Christians and Government

                The turning point of debate in the political climate in America today seems to revolve around this question: what is the purpose of our government? This question touches every issue, and involves every branch of government. The President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court all have differing opinions that they present to the public. Some feel that government should regulate and control everything, so as to provide a greater sense of general order. Others feel that the government should have as little power as possible, and leave most decisions up to the individual. Still others think it necessary to change everything about the current system because it doesn’t seem to be working at all.  But who is correct?

                According to Scripture, government is a good thing. In fact, Scripture states that God establishes governments Himself (Romans 13:1), and says elsewhere that all good things come from God (James 1: 17). Scripture also provides Christians with instructions to follow the laws of the government over them; Jesus gave the directive to the man asking about paying Caesar’s taxes (Matthew 22:21) and Paul calls Christians to submit to their earthly authorities (Romans 13:2). Paul also states the purpose of government: “For he is God’s servant to do you good…an agent of wrath to bring punishment to the wrongdoer” (Romans 13: 4). Government is intended to provide a framework for society in which good is promoted, and evil is punished. God holds governments accountable for how well they perform this duty.

                In most places, the people have little to no say in who governs over them. But in America, the people have all they say; the rulers are elected by the people’s vote. Because of this, God will hold the people accountable for the actions of the government, and Christians have a greater responsibility to be active in the governmental system.[1] This can mean anything from running for office themselves to writing letters to their congressmen to passing out fliers in the streets. But the easiest and most effective way for American Christians to bring positive change to their government is to vote for leaders who support Christian values! In this way, Christians can bring the government back into a state of obedience to Scripture, and feel positively about submitting to it. 

Following on that, it was in the news today a new Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election has emerged. His name is Thaddeus McCotter, and he currently serves as Representative for Michigan's 11th District. Having been thus far disappointed with the "well-known" choices we currently have for our next president, I checked this guy out. And he seems pretty awesome so far. Here is a link to his website: http://mccotter.house.gov/

There you can find more information about him and what he stands for, current legislation he is sponsoring, and votes he has made in the past. All in all, he looks to be a good choice, but I have some more digging to do. I encourage you to check him out yourself, and to carefully research all the candidates we have before you vote. And please, VOTE. In addition to being a civic responsibility, it is the best way Christians have to positively affect our culture. I can't stress that enough.

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[1] Richard Land, Fulfilling Our Cultural Mandate, Marriage Resources for Clergy (Jan 2011), http://www.marriageresourcesforclergy.com/site/Sermons/sermon09.htm#top

The Gospel and the World

This is something I wrote for a philosophy class I took last semester. Enjoy!

1. What are some ways the Christian gospel is perceived in our culture?

The gospel message is misunderstood by the majority of our culture, even among the people who claim to be Christian. Some simply don't understand the concept of grace as a free gift. "How can it be for free? How is it that I don't have to do anything but accept it?" These questions reflect not only the cynicism of modern society (Anything that is free is too good to be true!), but also a type of arrogance in thinking that man is capable of saving himself. Others see the Bible as a whole as a man-made book full of some history and some good moral codes, but otherwise useless and non-authoritative. Still others simply try to change Jesus into whatever fits their worldview.

2. What are some specific reasons (moral, emotional and intellectual) that people reject the Christian gospel?

Our society is very humanistic. People do not want to accept that man is incapable of anything. In their view, man doesn't need saving from anything, really, and if he does, he can do it himself. He doesn't need the help or the gifts of some intangible, other-worldly being to do so. There is also a pervasive fear of absolute truth present in much of our culture. Because Jesus was so absolutely specific in specifying that He was the only way to God, people reject His message on the grounds that it is offensive or intolerant. There is a very emotional drive behind this rejection of absolute truth, as well. If there is truth, then people have to face the possibility that they are wrong, and that is terrifying.

3. What can Christians do to address these objections and better communicate the Christian gospel?

The first thing we have to do is learn how these people think. By staying within our church groups or Bible classes, we don't face people with worldviews different from our own very often. This is a hindrance to our witness, as the people we need to be talking to will not hold the same assumptions about the world that we do. Once we have figured out where they are coming from, we can address the objections they might have to the gospel. For a few examples, we would have to prove to the humanists that man is flawed and incapable of his own salvation, creating a need for God's grace. We would have to prove to the politically correct that contrary to being intolerant, Christ is the most tolerant, because He accepts everyone just as they are: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!" (Romans 10:13, exclamation point mine) When we have a better grasp on the ways different people see the world and themselves in it, we will have knowledge we need to use the tools God has given us to reach His people.

The Beginning

So, this is my blog. I created it to share some stuff I've written and will write. The title is taken from two Greek words used in Matthew 5:13-14. The first is "halas", meaning "salt", and the second is "phos", meaning "light". These verses are a commission given by Jesus to His disciples to go out into the world and change it through their words and actions. That's what I want this blog to be: an outlet for me to be "salt and light." I hope you are encouraged by what you read here. Thanks for visiting!