I was just watching a television program in which a lady burned her own diner down; purposely setting it on fire. When she was found out she was accused of trying to defraud her insurance company. However it turned out that her motive was something entirely unexpected: she was tired of serving people who endlessly, and violently, argued with one another. The diner was in a small town populated by independently-minded people who didn’t want anyone telling them what to do or how to do it! Any institution of power, whether it was a business or government entity was suspect. And questions that pertained to the progress of the community were vigorously debated.

The diner was a mainstay of the town; everyone ate there. Because of this any issues that affected individuals or the community as a whole were voiced at the diner, often in a very aggressive manner. And the owner just couldn’t stand the animosity any longer and chose to sell out to a large restaurant chain. But because the diner was considered such a fixture in the town many of the residents resented the company, thinking that it was forcing the owner to sell out. Distraught over these circumstances, the owner decided to burn the place down and be done with it.

In some respects this story is representative of the current political situation in our country. The United States is founded on principles that grant every citizen the right to express their views and participate in the exercise of government in some form: voting, running for office or supporting those that do, and “arguing” about what is best for both the country as a whole, and the community in which they live. And these days the public discussion concerning government has become increasingly aggressive.

The question is: where do you and I fit in to the discussion? As citizens we have the right to express our views, and as Christian citizens we have the right to express views that are informed by our faith. But how does that play out in the public forum of debate? It’s a given that, as evangelicals, our views are going to collide with the prevailing sentiment regarding a whole range of issues. The role of public schools in the effort to guide children to adulthood, the extent to which people have sovereignty over their own bodies, the meaning and goal of seeking justice when people abuse and violate one another; these are the types of concerns that are being considered, and Christians are legitimately participating in the conversation. We do so either directly in open forums and displays of protest, or indirectly through the elected officials who represent our views.

My question is: are we representing our savior well in our efforts? It seems to me that too often the views informed by faith in Christ are being presented in a manner that reflects the prevailing animosity informing public discussion in general. In much of the public debate, the tendency is to view the opposition as the enemy; to take a posture of disdain for those who hold opposing views. In the Bible, there are examples in which an aggressive response was leveled against those who were opposing the Lord’s agenda. The establishment of ancient Israel was the result of divine intervention and warfare, and Jesus literally drove people out of the temple with a whip because they were conducting business there rather recognizing it as a place of worship.

However, these actions shouldn’t be used to support Christian aggression and animosity in the public sphere. Tribal warfare was the order of the day in the Ancient Near East. And the Lord reached into that environment, choosing Abraham to act as the forebearer of a people who would be used to establish God’s purposes in the earth. The effort was not to establish a people who could prevail in warfare; it was to bring about redemption and salvation for all people everywhere. In the Old Testament we get to see the progress of that agenda as the Lord worked with the Israelites in their fallen condition, informing their successes and their failures, all the while anticipating the coming of the Messiah. Then when Jesus did appear He embodied the ultimate effort by our God to establish His rule and reign.  But His kingdom is not of this world. The Lord is not in the business of renovating what has been, He’s inaugurating something far superior: the establishment of a realm that is unimpeded by sin, a place where love of God prevails.

We, as evangelical Christians, should promote the coming of this kingdom. Our anticipation of it should inform everything we do. How we raise our families, how we engage in business, and how we participate in the governance of this country. And that includes engaging in the public discussion regarding a whole range of topics. But we shouldn’t be confusing the Kingdom of God with our current version of government.

As Christian citizens of this democratic republic we have an opportunity to engage in the governance of the country. We can vote; we can run for office; and we can express our views on the issues in various ways: through conversation, in writing, and through protest.  But what is our goal in doing so? Some would say that they are attempting to recover our Christian heritage, a heritage that is being eroded by a decidedly non-Christian agenda. Others would focus on the rights that we have as citizens to debate the issues using whatever means available. And Christian citizens should be as aggressive in exercising these rights as those who promote views that conflict with Christian values. What has resulted is an increasingly aggressive approach to public dialogue that affects everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike.

What does this have to do with finding our way into the Kingdom of God? When I started this series of discussions I pointed out that the good news, the Gospel, is the Gospel of the Kingdom. Christians have been called out of this world in order to make their way into the place where God rules and reigns. It’s not just something that we anticipate in the future when the Christ returns, it’s something that has already been inaugurated. We have an opportunity to enter into a relationship with the Lord that affects the very nature of our lives now. This should be our focus, finding our way into the place where the Lord rules and reigns. It’s something that we can begin to experience now and will be fully realized when Jesus reappears. To reinforce this go to the gospel of Luke and, beginning with chapter 8, note how often the kingdom is referenced.

However, the nature of this kingdom is such that it must be understood and approached by faith, and recognized as a revelation of what has been inaugurated in the Christ and will be fully realized upon His return. Failure to appreciate this has resulted in attempts to establish a version of this kingdom on earth through the rule of law, law informed by the Bible, but law that sought to impose what was perceived as the Lord’s agenda through force. IT DOESN’T WORK!

Righteousness cannot be achieved through rule of law! In the Old Testament, righteousness was never established among the Israelites. Instead a whole system of ritual sacrifice had to be employed in order to maintain favor with God. The imposition of Christian values through rule of law was fostered by the Church in collaboration with the Christian kingdoms of Europe during the Middle Ages. But again it was an abject failure with regard to personal righteousness. Instead a system of penance and religious duties was employed to counteract the ongoing failure to achieve true righteousness. Then it was the pilgrims and puritans of New England who attempted a Protestant effort to establish righteousness through rule of law. But, again, the effort could not achieve the desired result.

We contemporary evangelicals need to take these failures into account when we attempt to practice our citizenship through public discourse and the exercise of our rights. And we need to ask ourselves what we’re trying to achieve in the process. Are we attempting to represent Jesus to a lost and dying world or are we focused on maintaining the “good life” achieved by modern America?

When it comes to our place within society, whether it’s ancient Rome or modern America, we need to come to terms with the Lord’s agenda and let that inform the way we participate in the public discussion. To emphasize this I draw your attention to Peter’s first letter.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with the Lord. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in His steps…

(1 Peter 2:11-21)

Obviously our current circumstances in modern America are quite different than the ancient world
of the Roman Empire. But the principles regarding how to deal with authority, and the recognition of God’s agenda in the midst of a fallen world, continue to apply to us as we engage in the progress of an American democratic republic.  It’s a matter of determining what’s most important to us. Are we focused on getting our way, or do we give the Lord’s agenda priority. Do we want to work with our fellow citizens in the governance of our county, reflecting the love of God in the process? Or do we want to “put ‘em up” and fight for our rights at all costs?