Razor Thin

Mar 17

The already razor thin Republican majority in the U.S. House continues to dwindle. While the GOP technically maintains a 218-214 edge, there are dozens of Members (from both parties) who will not be running for reelection. This number now includes Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX), who announced he will not be running for reelection after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a staffer who later took her own life.

Further complicating the partisan dynamic in the U.S. House, Rep. Kevin Kiley (CA) announced he is leaving the Republican party, effective immediately, to become an Independent. While Rep. Kiley will continue caucusing with Republicans, it remains to be seen if this change impacts the GOP’s ability to approve legislation in the chamber.

Analysis and eternal perspective: There is an idiom in DC: “Political capital lasts about six weeks.” In our technological age, the saying may need updated to read, “six minutes.” Even in a political “trifecta” environment (where the White House and both chambers of Congress are held by the same party, as is currently the case), the partisan dynamic is constantly changing.

As The Equipped community, this is yet another reason to intentionally decline to place any security in political outcomes. As we often remind ourselves, American citizens are blessed with the freedom to self-govern (Galatians 5 speaks of a Creator-endowed longing for freedom), and we should faithfully exercise that liberty. In doing so, however, we should be mindful to avoid the trap of believing that any government of men or any political power is a gatekeeper for that freedom. True freedom is found only in and through relationship with Jesus Christ, and as you revel in the blessings of engaging in a self-governing republic, you remain most secure when you anticipate the inevitability of an ebb and flow in partisan fortunes.

Through it all, the one true God is on the throne!

“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne” (Ps. 47:8).

The preceding article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

Razor Thin

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