Ever wonder if you are liberal or conservative?  How about a libertarian, a statist or even a centrist?  I bet many of you didn’t even know that these terms existed.  That’s ok – me either, until I started caring about politics a little more.

Now, do I think politics is the answer…NO!  The gospel message of Jesus is the answer.  BUT, I do believe in being informed about the government especially when they use terms that are hard to understand.  Why would they use terms that 90% of the population doesn’t get?  Well, I don’t like to point fingers or accuse people but it is easier to lead people without full disclosure.

If you can operate out of gray areas instead of black and white, you don’t get held to your decisions so much because no one can nail you down.  You can always lean on, “Oh, it’s just a misunderstanding.”  At Oak Leaf we try to explain what the Bible says without a lot of churchy terms.  If we use a churchy term it’s because we are teaching it to you.  It then makes that a word we can use to shorten communication.  You understand what it means when we say something.  That’s full disclosure.  That’s for your benefit and mine.

So when politicians use terms like “pragmatic liberal”, a “true conservative”, a “progressive liberal” – what does all that mean? NOBODY KNOWS.  When the American people become informed on meanings of words we become better able to make political decisions. So I got a little H.W. here for you.

I would love if you would click on the link below and take a little assessment.  It’s called the Nolan Chart.  It helps you understand which political beliefs you lean toward.    In doing so you can begin voting on terms you know and understand and not voting for politicians who are in the “Gray.”

Why is this so important?  It’s called INTEGRITY.  Anyone worth following is going to let you know exactly where they are and they will operate out of Black and White.  Because a good leader should not fear being held accountable….

Let me give you an example in closing…

Jesus.

Here’s just a couple of things he said.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Mat. 5:17

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Two very big and bold statements.  There is no Gray in them.

Take the time to discover your political preferences and let’s hold our leaders to who they say they are.

And if you’re brave enough, take the test and share your results in the comments section.