One In Jesus

Christians in a democracy: Foreign policy

One of the thornier issues that the American church must wrestle with is how the church should operate in a democracy. In fact, in the US, there are enough Christian voters that the church’s position on public policy issues really matters. Satan (and many politicians) are fortunate that the American church is politically divided. Were we ever to unite, we’d be the most powerful voice in American politics — which scares me. I mean, are we wise enough to have that kind of power? If so, I’ve seen precious little evidence of it.

So let’s start with that. If the obligation to love our neighbors — even our enemies — means anything, it surely means that we don’t take political positions and vote without bothering to do our homework and know what we’re really voting for or against. We can’t let ourselves be used — by the politicians or even by activists within the church. Just because someone says that asylum seekers will be criminals and rapists, well, we should check the facts. (And if you only read or listen to one side of the debate, you aren’t studying the question — you’re seeking affirmation.) Continue reading →

Wright on Justice

So we have to start with love. From there, we go to justice. Christopher Wright speaks first of believers who serve the state for God’s purposes.

First, they accepted the realities of the public sphere they became part of, in spite of all its ambiguity. Daniel and his three friends accepted a massive degree of cultural adjustment before they reached a line that they would not cross (Dan. 1). They accepted Babylonian names, Babylonian education in the Babylonian language, and entered Babylonian employment. Joseph obviously learned the language of Egypt so fluently that his own brothers did not know he was not a native (Gen. 42:23). Esther, though she had little choice in the matter other than martyrdom for refusal, accepted a cultural practice that must have been profoundly distasteful, and with Mordecai’s help came to see it as an opportunity to save lives.

Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission, Biblical Theology for Life, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 230 (italics in original).

Obviously, believers are not banned from government service. In fact, God has been known to use believers in government service to serve his purposes. Obviously, the government’s agenda will not always be God’s, and sometimes a government employee must refuse to honor a government directive — as Daniel refused to give up praying to YHWH and so was thrown into the lions’ den. Continue reading →

Christopher J. H. Wright includes in the church’s mission “justice (transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation).”

Boundaries

This requires some unpacking as well as some boundary setting.

Pacifism

First, I don’t want to wander off into yet another long discussion on pacifism, which we’ve covered here many times. I’m not sure it’s a fair reading of scripture to be against “violence of every kind.” But today is not the day to try to draw that boundary precisely.

The USA is not the Kingdom

Second, applying biblical principles to modern society is far harder than many imagine. For example, the modern analog to Israel is not the United States of America. It’s the church. The countless warnings and condemnations leveled by the prophets at corrupt government in Israel are targeted toward a kingdom ruled by God — not a secular state. But since the Kingdom of Heaven is not an earthly kingdom, the analogy doesn’t always hold. Not every command or warning can be applied to the Kingdom in its present state. Continue reading →

Repeat after me:

I will not use people in an effort to save them.

Again:

I will not use people in an effort to save them.

Got it? Jesus never used people. He never objectivized or instrumentalized them. He loved them even when he knew they wouldn’t be converted or even say “Thank you.” But neither was he an enabler. The people he helped really needed help. Continue reading →