God and Government Pt. 4: Why Politics Engages Some Christians, Repels The Others and Disappoints Just About Everyone By Chris White

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with his idealism

When we speak of politics we are speaking of organizing, governing, and leading people.  Our English word is an import from the Greek Politikos which in the ancient world carried the idea “relating to the citizens.” This is not a Bible word but is found in the philosophical writings of Plato and Cicero.  There is a difference between religion and politics that needs to be very clear.  Religion, in the broadest sense of the term, means giving God what is due.  This is applicable to all creeds and is especially clear in Christianity where faith and allegiance is due Christ who is the source of salvation.  Religion deals with absolutes such as dogmatic truth and ethics as well as ultimate possibilities such as the full potential of man and the universe.  While politics would love the status of dealing with absolutes it cannot in a liberal democracy (where free citizens elect their leader) because not all share the same religious commitment or worldview.  However, in politics, ultimate possibilities are the coin of every campaign. 

 Here is the overlay with religion which attracts many Christians.  A candidate or party presents a vision of what they will do when elected that resonates with the ethics and worldview of the Christian.  As Christians are charged by God to love their neighbor as themselves, supporting a platform or legislative measure that would point society in a more Christian direction is seen as progress or at least a return to our once firm but crumbling foundation.  Here’s the rub though.  While campaigns present ultimate possibilities to the voter, political power cannot be achieved without bringing together coalitions of people who have differing values.  In practicality this means every voter will likely have to compromise their highest values in differing ways depending on the good that might be achieved if their person is elected.  For some Christians political compromise is tantamount to ethical compromise on their part and thus the climate of politics becomes quite repulsive. 

When your mental furniture is at home with the teachings of Scripture which are absolute, it’s hard to think of compromise as being worthwhile in any setting.  Part of the problem on both sides of this equation is that political campaigns do not encourage circumspect thinking.  The issues and candidates are always presented in stark contrast because in marketing anything, your product must stand out from the others.  Nothing stands out like black and white, right and wrong, good and evil.  Hence we never really get to know the issues or the candidates, just their caricatures.  

But why is it after an election most Christians find themselves disappointed so quickly even if their cause or candidate won?  Well, there’s always the sin thing (which is certainly a big part of it) but that misses a key point: there is a huge gap between campaigning and governing.  Campaigns focus on our ideals and aspirations, governance deals with the reality of what actually can be done in a particular political climate and set of circumstances.  There is an old saying that goes like this: “the two things people should never watch are how sausages are made and how laws are passed.” Rarely are things gained without giving something in compromise and this absolute of politics virtually ensures the disappointment of everyone.

God and Government Pt. 2 : Why Government Exists in the First Place? By Chris White

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. 

                                                                                        --Is. 9:7

Last time we considered God’s purpose for human government in the world from what I would call a negative perspective.  In short, because of human depravity man is not always going to be inclined to love his neighbor as himself.  In fact, he may love himself at the expense of his neighbor or murder his neighbor under the right circumstances.  As with individuals, so with neighborhoods and nations.  Basically government is one of God’s tools to ensure that our troubled world doesn’t break out into utter chaos and lawlessness.  This is not to say this doesn’t happen from time to time (and sometimes at the instigation of the government) but things are not as bad as they could be if man were left alone to his own devices.

But there is a more positive side to this government equation as well.  We see glimpses of it now and then in this present age but it will be fully realized in the government of the Messiah.  What I am talking about is the dispensing of justice and righteousness.  In the Lord’s government this shall mean the world will be ruled by the principles and procedures of God’s perfect law.   In this instance there really will be social progress because problems will be addressed with the wisdom of Him who knows how things are supposed to work not band-aided over with human ideas resourced in fear, greed, and folly.  But that said, human governments when they are at their best will promote justice and even support a moral climate that is at least friendly to the Ten Commandments if not explicitly directed by them.  

If this is in the heart of God for our future, it is in the heart of God for now as well and we who are believers in America who participate in the forming of governments through elections should be giving attention to whether the man or woman we are supporting is inclined towards justice and righteousness as well.  It strikes me that if a leader has a moral compass guided by these, the other concerns of law and order, the economy, and national security will be addressed in a positive fashion as well.

God and Government Pt. 1 : Why Government Exists in the First Place? By Chris White

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. “

                                                                                              --Gen. 8:20-21

^“  In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
                                                                                                --Judges 21:25

As I write these words I know that I am entering into one of the ‘danger zones’ of polite company but probably even more so in the church where political preferences easily erupt into passions quickly mistaken for actual articles of faith.  I assure you I do have political points of view and preferences but have little interest in promoting them this context.  What I do wish to accomplish in this series is actually quite simple.  In light of this being an election year and all that it entails (the good, the bad, and the downright ugly!),  I would humbly submit to you several short articles that consider what Scripture says about the role of government in our lives with the hope that as Christians our thinking and decision-making will in some way be shaped by the mind and spirit of Christ.  

  
As an avid listener to “Talk-Radio” one of the common themes I hear is the need for less government or limited government.  For the most part I agree with this idea if for no other reason than their opposites, more government and unlimited government, definitely would not make any of our lives better and probably would make them worse.  But something that is missing in our discourse on the topic is the spiritual reality of man.  The Bible teaches three important truths about humanity.  First man is the highest creation on this planet because he is “made in the image of God.”  Second, man is so loved by God that God sent His Son to redeem our lives. And finally, man is a fallen creature and therefore totally depraved.  As such, this shouldn’t be taken to mean that men are totally evil and incapable of good and noble things.  What it does mean is that all of us are broken in our thinking, values, and wills.  At core, apart from Christ, we want to be our own god and be a law unto ourselves.
Thus to be able to reduce the amount of laws we have and hence the amount of government and to not fall into total chaos and lawlessness would actually require more than electing the “right” candidates, it would require a massive improvement in everyone’s character.  Given the state of human society today, I suspect you won’t being seeing the need for any prisons to close, armies to disband, or police forces going out of business any time soon.

And so as we think about why government exists in the first place we must understand that it is actually a servant of God that is there to serve as check and balance against human depravity and lawlessness.  When we consider our own capacity to sin, we should recognize right away that God has made provision for humanity in this way that is neither overly optimistic or pessimistic, just realistic.  Man needs something outside of himself to help him do the right thing and failing that to stop him from doing the wrong thing.

Which "Orwellian" World : 1984 or Animal Farm? by Chris White

With the recent disclosure that Uncle Sam has your internet and phone use under constant surveillance there has been resurgence of using the terms “Big Brother is Watching You” and “Orwellian”, both related to George Orwell’s 1949 novel  about a future surveillance state entitled 1984.  If you’ve read the book, you realize 1984 has been slowly emerging with the development of the internet and the overall death of privacy that the ever ubiquitous social media has engendered.   And can we really blame our government for “spying” on us, when we willingly volunteer all sorts of information about ourselves and our activities several times a day?  Although I’ve nothing to hide from my government, I don’t think my skepticism about our government’s ability to control their reach and not intrude upon our civil rights is completely unwarranted.  But that said, there is another George Orwell novel that is lesser-known but is far more applicable to the world we live in today.  Animal Farm was a dystopian novel that Orwell wrote in World War 2 England that points out the flaws of atheistic communism that were found in states like the U.S.S.R. and China.  Popular lore about the book is that no publisher in the UK was willing to put out the book until the conclusion of the war for fear that Russia might be offended and not help Western Europe conclude the war against the Nazis.  Clearly the book is about false promises that communism offers (freedom from tyranny, equality for all) that quickly turns to hypocrisy and falsehood as those in charge set themselves above the proletariat little by little until they become the tyrannical self-serving aristocracy that they overthrew during the revolution.  Space doesn’t allow me to rehearse all the details of Animal Farm but basically what happens is a cruel farmer is overthrown by his farm animals in a revolution.  They declare themselves all equals but because nature abhors a vacuum, the pigs take the reins of leadership because they are the smartest in the barnyard.  Because all people need to be guided by laws they set up their 7  animal commandments (don't sleep in beds, don't drink alcohol, don't live in a house, etc,etc.) and their two great ideals: “All Animals are equal” and “4 feet good, 2 feet bad!”.  As time passes and memories fade, the pigs begin to manipulate the laws and their history especially through their educational system but also their oratory.  The animals of the farm intuitively feel something is wrong, but they can’t put their finger on it.  Surely, their government wouldn’t be doing something that is not in everyone’s best interest.  When things begin to fall apart on the farm (because everyone doesn’t have a thumb and can’t work that well) an external enemy is found and scapegoating and purging of undesirable members becomes routine.  When the cycle is complete, the pigs start walking upright on two-feet under the pretense of being superior to the rest and declare “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others!”  I see America’s drift from its constitutional foundation and the plasticity of our laws and history as very “Orwellian”.  While I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I would like to make the observation that this recent NSA scandal is all in the name of fighting our outside enemies, all the while it is mining details that can be used against people and thus solidifying the power of the elite in our country.  But beyond the present day, Orwell has tapped into the reason all human governments eventually degenerate, corrupt and decay.  For when God created man in His image and put him in charge of caring for the Garden of Eden, man was tempted by the devil to reach for something that was not his to take.  The devil made the false promise that Adam and Eve would become just like God (an arrogant pretense) if they violated his law and became a law unto themselves (See Genesis 2-3 for details).  Just like the pigs in Orwell’s Animal Farm who pretentiously (and ridiculously) began walking on their hind feet and acting like they were humans, so mankind has repeatedly sought to play the role of God instead of humbly serving Him in our finite humanity which is the purpose for which we were made.  When we are askew in who we really are as persons, the civilizations and governments we create are as sure to fall as the fallen and broken people who made them.

Who was George Orwell ? More here