waltondammerung

Bad Hillsdalian

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that politics and my faith are two major interests in my life. Lately, I've been rethinking how they should effect each other in my life and what a biblical role for Christians and the chuch is in politics. I have begun to wonder whether the biggest danger to the spiritual state of the Church in our day is really the moral relativism and complete disregard for the holiness of God's word that have seeped into the Church. While those things are certainly a huge problem, they stand in stark contrast to the Word of God in a way that is usually apparent to those who take that Word literally. What is a little more insidious and subtle is the transformation of the church into a political action group. I promised my friend Sharon months ago that I would write a blog entry containing my thoughts on the subject, but I've been having trouble formulating them into something brief enough to fit the format. Today, I ran across the book, Why Government Can't Save You: An Alternative to Political Activism by John MacArthur. He pretty much summed up my concerns much more succinctly and eloquently than I could have done. The following is an excerpt from his indroduction:

"I'm concerned about the prevailing mindset that makes political and social activism the primary business of Christianity and reduces faith in Christ to just another political force. Here are a few ways I believe this current trend has inflicted serious harm on the cause of Christ and crippled the effectiveness of evangelism.

"First, by looking to human means to reform society and establish Christian values, we've denigrated God's sovereignty over human history and events. Imagine what the world must think of our God. Do we think Him so weak and incapable of caring for us that we prefer using protests and political pressure rather than the spiritual resources He offers? And do we believe He has lost control and we have to get it back for Him?

"Second, seeking to bring biblical values to our culture by changing it through fleshly means is a selfish pursuit. The truth is, God never intended for us to be at ease with our culture. What effect will our being comfortable in our culture have on the eternal destination of the men and women in our communities who don't know Christ? Rather than demanding our rights and creating for ourselves a world where we feel safe and accepted, we need to see the deep spritual needs of the world an concern ourselves with offering people hope through Jesus Christ. That's what being a living sacrifice is all about.

"Third, by trying to establish Christian values through earthly methods, we risk creating a false sense of morality. Forcing people to adopt our biblical standards of morality only brings superficial change and hides the real issue--sin and their need for rebirth in Jesus Christ. When people of this world face God's judgment, their 'traditional Christian values' won't matter at all--only how they responded to Jesus Christ. That's why pursuing outward change at the expense of inward transformation is both a nearsighted and deadly choice.

"Finally, by making activism our priority, we fashion a reputation as rabble-rousing malcontents and foster hostility toward unbelievers that alienates us from them, and them from us. We need to let go of the notion that culture and government are the enemy. It's simply wrong to blame our country's moral disintegration on political parties, liberal conspiracies, or biased media. They have never been the root of the problem. They are the mission field, not the enemy.

"Yes, the world is sinful, but must we act surprised or shocked by its sinfulness? How else could sinners act? They are blinded by the powers of darkness and have no spiritual discernment. That's why it's foolish to expect human institutions to produce the kind of righteousness and justice that only God can effect. We can't look to government to uphold or enforce our biblical standards for living. We must do it through consistent, holy living and through the bold proclamation of His Word by the truly redeemed church. When we make that our focus, we'll stop treating the unconverted as our enemy and begin seeing them compassionately as our mission field. Indeed, we are in a battle, but it is a clash of spiritual kingdoms, a battle in which we must use the spiritual weapon of divine truth."