- Are we moving into another time of fascism and Christian silence?
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We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds; we have been drenched by many storms; we have learnt the arts of equivocation and pretence; experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open; intolerable conflicts have worn us down and even made us cynical. Are we still of any use? What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, and straightforward men. Will our inward power of resistance be strong enough, and our honesty with ourselves remorseless enough, for us to find our way back to simplicity and straightforwardness?”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters Papers from Prison
NOT!
State and Church relationship is the question of the hour in our country. First off, I would simply assert that the concept of the state is pagan in origin is alien to the New Testament simply put wrong. Government is a New Testament idea that does not imply any particular form of state or society. Government is ordained by God. I would reject those bases for government which project the state arising out of the character of man: i.e., Aristotle, medieval Catholicism, Hegelianism; as well as those theories based in man’s sin and need of government for restraint in a chaotic world: i.e., the Reformation tradition. My christianly thinking is a second view, which is more not less biblical, affirming that government is “from above” rather than organized “from below.” I would also affirm Christ as the basis for government, because He is the facilitator of all creation, the goal of government, its Lord, and its source of authority and power.
Government has a divine character in its being, think of those that sought freedom in the establishment of America’s Government? By the very nature of Government, its task reflects its divine character in its mission, whereby it serves Christ by the sword for punishment, protections for all life, justice plus the (well-being) educational structures for goodness. A further divine implication is the claim of government on conscience, or obedience “for the Lord’s sake” (1 Pet. 2:13). The believer is bound to obedience until the government exceeds its commission, whereupon one must obey God rather than man. This disobedience in a single area, must not be generalized to all areas of government though. Only in a time of apostasy: through apocalyptic social/political series of events of Government imposing its will and not God’s, in which all obedience to government involves the denial of our faith (and all which that word means!). That would require us to be in total disobedience to that Government.
There have been and it is sad to say many governments in the last 113 years that have required the church to be totally disobedient and in some cases has (or portions of it) sought be bring down that government. We, are moving into a possible time where that apostasy is possible, if we remain silent. Currently we are stepping up to that ledge of apostasy with our current government. It is now free to tax behavior and mandating you and I pay for killing the unborn children for convenience and sex-selection, health care we may not want, the “unwanted” being rationed to death panels to see if they “worth” paying for, same sex mandates that we submit to its edicts, and the list grows.
Now also, Government has a relation to the other mandates. It serves to protect and sanction these areas, but in itself government is not creative: Marriage and the church stand independently of government, but always in the presence of government to show the holiness of God. The sanctity of life both the unborn and those that are in need of voice (the aged, sick, those with disabilities…) in these areas the goodness of government can shine.
Government has a claim on the church in obedience. Obedience to government is obedience to Christ – again IF it isn’t involved in the denial of our faith and obedience to the Father. Likewise, the church lays a claim on government. She reminds government of their common Master. She calls all governments to fulfill their “worldly calling,” and her special tasks, and at the same time claims protection from the government. The government also has a claim on the church. Government must maintain neutrality with reference to exalting one faith (Christian or non-Christian) over another. It cannot originate new religions either! Similarly, the church has a political responsibility; the church must warn of sin and call for righteousness which exalts a nation.
We find ourselves serving/living/operating in a constitutional republic form of Government. We are blessed because of how we were founded. But God does not opt for any particular form of government. This means that government must recognize “its” being from above. It means also that the government’s power will rest on its ability in fulfilling its role as the implementation of justice for us, defense against those that seek to destroy our union, on the rights of the family and of its people to live life and liberty, to pursue happiness and on the ability to freely give the proclamation of the gospel. If that government seeks to redefine that role (which it has been seeking to do for over 80 years and now more boldly) and thus seeks to become what functions as the Church which as Jesus’ body, that is when obedience to that government ends and the Church is required to respond openly in contradiction to the rebellion of the state against God. Today we see the effects/affects of president Obama’s liberation theology, which believes orthodox/historically traditional Christianity gets in the way of his building his dominion brand of neo-fascism/socialism (of the failed 1930’s). He is actively moving to silence and take the role of the Church. Church, must be reminded that: “There is not a place to which the Christian can withdraw from the world, whether it be outwardly or in the sphere of the inner life. Any attempt to escape from the world must sooner or later be paid for with a sinful surrender to the world.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Ethics. We must be public in our disagreement with any governmental policy or law that seeks to replace our tenants of faith, or we stand before God in judgment with fear.
President Reagan’s chief speechwriter for eight-years, Anthony R. Dolan, wrote in 2009 for the Wall Street Journal, “Accordingly, Reagan spoke formally and repeatedly of deploying against criminal regimes the one weapon they fear more than military or economic sanction: the publicly spoken truth about their moral absurdity, their ontological weakness. This was the sort of moral confrontation, as countless dissidents and resisters have noted that makes these regimes conciliatory, precisely because it heartens those whom they fear most—their own oppressed people.”
Our time needs “a strong group of faith people” to speak to the ontological weakness and moral absurdity of our: City, State and Federal leaders, who are undermining our constitution and our free exercise of faith. We need people/leaders who would speak the truth here against the aggression of our government, in their directed attempt at subverting our Constitution and Bill of Rights and more importantly our conscience of faith!
Therefore, we must take responsible action, in other words, action that is a highly risky venture – speak-out, write and “make known” the corrupt and those in opposition to the role of Faith in society. I can make no claims to impartiality or cast-iron certainty that we would prevail, but I know our cause is right. This is a free-will endeavor that needs to seek, ask and receive wisdom and discernment from Father God. Civil courage, in fact does grow out of free responsibility of free people. Only now I am beginning to hear some Christians and others who were “busy” stirring slowly awake, that are discovering the meaning of what free responsibility is and what is needed. That free responsibility depends on Father, “who demands responsible action in a bold venture of faith and who promises forgiveness and relief to a person who becomes a sinner in that venture” (mixed quote of D.Bonhoeffer-prison letters/Stephen Higgins) But, nevertheless, it is how we participate in the reality of Christ today and always, it is how we act in harmony with the will of God. The demand for responsible action in history is a demand no Christian can ignore.
We are, accordingly, faced with the following quandary: when assaulted by evil, we must oppose it directly. We have no other option. The failure to act is simply to condone evil. No matter what Politian’s preach, there isn’t such a world of utopian possibilities it always leads to dystopian evil! This fact of history screams with the billions of people terrorized by such desire for utopian dreams. The balance between is, a constitutional republic is best we can do as humans over two hundred years has shown this to be true. We here have experienced what America has been and can be again! America again can be a country that is virtuous, a city on a hill, and a life-giving country of free people, seeking the best and serving vigilantly to protect the innocents from evil.
While we aren’t all in this country a redeemed people in Jesus, we as Christians have always flavored this country, do so again before we lose our saltiness. We have to be Kingdom people and be that salt and light in a darkness that is present and strong. “Greater is He that is in you than he (darkness) that is in the world!” (1John 4:4) While I have a desire for everyone to know Jesus in faith, I am a realist to see it is a choice for all to make…it is a move of our free will – not destiny – nor determinism. What I am asking is that you… we do the right action as disciples which is harder than the convenient or expedient. We have to stand with and speak together with those that are and will tomorrow seek a reversal of this Government’s (and all others) intrusion into our daily and corporate faith life.
I do not and nor can Government, expect people of real faith to leave faith at their door otherwise it wouldn’t be faith (life). Walk out that door and shout “NOT AFRAID ANYMORE!… “NOT GOING TO TAKE IS SILENTLY ANYMORE” … “NOT ASHAMED OF MY LORD!” “NOT BOWING ANYMORE TO ANYONE BUT JESUS!” … NOT…!”
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