Polichristians
I now officially have at least three people reading this blog, so I can move on.
Yay!
I have a question that I have asked people off and on before, because I have an opinion about it, and it's always good to check your opinions out to make sure they aren't bad opinions (Yes, an opinion CAN be bad. That's another post though.)
How deeply should a Christian be involved in politics / the government?
A while back I heard something on the radio which seriously got on my nerves. I got on the kind of rant that makes Lindsay roll her eyes and ask me if I actually want a heart attack at 29. A woman had called in to a talk show about a "great victory" local Christians had won over the school board concerning prayer in school. Apparently, the argument had been specifically over whether or not there would be a prayer before football games. The school board had finally decided that a prayer would be allowed before the game, as long as a school employee or board member was not the one praying.
So basically, they set a precedent that the school gets to decide who can pray and who can't. What's more, the school actually banned certain people from praying in certain situations.
Congratulations.
First of all, since when do we have to get someone's permission to pray? If I walked into your home and told you that I was allowing you to sit on your own couch, what would you say to me? Christians in this country have gotten too caught up in the idea of "rights." Anytime local or federal government makes a decision which appears unfavorable to the church, Christians jump up to defend our rights. A school decides that students can't have a bible study on campus. The local church rushes in to protest, or even sue the school. Federal buildings are removing plaques displaying the ten commandments, all mention of God is being removed from anything relating to the government, and some Christians are afraid that someday we won't even be allowed to worship.
So what?
Look at the apostles. How many rallies did first century Christians have in order to reform the anti-Christian attitude of the Roman government? Very few, as they were too busy spreading the gospel. My answer to people who ask, "What happens when we aren't allowed to worship anymore?" is, "Probably we will go to jail, and still be exactly where God wants us."
So, how involved should a Christian be in trying to affect and change the government? On the other hand, we should be compassionate to others, and if we feel the government is making decisions that hurt people, should we try to put an end to it? Can you even be compassionate at a federal level? Am I missing something here?
Yay!
I have a question that I have asked people off and on before, because I have an opinion about it, and it's always good to check your opinions out to make sure they aren't bad opinions (Yes, an opinion CAN be bad. That's another post though.)
How deeply should a Christian be involved in politics / the government?
A while back I heard something on the radio which seriously got on my nerves. I got on the kind of rant that makes Lindsay roll her eyes and ask me if I actually want a heart attack at 29. A woman had called in to a talk show about a "great victory" local Christians had won over the school board concerning prayer in school. Apparently, the argument had been specifically over whether or not there would be a prayer before football games. The school board had finally decided that a prayer would be allowed before the game, as long as a school employee or board member was not the one praying.
So basically, they set a precedent that the school gets to decide who can pray and who can't. What's more, the school actually banned certain people from praying in certain situations.
Congratulations.
First of all, since when do we have to get someone's permission to pray? If I walked into your home and told you that I was allowing you to sit on your own couch, what would you say to me? Christians in this country have gotten too caught up in the idea of "rights." Anytime local or federal government makes a decision which appears unfavorable to the church, Christians jump up to defend our rights. A school decides that students can't have a bible study on campus. The local church rushes in to protest, or even sue the school. Federal buildings are removing plaques displaying the ten commandments, all mention of God is being removed from anything relating to the government, and some Christians are afraid that someday we won't even be allowed to worship.
So what?
Look at the apostles. How many rallies did first century Christians have in order to reform the anti-Christian attitude of the Roman government? Very few, as they were too busy spreading the gospel. My answer to people who ask, "What happens when we aren't allowed to worship anymore?" is, "Probably we will go to jail, and still be exactly where God wants us."
So, how involved should a Christian be in trying to affect and change the government? On the other hand, we should be compassionate to others, and if we feel the government is making decisions that hurt people, should we try to put an end to it? Can you even be compassionate at a federal level? Am I missing something here?
posted by Zach at 6:08 AM
4 Comments:
I'm not sure Scripture tells us how much to be involved in our government...there were no democracies then. But we are told to obey whatever governing body we're under.
For an extreme case take Daniel. Told not to pray. Prayed anyway. Tossed in lion's den. God spared him.
With regard to affecting change in the government, Christians have made wonderful impact historically. Slavery, civil rights, and other social horors have been eliminated (or at least legislated against) through legitimate governmental channels.
We live in a representative republic which does not mean that we directly make laws. We vote for people who we think will represent us well and then they change things in the government. Our greatest involvement (at least at a national level) is in the ballot box.
But I do think we blend the pulpit and the pundit too much. When pastors give up their pulpit on sunday morning to a political candidate who gives their stump speech I get enraged. Like steaming mad. If some politician wants to get up there and PREACH, more power to them, but shame on pastors who negate the preaching of God's word in the name of political activism.
I also think that we find 'victory' in the wrong things. Victory in God's kingdom is sinners saved by grace. But we also have to balance the fact that we are to be impacting the world around us in a beneficial way just as Christ did. We have been sent out just as the Father sent the Son. He ministered to physical and spiritual needs and so should we. But I think that is probaby done better in concert with legislation rather by it alone. We don't need the government to impact our world with the love of Christ, but we are fortunate to live in one that pretty much gives us the freedom to do it.
Wow. That was really long. sorry.
I can't compete with you brainy writers, but I like what I'm reading. It seems to me that throughout history, humanitarian change usually came through one individual lighting a fire under many. The same for change throughout Christian history. But I don't know that I would label what they did "politicking," I think it was a passion God placed in one person to initiate change. Like He did in the O.T.
I think Christians look at the anti-Christian movement in all levels of American govt. and culture and forget that God is sovereign over our leaders. You used the right word, Tinkerboxer, Christians get 'afraid.' How could God be sovereign over our local schools, when they legislate against prayer, they wonder? The school board victory is a hollow one. But on the other hand, should believers shy away from making their opinion known to local govt. about the fact that not EVERYONE is against prayer in school?
I like Abraham Vema's approach to change. He doesn't get involved with politics, he gets involved with politicians. Lead the politicians of the world to the Living Water one at a time and let Him change hearts at a federal level.
the issue of school prayer is kind of a complicated one. obviously, no one is saying you CAN'T pray. it's not like people can duct tape our mouths or tell us we can't pray out loud. it's a protected form of speech. the issues start to arise when it becomes a "public" prayer. I don't know a better way to say it, but that doesn't quite capture it, sorry. maybe later I'll think of a better word.
What I mean is: for example: anyone can pray whenever they want to at a football game (still not sure why prayer at football games is so important as a cultural phenomenon, weird), but when someone is praying over a loudspeaker, paid for with state and federal dollars, and only one religion is represented, that's where things get tricky. the idea being that, since the school owns the equipment, it could appear that the school or district approves of one religion over another, or is condoning the intermingling of church and state.
of course, there's other considerations, too. when I was in college, I took a class on the First Amendment and free speech. Religious speech was one of the biggies we spent a lot of time on, and we actually looked at Supreme Court cases dealing with exactly this kind of stuff.
As far as students not being able to have Bible studies on campus. this one to me, seems more cut and dried. ANY student-led club is allowed to meet on a public school campus, regardless of what kind of club it is - so a Bible study has as much right as the chess club as much as the gay students club. I'm surprised that school districts even fight this one. Now whether Christians should be suing, I don't know. I think even the ACLU would come to the defense of a Christian student group wanting to meet on campus.
One of the differences between the two is that for a student club, students are wanting individual rights granted to every other student in the school, with football prayer, it's a different issue. With the football prayer, (at least part if it) it's rights granted to one group at the exclusion of others.
Regardless, even if none of that was allowed, it doesn't make us any less followers of Jesus. Is a "victory" worth it if we've alienated people from the cause of Christ just so we have our "rights?" I guess that's the part that's more important to me. How we go about it makes a big difference, no?
kristen
I am so with you brother. I just wrote a piece on this very issue. It's on my blog. I think I called it "I don't like James Dobson" You mirrored everything I was thinking about when I wrote this. It really freaks me out. Must be a "god thing" I don't think we were put here to argue ad infintum about the color of the walls in hell. Our world is temporary and it is supposed to have emnity for us. I think Christians need to check their faith when their orientation is making this a nice big cushy world for us. "We are not OF this world" This is not supposed to be a time share in Cancun, it's Siberia and if it feels all lovey and nicy and good...check which team you are playing for. Early Christians didn't lobby the Senate when they were being torn apart by lions and we don't have it nearly as bad. It's so nice to find other christians who are not afraid to question the status quo!!
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