Right ideas, wrong agent

Couldn't have said it better myself:

Because evangelicals have too closely aligned themselves with political agendas, instead of the Scripture-derived social mission of the church, two camps have emerged over the past few decades. On the one hand, you have the "Christian-means-Republican" camp where many biblical imperatives are pursued through legislation and government force, and on other hand, you have the pathetic economics and theocratic biblical theology of the prophetical left in the likes of guys like Bono, the One Campaign, and so on. Both camps pursue the same method, except that "the right" might start with the Pentateuch and Romans whereas "the left" might begin with the Prophets and the Sermon on the Mount. Both turn to government instead of the church to do the work of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom advances through hearts, not halls of power. There are many things wrong with coopting government to work the church's mission, not least of which is that using state force to coerce external virtue robs the exercise of the joy found in willing submission to God's plan.

(HT: Evangelical Outpost)