Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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The night God was booed

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They booed God

DNC Booed God

A recent article in the Christian Post describes events at the Democratic National Convention where delegates booed when it was announced that the word God was added to the party platform.

Supporters of the Republican Party (GOP) will most likely point to this event in an effort to garner support for their own candidates. After all, who wants to be a supporter of the party that booed God?

But is the GOP the answer?

Problem in the culture

The sad thing is that our culture boos God every day. People of both parties boo God, if not in word, then by action. We boo God when we . . .

  • ignore God’s revelation to man in the form of Scripture
  • allow for the redefinition of institutions given to us by God
  • ignore God’s principles on taking care of the poor among us
  • allow for the killing of innocent children because they are unplanned or inconvenient

Christians would do well to remember that no political party exists to further the claims of Christ and the mission of his church. We may each have an opinion of which party comes closer to supporting Christian ideals but we must keep in mind that neither party is Christian in its outlook.

In America, we’ve been given the freedom and the responsibility to vote to determine which candidates represent us in the political system. We should take this responsibility seriously and vote for the candidate that seems best qualified to address the issues we face.

Politics not the answer

Perhaps the DNC has done us a favor by being overt in their disdain of God and God’s principles. It should serve as a wakeup call to the church to remind us that politics is not where we should look for answers to what plagues our culture. The problem is not the DNC or the GOP, the problem is the rejection of God by a large percentage of our population. The Republican Party is not the safe haven we seek.

The addition of God in either party’s platform does nothing of benefit for those who do not wish to be in relationship with him. There is no magic in the addition of the word. Jesus said of the religious leaders of his day, “this people honors me with their lips but their hearts are far from me (Matthew 15:8).” Likewise we can say the right thing but do the wrong.

The problem with ancient Israel was not a failure to call on God. The problem was that they relegated him to one God among many gods. They included Yahweh in an effort to cover their bases, not because of special regard for him. In the same way, the addition or subtraction of the word God in the party platform could be seen as an effort to add God to the other gods society worships just to improve the odds of being elected.

Our only hope

The only hope for our society is for the Church to have a renewed commitment to fulfill the command to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). We make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them to obey the commands of Jesus. This is not a political process, nor does politics enable this process.

The Church will prevail against the gates of Hell when, and only when, she is the Church and ceases trying to be a faction in a political party.

Blessed are the meek – Part 2

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Ballot Box

#7 in the Sermon on the Mount series.

America will be holding a presidential election in 2012. As a result, political advertisements and discussions fill the airwaves and pixels of the news outlets. It is the way of politics to seek and to wield power and influence. It is not always the wisest voice that holds sway, it is often the loudest.

There are some who feel the church should enter the political process by competing for influence. Not long ago, I had a discussion with a man who was frustrated with our church because we do not band together with other churches to influence local elections. He felt that if we worked together, we could elect candidates favorable to the Christian viewpoint and Christian morality.

Now, I’m all for having candidates who are favorable to the Christian viewpoint. My concern is that by using the normal means of political influence, the church would be in violation of this beatitude.

Remember the Moral Majority? Every time the church has wielded political power, it has turned out badly for all. Based on how some church leaders have behaved over the years, and some of the things that have been said in the political arena, I can understand some of the skepticism of non-believers toward Christianity.

When was the last time you saw a candidate or a political pundit and thought to yourself, “now there is meekness on display.” Meekness isn’t electable. Meekness doesn’t sell airtime or internet advertisements. Meekness doesn’t wield power or influence.

Christianity turned the Roman world upside down, not through influence of elections or by a takeover of the political process, but by individual believers living out their faith in meekness and honesty.

The church’s mission is to make disciples. We are called to live out our faith and teach others why we live that way. We are not called to peddle influence or seek special protection or to organize voting blocks. My suspicion is that those in the church who would seek to influence the political process may be more concerned about their comfort than about accomplishing the task that Jesus has set us to do.

Jesus tells us that the meek will inherit the earth. As believers, we can trust that by living out our faith, by following Jesus’ command to love, by being ready to explain our faith, we can be used by God to accomplish his plan for humanity.

I am not saying that individual believers are not to be involved in politics or the political process. I am also not saying that political candidates should not be open about their faith or their motivation to pursue a particular legislative agenda. What I am saying is that it is not the role of the church and church leadership to be organizing voters or to be pursuing political power.

We are called to accomplish our mission in meekness and humility. The outcome is certain if we do. Why then should we allow ourselves to get drawn into a battle that is not ours to fight?

Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26:52, that those who take up swords will ultimately die by them. The same is true of political swords.

The meek, not the politically astute, not the people of influence, will inherit the earth. Humility wins the day.

An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians

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An Unholy Alliance

We are moving toward a presidential election year in the United States. As a result, the political pundits are ramping up their efforts to develop a market for their predictions. With this backdrop, when I read Mark this morning, Mark 3:6 grabbed my attention. In this verse there is a simple statement that the Herodians and the Pharisees formed an alliance to see if they could get rid of a common problem. That problem was Jesus.

The Pharisees and the Herodians each sought to partner with and use the other for their own ends. To the Herodians Jesus was a political nuisance; to the Pharisees he was a religious one. To both, he was a threat to their power and influence.

The Politicos

The Herodians were the pragmatic politicos of the day. They were for anything that would allow their patron, Herod, to remain in power. Sound familiar? We have hundreds of modern day Herodians in office today. Purporting to be public servants, they protect their political power often at the expense of the truth and the people they represent.

The Religious Elite

The Pharisees were the religious leaders. Not all of them had wrong motives, but their zeal to appear holy often put them at odds with Jesus. Their legalistic mindset caused them to misunderstand God’s program. They did not recognize Jesus because they were certain of their own understanding of God and Scripture. There is a sense that many of the Pharisees were also more concerned about their power and position than the truth. One doesn’t have to look very hard in Christendom to find such as these today.

The True Church

We know that governments exist because God has granted them authority (Romans 13:1). Yet it is through the Church and not through governments that God chooses to work out his plan for humanity. The church should be very wary of seeking or using political power to advance its agenda.

The church is the chosen instrument of God to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to a world which desperately needs it. It is through the preaching of the gospel that men can be brought into relationship with Jesus Christ. A person who is brought into relationship with Jesus Christ will be changed in the way he lives and ultimately in the way he votes. The church should have this type of indirect influence on the political landscape. She should not seek to have a direct influence by organizing a political pressure group or any other such efforts.

Why? The temptation to use political power for seemingly good ends is a dangerous proposition for the church. Every time the organized church has gained political power, it has gone badly for the church and society. I have written about his before in Thinking out loud – The Church and Political Process.

I am not saying that the church should be silent on the issues facing society today. We should be speaking clearly on what the Bible says on these issues. What I am saying is that as these issues are discussed, the focus should be on commending individuals to submit to the truth of God’s word.

We need to keep in mind that the problem in our society is not a political one, it is a spiritual one. To address the political process without first addressing the core issue of sin is to treat the symptom instead of the cause of the disease.

What do you think?

Going against the flow

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Swimming UpstreamIn reading the book of Isaiah, I get the sense that with the advent of electronic media, we have improved the speed of communication but not the quality of the content. Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun and this passage confirms it. Isaiah describes a nation that is in the midst of political turmoil. Sound familiar?

Here is the situation. The Kings of Samaria and Syria are threatening Jerusalem. The King of Judah is considering an appeal to Assyria for aid against these two kings. Isaiah speaks out against this proposed alliance and gets accused of treason.

Isaiah 8:12–15 (ESV)

12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

I would like to make a few observations on this text:

  • Speaking out against current political wisdom should not be viewed as conspiracy or treason. The error in that day, as is the error in our day, is to ignore God and rely on human wisdom. In current society, there is a drive toward eliminating any reference to God in public discourse.
  • The result of conventional wisdom is fear. A survey of political talk radio (left or right) in America demonstrates this. Both sides teach that if the other side gets or keeps power, certain destruction will result.
  • The faithful are not to give in to this fear or be in dread. God has not abandoned us or surrendered control.
  • If the faithful focus on God and are obedient to him, he will be our protection.
  • A majority of people in the culture will not understand this perspective and will view it as treason against the state.

The bottom line for me is that I choose to stay away from political speech that is designed to engender fear. My hope cannot be in the federal, state or local government. We cannot solve our problems without the help of God. We, as believers in the God of the Bible, need to be willing to stand firm and not give in to the fear that conventional wisdom engenders. We need to go against the flow.

I believe that the only thing that can save this nation from the death spiral that Rome and other great civilizations have experienced is a revival, a return to worship of the God of the Bible. The faithful need to place their hope in God alone and pray for revival or the speedy return of Jesus. I’m OK with either of these.

Maranatha

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