The disengaged political force

The disengaged political force - Bill Wilson -

www.dailyjot.com

 

George Barna of the American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI) has conducted a recent study that shows there are three types of people impacting the social landscape in America-the liberals, the conservatives, and the disengaged. Barna believes the disengaged sector are the greatest threat to America because they just don't care about whether the country is headed in the right or wrong direction. Barna writes, "But another crucial component of our national stalemate is the large share of the voting-age population that is disengaged from the multifaceted battle of worldviews. These people are the tiebreakers. But they refuse to show up."

 

Barna says there are two key segments of the disengaged. He says, "The first is those who have moderate views-i.e., obstinate ambivalence-on both politics and theology (31% of the adult population). They will not take stands on the important issues of the day, from immigration to abortion, from the veracity of the Bible to the role of Jesus Christ in modern life. The second segment is people who are not registered to vote and pay little attention to political news and information (21%). There are times when all of us get frustrated with the political system and its players, and harbor ill-will toward the biased media. But rather than work through the garbage and distortions in the pipeline, the disengaged retire from the game altogether."

 

ACFI studies reveal that irrespective of whether people are conservative or liberal, Christian or non-Christian, Millennial or Boomer, or whether a person of color, Americans are eager to improve America because they have a healthy distrust of government. Barna says, "Six out of ten Americans are angry about the state of the nation. Two out of three contend that the government cannot be trusted to do what is in the best interests of the country. Seventy percent say that government has too much control over our lives. Huge majorities of the people argue that the United States is moving in the wrong direction on at least three important fronts: politically, morally, and culturally."

 

Barna wrote that when asked to make a choice between capitalism and socialism, a majority of the disengaged (56%) said they had no preference. He says, "Part of the challenge may be their lack of information. Whereas two-thirds of the engaged population follows news about politics and governance "a lot" or "quite a bit", few of those who are Disengaged pay attention to such information. These are the people who don't know and don't care. Their failure to participate in the battle for the nation's future is paralyzing us all." This is why The Daily Jot informs readers with an eye toward equipping and encouraging action. Christ said in Matthew 28:19, "Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Don't feel comfortable in the four walls of your church. Get engaged. Be salt and light.