The Pains of Political/Societal Change
June 19, 2009Change is never easy. Most of the time it’s painful. Our president, Barak Obama, promised change and (let there be no doubt) he is delivering it. He is affecting change on a massive scale. He’s empowering leaders (called Czars) who are accountable to him only, rather than to the traditional checks-and-balances afforded in the American system. He is authorizing the government to be heavily involved in business, a radical shift from our present system (see: auto industry, banking industry, health-care industry). And I must confess that I am anxious and a bit apprehensive to see the net result in the coming years. Change is not easy.
Meanwhile, I am compelled to pray for our president and offer him my blessing; which for me is not easy. I don’t hate him. I don’t even dislike him. I’m not a racist and this is not a racial issue. Nor am I dis-compassionate to the downtrodden (in fact, I’m socially active in my community). I wish our President the best and hope that what he’s doing works in the short and long term. Being almost libertarian-conservative, however, I just don’t agree with his agenda.
I don’t want a bigger government. I don’t want higher taxes. I don’t want the government taking my money and blowing it on bureaucracy. I don’t want the government distributing the money I earn to people and to social organizations—I give away well over 10% of my earnings and that’s a lot more than most government leaders give away. I just don’t believe that a bigger government with a bigger budget is a better government; in fact, I believe just the opposite.
Likewise, I don’t need a government agency to tell me not to eat saturated fats, high-sugar foods; and not to smoke cigars. If I want to do these things that’s my business—and my wife and I work hard to afford health care if the net-result of our choices is poor health. Not that I’m endorsing poor health practices. I’m just endorsing my Right-to-Choose what happens to my own body and my right to be responsible for my own health care.
As a Christian leader I often ask myself what my role and responsibility is to a government I don’t believe in, and to a president who’s values are so very different than my own. And the answers that I see in Scripture continue, unchanged: (1) all authority figures are ordained by God; (2) render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s; (3) pray for kings and all those in authority; (4) remember that my citizenship is in Heaven; (5) preach what is true even if it’s not popular; and (6) prepare people to be faithful to Jesus, no matter the political environment.
Change is taking place all around us but God and His Truth remain the same, forever.
Matt,
Curious as to your view of how your 6 answers would pertain to other governments. For example living in Hitler’s Germany or in China or North Korea. How do Christians come to terms with spreading the gospel over the world, but yet deal with dictators and governments that are very anti-Christian.
I agree with your answers being scriptual. But it is much easier for me to swallow that when I live in a country where I can hold prayer meetings in a public school as opposed to living in a country where I would fear for my life if I was reading a bible in private. Or in other words what happens when #s 1 and 2 appear to be unable to exist with #s 4,5,5.
Just curious.
Thanks.
Darren: Those are great questions
First, I believe that everything that takes place, take place under the will of God (some things he prescribes, some things he permits, but all things under his will). Therefore, even evil men like Hitler (see Pharoah in the OT cc. Exodus 9:16) are in place under the will of God for some purpose. Sometimes, ungodly men are put in place to bring judgment on a sinful nation.
Second, I believe Christians have to satisfy the laws of the land. And I believe we can satisfy the law in two ways: (1) by obeying the law; and (2) by enduring the punishment when our faith forces us to disobey.
Historically, the church has thrived in unChristian enviornment–as it is thriving today in China and Korea where the fastest growing churches in the world are meeting underground and number in the millions.
I don’t see a philosphic problem (or a problem of contridiction) in any of the points. Of course, I have never faced persecution for my faith in a significant way—however, I believe that may very well change in the years to come—especially on the track that our nation is currently on.