The term does seem to be seen in a negative light, consider some of the definitions found on the Internet for an "ideologue"
A person with a certain grand design or philosophical mindset of how the world should be. www.politi-geek.com/news-sources/
1. An impractical idealist: theorist. 2. An often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of particular ideology. [Merriam-Webster]
Individual with strong philosophical or ideological leanings. Generally unwilling to budge to compromise or work with others with differing views.
Google even added a very negative example to their definition -
i·de·o·logueAn adherent of an ideology, esp. one who is uncompromising and dogmatic: "a Nazi ideologue".
I find it quite ironic that anyone would say it is bad to have strong convictions and to make decisions based on them. Surely all have beliefs that they feel can't be compromised!
If you believe it is wrong to work all week and have your boss decide not to pay you, are you being an ideologue if you cry foul? Why not set aside your dogmatic view that you should be paid for all your work and compromise, maybe he will give you half of what your owed. The main thing is that you will not have been an ideologue, you will have shown that you are willing to set aside your rigid view of fairness for the sake of compromise.
Are compromisers what we all want in leadership? Do we want people who's only basis for making decisions is what they think might work, with no notion of right or wrong in any absolute sense?
Hitler may well have been an ideologue and his twisted notions of right and wrong led to many atrocities. However, the framers of our Constitution, those who have fought for our freedom and those who brought us through the most difficult times in our nations history, did so because they thought certain things were worth fighting for. Yes, they were "ideologues", so uncompromising in their stance on freedom, that they would risk even their lives for it.
It is not ideology or ideologues that are bad, even those who say they are against all ideologues, are being ideologues in reference to other ideologues.
Jesus seems to have intended that we act as ideologues as we do His will according to His word, without compromise!
Matt. 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (NKJV)
The issue is not will we be ideologues, we all will, especially when our rights or lives hang in the balance. The question is where do we get the truths that should not be compromised? When it comes to politics or anything else - the closer to the Bible's teaching someones beliefs are, the more I hope they will be elected and yes be ideologues!
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
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