Turning Neither to the Right or the Left

A Commentary on Christian Worldview Post 2012 Elections

Joshua 23:6-9

⁶Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, ⁷ that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, ⁸ but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.

It should be obvious from an exegetical interpretation of this passage that “right hand” and “left hand” do not stand for right or left political views. However, metaphorically, it is clear that the righteousness of God’s laws cut right down the middle when it comes to the temptation of turning either direction away from or straying from the way of the Lord. 

The recent elections have not only polarized a national population away from one another, but more critical the issues at the center of debate have prompted heated discussion within the Church, among Christians. As I review sample blog articles or scan a few facebook posts this certainly reveals a growing trend. I am wondering as Christians form their various views and opinions, in which they draw swords with each other, if anyone is consulting the Scriptures? I am all for the discussion and even debate, since it can help us clarify our understanding, but for Christians we must labor to bring forth positions that faithfully articulate a biblical worldview. Christians, as well as their leaders, and future church leaders have a responsibility to embed their worldview in a solid biblical understanding or at least do the hard work of studying the Scriptures, in order to come up with one that attempts to truly represents what the Bible says. By this I do not mean a few selected proof texts lifted from their redemptive historical application. 

This is critical since no one political party, either right or left, fully captures a biblical response to many of the major issues. For example, whether it is same sex marriage, immigration, abortion or redistribution of wealth, every Christian must formulate their position clearly on the Bible. Few are the writings out there that really work through this process. All of us must be uncompromisingly committed to the whole Bible. If you possess a negative view of the Old Testament Law and desire to construct your beliefs only from the New Testament you will lack a full redemptive picture of God's revelation on many of these challenges facing the modern culture. I say this not because I am hopeful that such positions will become national policy, but more importantly because such positions will faithfully represent God's word in the public discussion. 

In the next few days I will attempt to post a few questions and thoughts that must be considered when formulating a biblical worldview on many of these issues. I understand that formulating a faithful approach will not be easy and the space of a blog article will not provide sufficient room to exhaust the discussion. However, it could prove helpful and that would be my goal. 

Gary Finkbeiner
Commentary on Biblical Worldview and Issues