Christian
Politics
March
13, 2010
Ron,
David, and Michael Schwartz
http://www.ronschwartz.net/Thoughts.htm
Once
again, the political climate is boiling over with ads and commercials designed
to sway public opinion. Commentators are making much ado about what changes
will come depending on which candidate takes office. Yet in the middle of all
the empty promises and rhetoric that flows from politicians and political
action groups, every voter eventually begins to wonder if their vote counts, or
if things will stay the same regardless of who is in office.
Most
Christians would consider our political system to be diametrically opposed to
Christianity. However, politics and Christianity have more in common than most
Christians may want to accept. The same force that drives our system of
governments drives contemporary Christianity.
Introduction
In
spite of what is commonly thought, government and politics are not the same
thing. They are completely different forces that together form much of our
culture. Government is a system put in place to enforce laws and enact
policy. Politics are the beliefs and values of people and parties who
want to use government office to transform society according to their system of
belief. In other words, government is simply the tool for enforcing politics.
Oddly
enough, we think that it is the government and not politics that is the real
power in our society; it seems to maintain control over so much of our daily
lives. It empowers police officers, judges, and IRS agents to enforce law and
policy. In this way, government is both a sword and a shield. It is a sword of
punishment to all who defy its laws and policies, and a shield of protection to
aid those who are in need of help.
It’s
clear to see why the founding fathers feared that a central government could
over time increase in power and eventually take over. They put in place a series
of “checks and balances” to prevent this from happening. They created a Bill of
Rights to guarantee personal liberty and freedom. They designed a government
partitioned into three branches (i.e. judicial,
executive, and legislative), each of which should provide balance for
the other two. In theory this seems like the perfect solution. In practice it
has not worked out like it should. The reason why? Politics.
Politics
has hijacked government. The “beliefs and values” of special interest groups
have been enforced as policy and law over the masses. By placing people of like
political views in strategic positions within government, politics allows the
morality of a minority to be forced onto the public as a whole. Politics allows
the morality and values of one group to redefine, or
"reinterpret" the constitution according to their political
views.
Take
for example the President. His real power is
not his ability to start war, but to appoint Federal and Supreme Court
Justices. Over the last 60 years, courts have caused our culture and laws to be
trans-mutated to the values and beliefs of their political views instead of the
values and beliefs of our founding fathers.
Our
founding fathers were mistaken. They feared domination from an all-powerful and
repressive central government, and therefore took steps to limit its power. But
their fear was misguided; it isn't a central government that we ought to fear,
but the beliefs and values of those who hold public
office: politics.
The
Politics of Contemporary Christianity
Our
early Christian forefathers saw Judaism as the primary threat to Christianity.
They remembered how the Jewish religious government used a kangaroo court to
condemn Jesus to death. If it could influence the Roman government to crucify a
man of miracles and unquestionable theocratic authority, what prevented the
early church from being next? Moreover, they recognized that the leaders of
Christianity were all Jewish, and its customs and laws seemed to favor those
who were born a Jew, even while the church was composed primarily of Gentiles.
Even the Roman government considered Christianity to be nothing more than
another Jewish sect (i.e. Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Christianity).
Judaism was defining Christianity instead of being transformed by it. So men
such as Paul and John sought to divorce Christianity from Judaism.
Paul
accomplished this by arguing that Christianity was a “new” covenant (or
testament) that came about by the sacrifice of the Messiah. This gave rise to a
Christianity based on New Testament writing instead of Old Testament law.
Gradually the difference between the two testaments became so dramatic that few
people today realize just how much they depend on each other.
Most
of the New Testament teaching that distinguishes Christianity from Judaism is
completely lost to contemporary Christians. They simply don’t understand it.
Nor do they care, probably because our early Christian forefathers spent more
time defining what Christianity was not (i.e. NOT Judaism) rather than
what Christianity was. To prevent Christianity from becoming thought of
as a Jewish sect (i.e. a Jewish denomination) early Christians simply referred
to Christianity as a “way” of living:
Acts 9:2
And desired of him letters to
Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether
they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Acts 19:9
But when divers were hardened,
and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed
from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one
Tyrannus.
Acts 19:23
And the same time there arose no
small stir about that way.
Acts 22:4
And I persecuted this way
unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
Acts 24:14
But this
I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the
law and in the prophets
Acts
24:22
And when
Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he
deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will
know the uttermost of your matter.
John,
in his gospel and epistles, is probably the most accurate in describing New
Testament living. No other writer since the first century has better
encapsulated and articulated the true nature and essence of Christianity. What
John describes in his writing is the embodiment of Christ himself. So why have
Christian leaders failed to embrace his writing?
The
writing of John is from the perspective of a man who is standing beside Christ
in His kingdom looking out. The path to where he stands or how he got there is
not clear, and as a result, his writing is often considered simply poetic and
philosophical. It’s akin to describing color to
a blind man. The blind man has no frame of reference from which to draw
understanding. Consequently, most Christian teachers pass by John’s writing
without ever comprehending the magnitude and
relevance of what he has to say.
Today,
it is not the embodiment of Christ in power and purpose that defines
contemporary Christians, but politics – the beliefs and doctrines of men. Think
about the gravity of these words. How is it that Christians are no longer
defined by the power of God in their lives but by their system of belief?
Christian leaders try to imitate Paul's theological debates and picturesque
descriptions and examples. Christianity has become a political vehicle instead
of a way of living in power and glory. Politics have hijacked most churches and denominations. And it is the reason why most
Christians and their churches fight more among themselves rather than with
their true enemy: Satan.
A couple of years back several of us went out into the highways and byways
compelling people to know the Lord. It seemed like a good think to see
the spiritual starved reach out for salvation. Even so, I received condemnation
from almost every Christian pastor I encountered. To them it was
“unconscionable” to trust new converts to the leading of the Holy Spirit which
had already led them to salvation. I was told that it is better NOT to lead
people to know the Lord than to do so and simply trust them to the God who
saved them. To these leaders, the politics of
Christianity are more important to a believer than salvation. Essentially,
they believed that Christians were nothing without teaching and doctrine.
This ideology presents a very serious dilemma: whose doctrine
should I teach
to new converts? Whose politics is "correct"? It’s like deciding on
which politician’s ideology is “best.” I would argue that politics should be
little more than the individual’s right for life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, just as Christianity should be all about the individual of Christ,
and the life and liberty we have in Him.
We
know now that the early forefathers of the United States had less to fear in a
central government than they did in politics. In like manner, our early
Christian forefathers had less to fear with Judaism than they did with the
politics of the Christians leaders who would come after them. Just as politics
have hijacked the United States government, the politics (i.e. the belief and
doctrines) of current Christian leaders have seized Christianity. And so in its
haste to cast aside the structure and ritualism of Judaism, Christianity has
raced into sin and lawlessness, which is so
pervasive now in its churches.
Taking
Responsibility
Paul
wrote that, “…we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye
reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).”
The
longer I live, the more people I find who envision “ambassadors
for Christ” as men at podiums expounding on their faith and doctrine
(i.e. politics) as though they are speaking for God. More often than not, they
are not ambassadors at all. An ambassador is someone who represents the
interests and values of another; Christian leaders and their churches represent
only their own interests. It is their politics that they promote. In the same
way that a politician represents his political party instead of the government
or his constituents, pastors represent the beliefs, doctrine and values of
their church and/or denomination. It’s not about the kingdom of Christ and what
He built, but their church/denomination and what men have created.
Christ described what it means to be His ambassador when He said,
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).” He
wasn't describing rhetoric when He said, “Let your light so
shine before men,” but action.
In other words, people should not attribute our goodness to us, but to the God
that lives in us.
Have you ever asked yourself why people would do this? Everyone
performs acts of kindness, so what would cause people to attribute our kindness
to God? People aren’t as stupid as Christians seem to suppose. They understand
that when they are the recipient of charity from a particular church that their
charity is from that church – not God. They understand that the true motivation
of churches is to grow their attendance. The people who receive charity from
churches then feel indebted to that church and repay their debt the following
Sunday. When this happens, God gets nothing. All the praise, appreciation, and
admiration go to the church.
How is it that people could ever “see your
good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”? The
real problem is with context. Christians are Christians in the context of a
church. When Christians
interact with others it’s as representatives of their church instead of
representatives as God. People aren’t fools; they know when the motivation
of someone is to get them into their church. Their kindness is just a
reflection of their church, not of God. But even this kindness is superficial
because generally Christians are never that generous. They give only the
leftovers of their abundance.
For people to associate our good works to God means first and
foremost that they see us as a follower of God and not a church or Christian
leader. They must see that our “way” of living transcends politics.
They must come to understand that it is God that reigns in our hearts. Then they
will discover that what motivates us is “pure” love for them and their welfare
and not advertisement or promotion for our church.
Secondly, we are to let our “good works” shine
so brightly, be so over whelming, so astonishing, and so spectacular that
people have no other alternative than credit God by our kindness. What Jesus is
saying is that His true disciples will blow people away with their acts of
kindness. No mortals could be capable of showing such love!
Making
A Difference
A
few weeks ago, my children and I saw the movie, “To Save a Life.” It is all
about the journey of a young man as he sifts through the religious hypocrisy
that envelopes most churches, discovers the God who created him, and makes
restitution for his failure as a friend by saving the life of a stranger. If
each Christian today could make such an impact in the life of a single person
as this young man did, our nation would be changed. Think about it!
For
him, the journey was particularly arduous because of the great number of
hypocritical pew-sitters that blocked his path to God. Even the well-meaning
Christians he encountered along his “way”
subtly tried to redirect his pursuit of God so it
would line up with their politics. As Christians, we must be very
careful that our influence in the lives of other seekers isn’t to direct them
down a road that ends in politics (i.e. belief and doctrine) instead of with
God. Every word we say and action we take must NOT have the consequence of
leading people to a church – and therefore an
entanglement with politics – but rather leading people into a deeper
relationship with God and His love.
This is part of the problem I have with the preoccupation of
Christian leaders who base their teaching on the epistles of Paul rather than the
life of Jesus and the epistles of John. Christianity is not about the politics
of Churchianity (i.e. their doctrine and beliefs) but about Christ. People
should naturally attribute us and our actions to God and NOT our church. But we
all know they don’t. Christians are careful so that everything in their
actions, words, and representation falls in line with the teaching and belief
of their respective church, and make it known that they believe their church is
the best. It is very apparent that their association – their “their team” if
you will, or what defines them - is to their church, and NOT the Christ who
died for them.
This is the whole reason why Christianity is so fragmented and
divided. The focus of Christian leadership has come to lie on their flavor of
politics. It is their politics which they love and hold dear. Their enemies are
not the enemies of Christ but those who hold opposing political Christian
views. Today, around our nations, it is not Christ who is held high, but the
politics of Christian leaders. It is their politics that defines them, and it
is their politics which they peddle.
Let’s come back to the young man in the movie “To Save a Life.”
His personal struggle was to amend for his sin and his focus was on the lost
souls about him. How simple can it be? He recognized that the answer wasn’t in
the politics of how to be baptized, worship God, dress, or talk, but in knowing
God. And the search to know God was what he pursued. Pulling people into your
church is just wrong! It will simple take them from one lost destination to
another. They must find Jesus!
Conclusion
The next time you’re in church, try to separate the pretense and
rhetoric that swallows you up as a tidal wave from the goodness of God that
comes from His invisible Spirit. God’s Spirit is all but replaced in most
churches by their programs, choreographed presentations, carefully prepared
sermons, and the plastic smiles made of artificial goodness covering every
face. That is not God at all.
Do not be deceived. The leaders in your church are almost
certainly NOT God’s ambassadors. Don’t allow the politics (i.e. doctrine and
belief) that are pontificated to replace God’s “good” government in your heart.
How will you know the difference? Politics are all about the details of what I
think, feel and believe. God’s government is all about what God originally
intended and expressed through the life of the first man who ever embodied it:
Christ. Politics are teachings of belief. True government of God is when Christ
is alive within you, reigning in power and glory. So if you feel cold and dead
inside, perhaps it’s because you’ve become lost in politics.
Don’t allow your life to be wasted in the shallow and empty acts
of religious overtures like the lives of failed western Christian leaders. Make
a difference! You won’t find it or do it in the church you’re attending, but
rather in the lives of the people who work and live around you. Blow them off
their feet with your kindness. Knock them over with your goodness. Cause them to
say, “Only God could cause you to be so kind to me. I don’t deserve this. God must
be real!”
Remember
that “the kingdom of God is not in word, but in
power (1 Corinthians 4:20).” In
other words, you will never find God's power in the
pretense of your action and repetition of what you hear in church. Where it is
found is in the burning passion of your heart that explodes (i.e. “power”) outwardly to change the lives of all those
around you. When you live like this, you’ll discover
the difference between the empty politics that define most Christians and the
true government of God that wants to reign like fire in your heart!
God
bless you our friends!
Ron,
David, and Michael Schwartz
100 East 10th Street
El Dorado, AR 71730
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