I have lived a long time,
and I cannot remember any time in my life when politics was as divisive or as
scary. Our gradual cultural change from a standard of absolute right and wrong
to moral relativism has left us without any rudder. Ethics and morals have been
surrendered to whatever one can get away with. Both liberal and conservative
politicians now seem to have transformed what should be well-meaning
disagreements about what is best for the country and how best to fix it, into
seeing the opposition as genuine enemies of the country. Following this lead,
paranoia runs rampant among voters. I don’t understand the inability of people
to realize that reasoning together requires, at the least, an honest attempt at
objectivity - opening our minds to actually listening and trying to find mutual
goals and possible mutual strategies to solving problems.
I have come to question the underlying understanding of Christians whose
politics have become as imperative as their faith. How deeply should we be
involved? Ultimately, is politics really where Christians should be putting
their intensity?
How does an attitude of hatred from a certain segment of the Church reflect a
Jesus whose message was one which taught us that if someone hits us on one
cheek, we should offer him the other as well. He told us to forgive our enemies
and pray for them - to do good to those who would treat us badly. Is this what
we are doing? The current actions and attitudes on the part of many calling
themselves Christian may be one of the reasons Christians are not taken
seriously by the rest of the world, and offers a valid reason for them to cry,
“Hypocrites!”. If the unbelievers of the world have lost their objectivity,
surely it is important that we Christians retain ours. Do our words and actions
reflect the kindness and humility of a genuine follower of Christ? Have we
become so paranoid (on either political side) that we have also lost our
spiritual focus? If there has been a true regeneration of the soul, people
would be growing more Christ-like, not more like the world. A lot of bad stuff
is being done in the name of Christ which has no connection with Christ at all,
and the reputation of the Church is suffering.
Yet, even true believers are not always judicious about their politics. I truly
don’t understand why Christians are so deeply involved in politics of either
stripe. Scripture clearly teaches us that we are to be IN this world, but not
OF it. I believe this implies a careful making of choices and a degree of
moderation regarding secular systems. Of course I believe we should vote, and
try to vote intelligently. We are to render to Caesar, etc., and there are
certainly activities in which our faith and our politics may meet. We are to
have a servant mentality, and this may call for compassionate involvement in
social issues. We are to be salt and light in the world, and this means working
for the things we believe, like feeding the hungry, education, preserving life,
and so on. I get that. We are saved by grace, but toward good works. (Read the book of James) However, our good works and our consciences should be fueled by the
depth of our faith, designed to reflect God’s love. Law merely reflects the
current political thinking of a nation, which may or may not represent good.
While we are to obey secular law, our primary allegiance should be to serve
God.
The troubling thing to me is the intensity many Christians put into our
politics; the anger and demonization we direct at our political opponents, just
like the world. If we speak of spiritual things, the conversation remains calm
and cerebral. If we talk about politics, everyone becomes intensely emotional.
What does this say about the reality of our true priorities? It seems to me
that the passion should be on the side of our faith. There is a fine line, and
we need to be sure we have not crossed it.
Who or what is a Christian? We are those who profess to believe that it is
through the grace of God and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we
may have reconciliation with God. He has offered Himself as a sacrifice in our
place to atone for our sin. We are forgiven on the basis of faith and by God’s
free gift to us of grace, not by works, so that no man can claim he has earned
his way to heaven. We are surrounded by millions of people who do not
understand any of this and whom we say we believe are doomed to an eternity
outside the presence of God if they don’t hear and accept the Gospel. What is
our primary responsibility to these people? Should not eternal issues take
precedence over temporal ones? Eternity is a long time, and who will tell them
of their need and of God’s solution if we don’t? Do we really believe all this,
or are we trying to fool God and ourselves about the real basis and depth of
our faith? Is the issue of gun control more important than the eternal destiny
of my neighbor? Is economics more important than salvation? Do we forget Who is
ultimately in charge? “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the
purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.” (Psalm
33:10,11)
As Christians we understand that there is a lot of injustice in the world, and
that people need to change. We also know from scripture and observation that it
is impossible to change a person from the outside. History, as well as
religion, has taught us that internal goodness cannot be legislated into
existence; change must come from transforming the inner man. Politics attempts
to legislate external goodness in various forms. Prohibition was one instance
when people attempted by law to curtail the negative consequence of alcohol on
society, and we all know how effective that was.
True change to the culture will only come when people’s hearts are transformed
- when we understand that God is a reality, and that there are consequences to
our behaviors whether or not we even believe in Him. If enough people began to
live the precepts which were taught by Christ, many of these social issues
which we are trying to address through politics would fall automatically into
place. This is when social justice would become a reality. Christians claim to
know that it is the inner man which is most important. Then why are we putting
our energy into the secular solutions of politics? It is like putting a cast on
a broken leg without first setting the leg. It may be better than nothing, but
wouldn’t it be smarter to address the root problem if we can? Sin is the root
problem; the only solution is through Christ. As Christians we should know
this… so why are we trying to come at things backwards? It doesn’t have to be
either/or, but our best effort should be going into spiritual issues rather
than secular ones.
It is the Judaeo-Christian ethic which has held this country together and given
it its moral compass. All our secular law was originally based on the
principles found in the Ten Commandments and the precepts of Christ’s teaching:
the rights of the individual balanced by his responsibilities toward others,
the lawful protection of life and property, the innate dignity and worth of
every human being. Nothing in Christ’s teaching negates the fundamental
principles of the Law; indeed, He is a living fulfillment of the Law. Our
Founding fathers acknowledged the wisdom and moral truths of God’s precepts.
While in the history of this country we have not been completely righteous
(slavery, etc.), without the early influence of people who acknowledged the
legitimacy of God’s sovereignty, we would have had moral anarchy. In recent
times the secular culture has abandoned any acknowledgment of God’s existence,
and this only leads to the dissolute chaos which is even now descending on this
nation. We have forgotten that it has been obedience to a good God by devoted
Christians and Jews in past times which has founded schools, hospitals,
orphanages, organizations like the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and so on. We
need to continue doing all this, but for the right reasons… not because of
politics, but because we are children of the living God.
As Christians, our first allegiance is to God and the furthering of the Gospel,
not to a political party or to any human individual. The very word Gospel is
now being misinterpreted in some places to mean social justice. It is not.
Social justice may be an end-result of the Gospel, but the Gospel is about the
good news of Christ’s gift to us of salvation through His death and
resurrection, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in committed lives.
Are there gross inequities in our national fabric? Absolutely. Do things need
to be changed? You bet! The question for Christians is this: how best do we
accomplish these changes? If we feel that change is more permanently
accomplished through external forces like law and politics, then I must
question how much we really believe about the transforming power of Christ and
the Gospel. It seems to me that if we are really believers, we will know where
our priorities lie.
Do we believe that God is in control? Do we believe that He has a plan for this
nation, and that He is capable of working it all out to His specifications?
There are those among us who believe that the rapture is near. If so, we should
be working hard for the Lord so that when He does come, He will not find us
sleeping. We need to be prepared. We should be working with as much vigor and
strength as we can muster to bring as many as possible into the Kingdom. Whose
servants are we? Do we have a higher calling than merely being good citizens of
this earth? We are told it is impossible to serve both God and the world. Which
will we choose, and what are the implications of our choice?
- Barbara Greenhow
Provided by "Christian Women Online"