Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Religious Leaders vs Political Leaders
Government and Christianity have always seemed to be going in opposite directions. How are we as Christian leaders supposed to navigate these dangerous waters? I grew up in MA. In this lovely state of prosperity and intellectualism the church is scorned, liberal views are not only accepted but often favored ahead of any Judeo Christian values. I have often found myself walking a fine line between the desire to see family values, Christ focused lifestyles, or even rational thinking promoted. As Christian leaders, we WILL be called upon to not only defend the poor, marginalized and minorities, but we will also be called to defend biblical truth and make sense of the political chaos in our generation. We are not called to condemn or mock our government but we are also not called to passively let truth and justice disappear. Jesus states that government is ordained and instituted by God. But this does not allow a passive stance that merely takes a back seat to irrational and reactive thought currently being promoted in our nation’s inner rooms. This article is not from the US, but from a secular news station in Australia. I found this quote very thought provoking:
“It is entirely appropriate for religious leaders to have access to political leaders and to express their considered views in the same manner as other groups in a democratic polity where the doctrine of the separation of church and state, or religion and politics, prevails.”
We are called to mirror Christ in this generation amidst our government. What do you think?
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Justin, I found your post very thought-provoking and inspiring. I know that I have wrestled with these same questions for a long time myself. How do the church and state relate to one another? I find myself not asking this question because of the laws that say we are to have a separation of church and state. I find myself asking this question because of the paradox the Bible sets up regarding the relations between church and state. The Bible does tell us to be submissive to the government (Romans 13). Yet, we find in the early chapters of Acts John and Peter disobeying the religious leaders orders to not proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I have struggled with this particular question: When as a Christian do I obey the government? And when do I stand up and rebel? It is a question as church leaders that we need to be able to answer. I feel that the only way we can answer this question is to rely on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will be able to guide us through the turbulent times we live in.
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