Church As Political; No Matter the Government

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Church As Political; No Matter the Government
By T.G. Blankenship at The Gethsemane Blog

I'm never too worried about the political state of affairs in the United States, despite being a citizen of the United States, because I don't see the type of government I live under as a major impact in my worldview or how I live out what I believe to be true and good. The type of government I am under has little bearing on how I speak to the government.

Don't get me wrong, I'm involved in the political sphere. I pay attention. I contribute. However, I also don't find it to be so important that it contribute much to my identity or even reputation (what little of it I control). Christ is the ultimate truth/reality and he guides me. The Triune God made up of the Father, Son, and Spirit is who determines how I see and how I act. I respond to him above all else.

When it comes to political involvement and the issue of voting (which I have been abstaining from) I often hear the argument that we should vote because we have the freedom to do so in the United States and this freedom is a gift that deserves to not be squandered since it is such a rare gift. Some would go so far as to say it is God-honoring and a Christian obligation to give thanks to such "freedom" by way of voting for government officials. The even more radical folks might add 'lest we become a communist nation!'

To this small argument I must respond by saying I don't care much about which type of government system presides over the nation of which I am a citizen. Whether I am below Nero or Obama, I serve God and honor the authorities. Either way I pray for the leaders and in that way serve the authorities (better than many others if you take the argument of Origen). I am dedicated to clinging to Christ and doing his will, seeking his kingdom, be it as a citizen of a nation which is communist, democratic, or even a dictatorship. The way of a system of government means very little in the long run and big picture.

What matters in the long run and big picture is my actions. How I love matters. As someone who finds all worthwhile action as happening as a part of Christ's body (the Church) it is easy for me to claim that no matter the type of government or elected official, I will always have a voice. I do not need the invitation to elect government officials in order to make a difference in the way of a system, the type of a government, or the officials leading a nation. I do not need officials who value the Constitution or Bill of Rights in order to live rightly or to change the world in beautiful or political ways (I would even make the challenge hear that changing the political sphere isn't at the top of the list of goals for the Christian).

I am a Christian and I believe God has established the authorities and that those authorities rebel against him and thus every system of government is infected with sin and not as it ought to be. As a Christian I pray and seek God for the change I believe is needed in the world, and in those prayers I ask for his good and perfect will, for his kingdom to exist on this earth just as it exists in heaven at the present moment. I seek justice as I live. I hold fast to the imitation of Christ, living a life of self sacrifice and service to all people in the hopes that I might help them to be reconciled to both man and God.

In being Christian, being Church, I fulfill every obligation to contribute to the system of government which reigns over the earthly realm of which I reside. In prayer and the practical loving of my neighbor I do more than voting can. In my confessing Christ I do more than picketing. In singing praise with the body on each Resurrection day (Sunday) I do more than attending town hall meetings or watching debates.

Being the Church means always clinging to Christ's truth, justice, and person. In doing this we will inevitably speak truth to power. Simply by intentionally functioning as the Church in a broken world, as the reconciled people in a world of conflict and tension, we crash heads with governments and systems. In these inevitable moments we will tell the world who it is and the world will see who Christ is by our way of life (a way of love for each other).

God's people, Christ's body, the Church looks the same no matter what the building they gather in, the geographic surroundings, the culture, or the governing authorities presiding over them. Why? Because his people belong to his heavenly kingdom. Their politics derive from his kingdom. He is their king and as a result they answer to him above all else. They are citizens of heaven and are concerned with heaven and it's advancement. There may be some small differences across the globe and time in how God's Church looks (for no person, group, or moment is the same) but the nature of the Church remains the same. No matter the king, Christ is King of Kings. No matter the lord, Christ is Lord or Lords. Perhaps it is more appropriate to say Christ is President of Presidents.

It is here that the Church and even individual Christians speaks most clearly and powerfully to the systems and authorities (and thus have the best type of influence in accordance to who God wants us to be in the world). It is on the foundation of Christ, and the work of being his people, that we find credibility to tell the authorities where they are unjust and in rebellion to God's way.

We do not attempt to change the system so laws will reflect biblical moral mandates but rather we attempt to be people of Christ's love, knowing that in such a pursuit there will be an obvious line drawn between us and the evil within the world and that we will then be able to speak with power about the contrast and how healing can come through Christ. We do this under Obama, under Hitler, under Nero. We do it as democrats, republicans, communists, "voiceless" peasants, etc. because we do it as the Church first and foremost.

This, in part, is why I fully believe that we are the most political when we are being the Church.

Pay attention, read the paper, watch debates, vote, attend town hall meetings and local government gatherings. Be a part of the process if you like, it's not wrong. However, above this, be the Church. Sing hymns, pray, love one another, be baptised, partake of the eucharist, wash each other's feet, honor marriage, repent, confess, gather together, give to the poor, help the orphans and widows, embrace the marginalized, and preach Christ crucified.

Nothing is as political as claiming Christ is Lord. Be political. Be the Church.