaks into our lives and how quickly it enters political activity," says Pounds. "I've seen Christians suddenly think really highly of themselves after getting their pictures taken with the governor. It took me a long time to deal with the hurt and betrayal I experienced during my campaign for Congress. I finally knew I was free when anger stopped spewing out of my mouth every time I talked about the race."
Bunni Pounds is the founder of Christians Engaged (www.ChristiansEngaged.org), which aims to reach and activate a million Christians to pray, vote, and engage before the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. Her new book is titled "Jesus and Politics: One Woman's Walk with God in a Mudslinging Profession."
MEDIA: To arrange interviews, or for other inquiries: Gregg Wooding, 972-567-7660 [email protected]. View online press kit.
SOURCE Christians Engaged
