1 Timothy 2:1-2 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Ezra 6:10 Offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well being of the king and his sons.
Romans 13:1 (NIV) 1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
I know that some are quite sure that passive Christians are responsible for the moral slide of the world around us. In general I do think we have often failed to participate in the privilege of protest that a democracy affords, but I also think we can over burden the church with the responsibility of making public morality match biblical morality. If failure to impose our world view on the world around us makes us failures then Paul the Apostle failed, the early church failed and even Jesus Christ failed. All of these people died with the world pretty much as bad or even worse than how they found it.
Simon Peter in his inaugural address to a world that was meeting the Christ followers for the first time said bluntly, Acts 2:40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
The only reformation I can hear in Peter’s words are personal not societal. Now having said that, don’t think I am advocating a withdrawal from trying to impact public policy as Hobby Lobby recently did, in the court challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s forcing of private business to pay for abortion causing birth control. Unlike the Apostles, we live in a democracy and if we fail to try and influence public policy and moral values we are being irresponsible. However, what I have just said is a far cry from being in despair where our efforts have failed. It’s also not the same as saying, “they’re not going to let us run the show so let’s seclude ourselves in a little holy huddle.”
Perhaps you have heard the term, “the third way.” To some, the term “third way” means co-existing with evil at all cost; but I believe there’s another definition that means we can come out of our Christian cave’s, engage powerfully, joyfully and lovingly with a world that may or may not want us at the table. Why should we show up where we are not necessarily wanted? We should show up because they need us. We should show up because we are redeemers. As evangelical Christians we need to stop being a political party. Politicizing our gospel has subjected us to being manipulated by the republicans and feared by the democrats. A third way means we lead with love, speak with truth and engage without fear.
I am excited about the near future for evangelical Christians. Why? Because the conditions that we find ourselves living and working in today more closely resembles the conditions of the first century under the rule of Caesar, and that was the churches finest hour. Centuries from today, may it be said that the 21st Century was the churches finest hour.
