Does Christian involvement in politics do nothing for the Kingdom?
Some Christians hold that our public presence as Christians should not display even a hint of politics. Here is their concern: that we'll replace the work of the cross with a works righteousness. But the goal of Christians being involved in the political sphere is not to build civic righteousness to commend a nation before God on the basis of their works. It's to ensure a just society.
This introduces one of three serious problems with this view.
1. Laws are not primarily meant to change hearts but to change behavior, and it does that very well.
According to 1 Peter 2:14, government is for "the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right." Romans 13:3-4 "For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil."
Proverbs has 14 references to justice, including:
* Prov. 20:8 "A king who sits on the throne of justice disperses all evil with his eyes."
* Prov. 21:15 "The execution of justice is joy for the righteous, but is terror to the workers of iniquity."
* Prov. 29:4 "The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man who takes bribes overthrows it."
Are we to be silent while others supply all the content of what is evil, leading to punishment, and what is right, leading to praise? What keeps them from doing just the opposite--the praise of evildoers and the punishment of those who do right? If the church does not stand in the gap, who does?
2. The term political is vague.
More and more things are falling under this broad rubric. With this policy in place, all one has to do to silence the voice of the church is to call any particular issue political. They've co-opted all the moral issues by calling them political.
These include:
* Abortion
* Stewardship of the environment
* Care of the poor
* Sex (including sexual education, birth control, sexual harassment, pornography--including child porn--and so-called alternate sexual lifestyles like homosexuality, lesbianism, man-boy love and incest)
* Divorce and child support
* Reproductive technologies
* Education of our children
* All morality in the public square
In the past it would have included the abolition of slavery in the 19th century and the civil rights movement in the 20th. The church is still being blamed for its silence during those times. Its silence in the face of injustice didn't communicate purity, but approval of slavery and racial prejudice.
When we are pushed out of these areas, what is there left to talk about? Modes of baptism, eternal security, sovereignty and free will, transubstantiation vs. real presence--that kind of thing.
We will be allowed to have our parochial discussions behind the closed doors of our churches, but we can speak of nothing that--in the minds of those we're trying to reach--has to do with the real world. Is it no wonder that our faith is called irrelevant?
Are we to believe that it is in keeping with the commands of Scripture to be silent as children of God on anything that doesn't directly have to do with the eternal salvation of souls? Is it God's desire that we abandon everything on this side of the grave as profane and utterly lost?
3. A properly constructed set of laws can change the heart.
How? A sound moral code--one that's consonant with "the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness," (Rom. 2:15) the internal capacity for moral development that God has given each person--tutors us on the notion of right and wrong.
Do you practice this in the moral education of your children? How do we train children?
When you undertake the moral training of your children, do you satisfy yourself with just merely telling them about the love and forgiveness of God so that their hearts might be changed, or do you "train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it," as the proverb instructs? (Prov. 22:6)
Would we not consider it unconscionable to neglect a child's moral instruction in that way? Certainly we'd never accept as justification for negligence in this area the excuse, "My rules can never change a child's rebellious heart; only the Gospel can do that."
Don't we give them rules to obey? Don't we threaten punishment for a violation of the rules? Don't we then expect that through a judicious application of these moral rules the children will develop the moral virtues they are merely acting out now because they're commanded to?
How is it that we believe in the transforming power of moral instruction in the family, but then admit that it's powerless to even inform the moral consciousness of a country, which is merely a large collection of families? It's made up of the very same people.
We cannot abandon our Christian responsibility to provide moral instruction in this nation to those who have no moral foundation to instruct from.
Instead of moral instruction, let us first pray without ceasing for our nation and it's leadership and then speak life in light of all the death, and love in lieu of all the selfishness.
We have the answers and our place is to lift up the answer, the lord Jesus and quit lifting up the God of This world and all his death!!
I find it interesting that it likens involvement in politics/government with training up a child. I do agree with the comparison, but think it's worth noting that many Christian parents DON'T train up their children. My observation is that many of the people who believe that the Church/Christians have no role in politics/government are also passive in other areas of their life. The attitudes and philosophies of a person are rarely isolated to a sole aspect of living. As much as we like to think we can compartmentalize things, the human mind is designed, to a certain extent, to synthesize our thoughts. Our minds will automatically integrate things that should be separate... Like w/ memory. It's proven fact that if there are a gaps in a memory that we have, that our minds are going to go searching for the missing pieces among our other memories and will "graft" them together, even if they don't belong together. And I believe that applies to things such as attitudes and philosophies, as well. The mind will naturally try to piece things together into a cohesive whole... So, if we decide to look at one aspect of life--polictics/goverment--in a passive way, our minds will naturally be linking that up to other areas of our lives.
On a bit of a side note (and perhaps I should start a new topic for this), I'd be curious to know what others' opinion are on reproductive technologies.
I received very little moral instruction as a child.I met christ after I was on my own.My two younger brothers do not go to church.The word all over it commands parents to raise children in the way that would serve god. Prayer has to go with moral instuction. Both at the same time. I went to the Lutherern church but my parents did not do what god would have them do.
Parents must teach the childern to serve god.
This will then effect what the children do in life. godly children vote for godly issues.They also run for office and make godly laws.:bow: All this goes with prayer. :prayingf:
It is not possible to seperate prayer and moral teachings. Maybe som of you could run for office and change the system.
