23 December 2008

Politics and Christianity

I've been thinking a lot about politics and the church's role in them lately. Most of you who know me know that my personal politics are strange and hard to define and are neither right, left, or center. I will be posting some blogs digging into that in the near future. The first thing I want to encourage pondering upon is the separation between church and state. To me, the main reason for this from a Christian perspective is so that the state does not become confused with our Savior. From social programs to abortion, the church should be the moral compass rather than the government. That view has been lost by both Democrats and Republicans. More on this will follow, but I want to leave with one thought to get you thinking...

Biblically, the only God-approved type of government was a benevolent autocracy (Godly king). This was only put in place after the people asked God for a king, because His system of ruling and guiding them directly through the words of the prophets and judges was not good enough for them. The principle is the same, however, being submission to a God-appointed authority (not a constantly changing man-elected authority). The only democracy mentioned in the Bible was Rome, which the Israelites assumed would be removed by the Messiah. Majority rule by will of the people is not mentioned as something we should strive for as Christians. We are instructed in the New Testament how to act if we are oppressed and enslaved, but not how to overthrow our oppressors. The key here is finding joy in salvation and living with an eternity mindset, rather than a worldly mindset. This should leak into every aspect of our lives, including our politics, so that we can submit ourselves to the true Priest-King (Jesus) more than we do our president. When we do this, we return to God's original plan for government of our lives. Jesus is our one Savior and head of the Kingdom we should strive to build as faithful citizens. Electing this King should be on the forefront of our thoughts and concerns rather than any man standing for office. He is the only one that can save, and can bring an instantaneous and permanent change to any life. No political system or party can do that.

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