they labor in vain

The problem with answering your question is that when you use the term Christian, you're using it in the general sense which encompasses a lot more than a billion people on the earth, including millions upon millions in the USA. As an example: roughly 40% of registered US voters are Republican and roughly 40% of registered US voters are Democrat. On the news, and through people we know, we always hear statements like, "Those Republicans/Democrats believe in this... or are doing that!!" How can one broad statement rightly express the beliefs of millions of people? I know it didn't for me, so I registered Independent. I was tired of one group of people telling me what I believed because I belonged to another group of people. I was often pre-judged, and they were often wrong. It's similar for Christians. What is Church History, for example? Is it Roman Catholic history? Or is it the history of churches that existed outside the Roman Catholic Church? Many authors lump it all together into one history and call it Christian History. Does this history define me today as a Christian? What does it all have to do with what Jesus did and believed? Your argument (A.I. Watcher) seems to be about the political Christian Right more than anything. Once, a long time ago, I went to a meeting of the Christian Right. I was not impressed. There was very little Jesus, and way too much politics. The Christian Right believes in passing laws that coincide with "their" beliefs and fighting against opposing laws. They often bring up that this nation and its constitution was founded on "Christian" beliefs. They feel they have a right to keep it that way (or bring the nation back to what they believe was the basis of its foundation -- "God"). I haven't seen any Christian in this forum who supports trampling on the rights of others and passing laws so that they can get their way and everyone else must suffer for their beliefs. A lot of people use "race" as an issue to work their way into Congress. A lot of people use dozens of other issues (environment, education, the economy, etc) to work their way into Congress. I think a lot of people in the conservative right also use Christianity in the same manner. I really have to wonder how many of these people REALLY believe in the issue they're defending/fighting, or is it just a tool to achieve their own selfish end? For me, personally, I think I better work on my own salvation and my own character first before trying to tell others how they should live. As Christians, we are not supposed to FORCE our beliefs on anyone (not even in a deceitfully round-about way such as politics). The Christians who do those types of things are actually insecure about many things, and I'd have to wonder about their faith. We are supposed to live by example, and quit trying to make things work by our own means; but instead, let God produce fruit in and through us -- not by force or selfish means. Be in the world; not of it. Let each person choose for themselves. Only by the grace of God will they make the right choice. We can't choose for them. Christians often use two extremes to try to win the world for Christ: 1) hell-fire-and-brimstone preaching or 2) the hyped-up easy-going love gospel. Whether we try to force holiness thru psychology or thru enforcing laws we pass, it won't ever be true holiness until people choose it for themselves. A lot of Christians understand this; unforuntately, not all of them. A.I. -- you ask a very good question. Perhaps this is the wrong group to ask. Thank God! "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it..." (Psalm 127:1)