The Kingdom Perspective

I've been slow to post again, since the election. I don't want to make this a political blog, because that's not my mission here. I created this blog to talk about the issues that concern (and often deceive) Christians today.

However, where politics is concerned, I think I should speak, at least to remind people about what has really happened. I've seen a whole lot of fear and worrying coming from my Christian brothers and sisters since the election. Many good Christian people are not too happy that Barack Obama was elected as our next president, because he has announced that he plans to overturn a lot of advances that the Christian Right movement and conservative Christians have managed to achieve in our law system. For instance, president-elect Obama has announced that he is going to remove restrictions on abortion and stem cell research. Leaders of the Christian Right had celebrated these restrictions as small victories, and now it looks like their victories were short-lived. Dr. James Dobson even publicly admitted that he felt depression after this election, as if 35 years of his work and leadership in the Christian Right movement had all been for nothing. You can read about that radio broadcast in Dobson Admits to Struggling after Election by Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter, Fri, Nov. 07 2008 11:29 AM EST. So, is it all over? How should conservative U.S. Christians receive the news of the 2008 election?

Have Christians in America "Lost"?

My answer: Absolutely not! We have to keep in mind that politics and governmental laws are not the same as God's government and laws. It's great when the two things coincide, and Christians in America have been abundantly blessed for many years. The laws have long supported our viewpoints, and we have been happy that we didn't have to do much fighting to establish those laws. Well, maybe that era in America has passed, but that doesn't mean we should give up or give in.

Remember that politics is a secular pursuit, limited to armies, official buildings, and stamped, signed, sealed, and embossed paperwork. Political systems have always been weak, because they are established and run by weak, fallible human beings. They are subject to coup d'etat and takeovers by foreign powers. If you put your faith in politics, you will meet with disappointment.

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice." (Proverbs 29: 25, 26)

I'm not attacking those who are upset about the election. I can't say that it hasn't bothered me, too. I also won't say that we wouldn't be panicking in the same way if McCain had been elected president. I'm just begging you to remember that a political defeat is not a defeat of good. Even if every kind of immoral behavior becomes legal and is officially endorsed by government (that doesn't seem likely in just one presidency, but we are heading that way), God has not endorsed it. Even if truth goes out of style in this world, God will not be shaken. Christians can stand firm in the truth, in morality, because we have God to back us--even if the government opposes us. This is not defeat, and it isn't the end of the world. At least, not yet. (If it is the end of the world, then Lord, come quickly!)

Something Else to Do, Besides Hoping and Praying

I've noticed that the beginning of this political change started in our schools and colleges. It's the culmination of decades of socially-transforming teaching, which we call political correctness. For instance, politically-correct teachers teach against saying that homosexuality is wrong and a sin, because such statements label and ostracize a group of people. Inclusiveness, the teaching that no one deserves to be singled out our rejected for anything they are, they've done, or any decision they've made is not a Christian attitude. God Himself even labels and rejects sin. However, He did provide a way for people to be included. If anyone, despite past labels, accepts God and rejects the sinful lifestyle that brought the label, Jesus Christ's sacrifice will purify and free this person from condemnation Romans 5: 16 Romans 8: 1.

So, two things Christians can do:

1. Teach their Children strict godliness, which includes a thorough knowledge of the Bible and the rejection of anything that contradicts it.


2. Speak out and reject worldliness in their own lives, to make themselves a holy and surrendered servant of God and an example for everyone around them.

This political election is the result of a social change, so the only thing that can oppose or change it is another radical social transformation. That starts with us, folks. It's going to take much more than a prayer in church or even at home. Society only changes for the good when hearts, minds, and lives are surrendered to God's will. Politics reflects a culture. It cannot impose morality on a population if morality isn't already there.
One parting shot:

This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD....But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. " (Jeremiah 17:5,7)