I am trying to put together in my mind what I see as a weakness in the American Christian's view of our government, and our expectations that we have in it. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what we expect, but I have something of a list, and I think it's fairly accurate if too short. It isn't to criticize American Christians; it is only to point out what I think could cause us to dive headlong into despair if we are to depend on a "righteous" government and not on Christ. We should always put our trust entirely on Christ, and not on our government. Humanity cannot govern perfectly, because we are not perfect, and because the power inherent in government appeals to the pride of man. Psalm 118:9, "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes," and Psalm 146:3, "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation," are verses that together express that very same thought. The following are ways that I see that because we have never known anything different, American Christians may be more part of the American culture than of the sheer biblical Christian culture that I hope and suspect is more prevalent worldwide:
1. We tend to assume that we are by our very American citizenship, because we are born here, entitled to freedom of religion (freedom to assemble for worship or Bible study, and acceptance of the fact that we are Christians), freedom of expression (regarding proselytizing, wearing expressions of faith on clothing, Christian radio stations, certain subjects in sermons, etc.), and that we would expect the government to promote family unity and allow us a choice in how our children are educated, such as homeschooling or private school as alternatives to public school. These expectations are because we have enjoyed them in the past; we have been raised with most of these freedoms. It is hard for us to imagine life here without them.
2. We tend to assume that our government should embrace and reflect our beliefs as belonging to the entire population, with the Ten Commandments in our courtrooms and parks, and with Christmas decor and Christmas carols in public places and with Christian beliefs reflected in our public schools, from prayer to Christmas break to Bible classes. The fact that God is Lord of all doesn’t mean that He will be acknowledged as such by earthly governments, or that our own government will continue to do so even though it has to various extents done so in the past.
3. We tend to assume that our government should legislate faithfulness to God by banning at least the extreme expressions of sin and rebellion: abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and the more accepted but no more acceptable other sins as well. These behaviors are becoming more and more sanctioned by our government as time goes on, and aren't likely to be reversed any time soon.
4. We tend to assume that it is our right to live physically comfortable and financially prosperous lives when in fact there is nothing of our faith or our lives that should cause us to expect such comfort. Most Christians throughout the world do not experience nearly the comfort that we Americans do. And there is nothing we Americans have done to deserve any more comfortable lives than anyone else, especially so many Christians in the most difficult circumstances elsewhere in the world. So many Christians not only live less comfortably but are persecuted while their government ignores or even originates the persecution.
It may be arguable that our government should honor some of these things, but it is unrealistic that we should be able to expect any government to actually do what it ought to. No Bible verse said that earthly, human government is a good thing, that governments wouldn’t be prone to being corrupt and doing evil. It was never assured that we could live in happy freedom under human government. In fact, it is clearly an accommodation of humanity’s demands that Israel ever got away with demanding an end to the theocracy that characterized the first part of their existence. There are various ways that American Christians might assume that our life of faith ought to be acknowledged, supported, and defended, but Jesus never taught that we should expect it. We are to pray for those in authority over us; remember 1 Timothy 2:1-4 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to see a president come to know Christ while in office--but who says it couldn't happen? Wouldn't that be fantastic! Lets keep our presidents, present and future, in prayer and hope that we might witness such a change in times to come. Meanwhile, let us be content with (and thankful for) what God gives us, and pray, and watch for His provision and His goodness, His lovingkindness and grace, like no government on earth can ever provide.
Well, tonight was the election. I see various people on facebook have put their status in various nearly hopeless-sounding terms. I am not very thrilled about the outcome, but it was pretty much as I expected, considering the prevailing attitude toward Bush and the war, and the financial upheavals that have been happening. I feel calm about the election outcome, though, and of this I am certain: God has ordained that it would come out the way it did, and He will be glorified. He is not out of control, He is not off the throne. I'm not expecting that our new leaders will glorify Him in the way they lead; I expect that the pressures that might come upon Christians in the coming few years might bring us to rely more fully upon Him, and the distressing results might bring us to pray more faithfully for the salvation and guidance of those in authority over us. I remember when Clinton was in office and everything seemed to be pointing to socialized health care. People I knew were praying fervently. Also when homeschooling looked like it was going to be outlawed with HR6, people were praying fervently. When since then has there been such impassioned prayer for the needs of believers, and for our country's leaders? It seems that there has to be such a thorn in our sides, any of various possible threats, to bring us to rely on Him, to realize the dreadful powers that would consume our nation, and to seek protection and defense from a power greater than our government, greater than the evil forces that surround and deceive those in authority. Of course we should already be praying. Already we have a country where abortion is all too legal and convenient, where the most unthinkable forms of it are defended. There are various rights that should never be rights; whether they are scriptural is not even a concern. Whether these rights are right or wrong is not deemed a concern. Whether there is a God in heaven...well, that's already been under attack as well, in our schools and judicial systems. These evils won't be a new thing resulting from this administration; the avenue to extend them further will just be clearer, straighter, more streamlined. We already have evils in this country, and we have not been as fervent in prayer as we should have been. These challenges haven't been so bothersome for us that they would be as uppermost in our minds and hearts as they could be. So I think perhaps this election may be the best thing for American believers. We are a complacent, comfortable, self-absorbed and shallow bunch, and I really think we would benefit from a little trouble. This wouldn't be the first time that Christians would ever face an evil government, now, would it? Far from it! The freedoms and comforts we enjoy are, rather, unusual--rare--and we take them for granted; we tend to consider ourselves entitled to them. It wouldn't be the first time, or the first place, that Christians in our world face the possibility that we might be opposed, maybe even some day attacked in some ways, by authorities. Tim today was imagining a time when we might have prayer made illegal (though I'm not sure how it could be enforced). I reminded him of Daniel, asking if he remembered what Daniel did when it was declared illegal; he knew that Daniel just kept on praying, kept on obeying God rather than men. I also wonder how long homeschooling will be an option, and again I think of Daniel and his friends, who were in Babylon, having the Babylonian culture impressed upon them, and yet they stayed faithful. What we need to be doing, rather than fretting, is praying for those in authority, praying for the schools, praying for our children, and raising them in such a way as to be able to cope and be a light to unbelievers if they were required to attend public schools. Our children need to learn to stand firm for their faith, to know how to follow the Holy Spirit's leading, and to make the most of every opportunity. They need to learn to be Daniels. It could be the best thing that ever happened in their lives, to be made useful to God in their faith. This kind of trouble tends to separate the wheat from the chaff, and I think it will happen in our country at least to an extent; I think God has so directed the outcome of this election, directing the economic and political environment and the hearts of the voters to bring it about, because it will be good for His kingdom.
