Friday, March 03, 2006
Of Churches And Government
Milt Stanley had a very interesting link the other day to this post at Tabletalk looking at government in God's Plan. Craig quotes Leslie Newbigin and adds some thoughts
The first is that this reinforces my idea that the church should not be involved in matters governmental for it is at best a distraction, and perhaps even a diversion, from the church's true calling and mission. Is it not wiser for the churcht o use its resources to convert the world to Christianity, in which case abortion will end, than to seek to overturn Roe v Wade in which case abortion will only become harder. Now that does not mean that individual Christians should not seek to work in politics if that is their call, but the church has a well defined mission.
Pastors, most of all are called not to do politics. The problems with this are rife. We have things like Falwell or Robertson putting thier feet in their mouths on repeated occassions to the absolute lunacy that is the Evangelical Climate Initiative. Every pastor will, of course, have his or her poltical convictions, but they should nto give those convictions the force of their sacred authority.
The other thought that springs from this has to do with church itself. The line between the necessary organization to operate a group of people and the church itself being a government is a very fine one. Just how much institution did Christ intend when he instituted the church?
I think the answer lies in the same places in scripture that Craig is looking, in how God intended to organize His people. It was a loose organization with limited leadership, such leadership being earned as result of personal character as opposed to the attainment of some office.
Minimal enforcement was necessary because of mutual accountability, becasue the community itself sought the same goals, goals ordained by God Himself.
How do we build a church that looks like that?
Cross-posted at How To Be A Christian And Still Go To Church
Related Tags: church, government, politics, religion, ordination
Lesslie Newbigin writes in A Walk Through the Bible,I love this idea, and from it I draw two thoughts."And so we have set out for the first time a theme which will appear throughout the Bible: the ambivalence of the political order. If we were all obedient to God's law we would not need a king, we would do from our hearts what is right. If we need kings, law courts, police and prisons it is because we have forsaken God. And therefore God gives us a political order, and yet he reminds us that it is itself a source of profound corruption."The political realm is God's accommodation to us, not his plan for us. All the talk of Christian nations, or manifest destiny, or the divine rights of kings, or theocracies, is completely human originated. God gives Israel a king not because it was his design, but because it wasnt'. If the people of God were to be the people of God, there would be no need for a human king. "We would do from our hearts what is right." This was God's point. He gives Israel a king, so they will understand this is not God's ways.
The first is that this reinforces my idea that the church should not be involved in matters governmental for it is at best a distraction, and perhaps even a diversion, from the church's true calling and mission. Is it not wiser for the churcht o use its resources to convert the world to Christianity, in which case abortion will end, than to seek to overturn Roe v Wade in which case abortion will only become harder. Now that does not mean that individual Christians should not seek to work in politics if that is their call, but the church has a well defined mission.
Pastors, most of all are called not to do politics. The problems with this are rife. We have things like Falwell or Robertson putting thier feet in their mouths on repeated occassions to the absolute lunacy that is the Evangelical Climate Initiative. Every pastor will, of course, have his or her poltical convictions, but they should nto give those convictions the force of their sacred authority.
The other thought that springs from this has to do with church itself. The line between the necessary organization to operate a group of people and the church itself being a government is a very fine one. Just how much institution did Christ intend when he instituted the church?
I think the answer lies in the same places in scripture that Craig is looking, in how God intended to organize His people. It was a loose organization with limited leadership, such leadership being earned as result of personal character as opposed to the attainment of some office.
Minimal enforcement was necessary because of mutual accountability, becasue the community itself sought the same goals, goals ordained by God Himself.
How do we build a church that looks like that?
Cross-posted at How To Be A Christian And Still Go To Church
Related Tags: church, government, politics, religion, ordination
