EVIL
LEADERS IN BIBLE TIMES
Firstly,
I believe that the New Testament passages about how God’s people should treat
government were written under the evil administrations of several Caesars, all
but one of whom were bisexual, threw lavish orgies, had a military that allowed
open homosexuality, taxed their citizens heavily, used tax monies for horrible
immoralities and idolatries, were heavily and increasingly in debt, were
increasingly anti-Christian, and had an over-expanded military, fighting rebels
in foreign lands who were attacking the Roman army because they were in their
territories. Sound familiar?
Virtually
all governments and their leaders have been evil over time; fallen and broken
people create fallen and broken systems and use them for their own advancement.
Romans 13:3 says that the government’s role is to punish evil – that has to
mean the punishment of universally recognized criminal evil through the
enforcement of the crimes code (the sword). The passage doesn’t address
philosophically-based evil on which societies differ, such as homosexuality,
slavery, and abortion, which were all practiced by the Roman government.
Francis Schaeffer failed to address this sufficiently in his A Christian
Manifesto. Paul knew those evils existed, and were supported by tax
monies, but didn’t exhort Christians to rise up against it because the Roman
government was endorsing evil. So, according to Romans 13, our God has
worked through the American people to give them a President they deserve.
Obama is the servant of the Lord; perhaps unwitting as were Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar,
by nonetheless His servant.
AMERICA
IS NOT ISRAEL
Secondly,
America is not Israel. America is not God’s country. America is not
“my people called by my name.” American pastors are not Old Testament
prophets who receive messages and ultimatums from God (other than the written
Word) and have a divine right to command kings. Further, the US
government is not leaving Christians without options or forcing us to do evil;
we don’t have to worship idols, we are not forbidden to pray, or to meet, or to
share our faith, or to have a float in the parade, or to have concerts.
Pastors don’t have to officiate gay marriages. Our churches still enjoy
all kinds of tax benefits from local, state, and national governments.
That may all change in decades to come, but we are not there yet.
WHO
WILL HELP THE POOR?
Side
point: Sodom’s sin wasn’t just sexual. Although it isn’t popular to say
so, one could argue that even the American Church has committed one of the sins
of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:49). Our affluent white suburban churches have often
neglected the poor and yet don’t want a government that does either. When
compassion dies in the Church (or the Church itself dies), socialism will rise
in culture. We are in an era where caring for your fellow man is a core
value in Western culture. America is being increasingly influenced by the
collectivist values of its third-world immigrants, and by the “Progressive”
ideas of intellectuals and youth who believe, pursuant to evolution, that
social collectivism is the highest evolved form of economic-political
philosophy (and no, Obama is very far from being anything like a communist).
WE
HAVE THE VOTE AND REPRESENTATION
Thirdly,
today’s Americans are not in a similar situation to our colonial
forefathers. In the mid-1700s, they had a demented king and a timid
Parliament in which they had no representation. Americans have chosen
their current President; Americans have chosen their current Senators,
Representatives, and Governors. We have full representation and the
American political process is still a stunning model for the world to see – it
works so well (take it from one who lives in Africa!). I was privileged
to be in America as the process took place November 6.
The
colonials were in a position where King George had abdicated government by
declaring the colonies out from his protection in 1775. They were moving
swiftly to create governments and militias to avoid being overthrown by a
foreign British power. The term “revolution” was given to us by the French
when they pursued their mindless debacle decades later. American
Christians don’t rise up and throw off a leader they disagree with – they vote
(how many of you know what percentage of true believers voted this
time?). And if your man is never elected because his views and yours are
in the minority, what can you do? That leads to the last point …
THE
ROOT TROUBLE & SOLUTION
We
mustn’t be angry with Barak Obama. He is a reflection of what the
American people want … times two. We might be angry with the way American
society is heading, but ultimately that falls right back into the laps of
Christians, doesn’t it? The salt has lost its savor; our light is barely
shining. Ask Barna. America used to have a strong Judeo-Christian
consensus, even though you could argue that they were simply God-fearing people
rather than actually Christian. With the rise of Liberalism in the 1800s,
America moved to a moralist model based on notions of love and the Golden
Rule. In the 1950s we began to lose even the moralist model. Now
the great moralist-capitalist middle has all but disappeared, and America is
sharply polarized.
I
think perhaps we have failed to do the hard thing, the right thing, and one of
the first things. We have failed to live in a contagiously refreshing way
in our communities (but have isolated ourselves from it in our churches and
schools, and are known for political anger more than being socially helpful),
and we have failed to share our faith one by one. The gospel alone
changes people and society; as many individuals change from the inside out, the
whole is made right.
I
am glad for this wakeup call for the church … although we heard it four years
ago and I am not sure much has changed. I think a Republican President
would make the Church even more comfortable and more apathetic. This
wakeup call is not a call to political action – to oppose the President and
those aligned with him. It is a call to mobilize God’s people to
relational evangelism – from the common man up to elected officials. You simply
can’t elect good Christians to office when the public despises Christians and
their ideas; or if they make it into office, they won’t stay there long if they
have good principles. I think that this is why some politicians resist
conversion; it would cost them everything. Until the Church repents and
begins to function, American politics will reflect our impotence.
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