A
friend of mine recently commented that she was having a difficult time
reconciling her Christian faith’s directive to submit to government with the
direction America is heading. She’s not alone. I’ve wrestled with this same
conflict for months. I believe America is headed for violence. I hear people
talk about political polarization as if it were simply a misunderstanding.
Liberals and conservatives aren’t speaking different languages; they are from
different planets. Early in our history North and South failed to recognize the
same alienation and 600,000 men died. Imagine what we can do now that we are no
longer using muzzle-loaders.
The
scripture teaches, “Submit yourselves to
every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as
supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the
will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of
foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty as a cloke of maliciousness,
but as servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour
the king.”
There
is no distinction made between a government we agree with and one with which we
disagree; nor a distinction between a nation where we have a voice and one in
which we do not. The Bible assures us that there are both good and evil kings.
However, there is no directive to honor one but not the other. In fact, the
opposite may be true. Jesus taught that, “ye
resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a
mile, go with him twain…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father in heaven…”
The biblical remedy is to come out from among them and be
separate. We must obey the law, but we need not be complicit in sin. We need
not support a government that ignores the law that it may chase after
corruption. Practically speaking, what can we do?
Be vocal
in opposition. Christianity
has no “Thumper” clause. “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything
at all” has no roots in the scripture. Jesus never hesitated to speak because
His comments might offend. Warn, without forced compliance; this is as it
should be.
Be different from the world. Dare to
shun pierced eyelids and tattoos. Have the intestinal fortitude to “hang out”
with bible thumpers. Sure, Jesus went to dinner with sinners. However, the
conversation around the table was: “Come unto me; go and sin no more; and repent
for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Don’t be afraid to be called a racist,
homophobe---testify!
Do you want to strike a blow for
Christianity? Start keeping the Sabbath. Go home for dinner after church. Have
friends over and talk about the scripture. Meditate on God. Take a nap and
actually rest. Keeping your wallet away from Applebee’s and Wal-Mart every
Sunday will change the world.
In short, start a revolution of
revival and restoration of the beliefs we hold dear. Put on a long-sleeved
shirt and tie or a full length skirt and cause a stir among the pierced eyelid
crowd. Refuse to get a tattoo. Sing from a songbook. You know; get radical and
act like you’re saved.
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