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The power to give
•The
power to give reflects the nature of the Creator, where true power
finds its definition in the giving of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness to all persons, all of whom are made in God’s
image. This power to give is the nature of true government.
The power to live in the light
The power to live in the light means the
freedom to live openly and honestly in the sight of God and one another.
No darkness, no deceit, no hiddenness, no motivations by fear, no
ulterior agendas.
The power to love hard questions
The power to love hard questions reflects
the humility and confidence to embrace any and all questions honestly.
It equals the invitation to all citizens to be received into the
political process with graciousness and respect, regardless of their
views so long as civil order is honored. This freedom of dissent in the
marketplace of ideas creates the dynamic tension in which a
constitutional and democratic republic thrives.
The power of informed choice
The power of informed choice is the
genuine freedom to make good choices, based on the true definition of
terms necessary to distinguish good from evil. This reflects the power to
give where God’s
love does not force itself upon us, but comes by invitation. Religious
liberty is thus the first freedom and we affirm the ethics of persuasion
in civil discourse and we renounce all coercive and intolerant means. It
is the power of informed choice which makes
“the
consent of the governed”
possible.
The power to love enemies
The power to love enemies means our
recognition that those who oppose our persons or positions, in any
capacity, nonetheless deserve respect as image-bearers of God. It also
means that we renounce any dehumanizing language or actions in our
political partisanships.
The power to forgive
The power to forgive is the power to give in
the face of brokenness and betrayal. It is the grace to acknowledge our
common humanity, and to be merciful to each other, in the hope that all
people of good will can work more productively together to ensure a
healthy civil order.
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