The Thinking Christian

Lately, when confronted with the opinions of my fellow Christians, I ask myself, "What were they thinking?" Truth is, I wonder if they've really thought through the opinions they put forth. In this blog I will attempt to provoke thought on some current issues. My thoughts might not mirror the popular view, but I hope they will help others consider the question, "What would Jesus think?"

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Christian Utopia?

When I see the frantic efforts of the Christian right to set the agenda in American politics, to tamper with the Constitution for their own purposes and to lobby for laws that fit within the confines of Christian belief, I wonder what are they thinking?

Are they thinking that it is the mission of the Christian on earth to meddle in politics in order to create some kind of Christian Utopia? A place where Christians rule and set the agenda for all people, whether or not they are believers? A land where individual freedoms end where the Bible begins and God's laws are legislated from Washington?

Is this what Jesus thinks? I think not. Jesus said, "They are not of the world any more than I am of the world." (John 17:16) Here Jesus wants us to understand that we are separate from what's happening here on earth. We aren't called to control it, legislate it, change it or form it. We are called to be apart from it. We are told to "come out from them and be separate." (2 Corinthians 6:17)

We are told that "no one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:4) If we are soldiers of Christ, what is our battleground? Politics? Law? Public opinion? No. Our battleground is our own heart. We are told to "endure hardship...like a good soldier" (2 Timothy 2:3) and "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) So our battlefield is not the political arena. It is against hardship and evil in our own lives and hearts. The issues in the political arena would be the "civilian affairs" of which the Bible speaks.

Finally, we are told that we are "aliens and strangers in the world." I am an American who has been living in Canada for three years. There are some things here with which I don't agree. But I am just passing through; this is their country and their problems. I'm not going to try to change Canada into another America to suit my sensibilities. I don't expect Canada to alter itself to accommodate me and my beliefs. In the same way, Christians are of a whole different land. If things are not to our liking, that's to be expected. We are only here on a very brief journey.
This world isn't our business and we shouldn't waste our energy on trying to make heaven on earth. Our job is to focus on our own spiritual condition and to share the good news of God's love to those around us. If we devote ourselves to that end, we will not have time to try to create a Christian Utopia out of a non-Christian world.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rare is the Christian who approaches the "not of this world" concept from the perfect, libertarian spirit in which it was intended. To compel through admonition not to be of this world -- to be preachy about it, in other words -- seems to be just as coercive in spirit as the oxymoronic "Christian activist." Letting all things be precisely as they are, even the most sinful things, is being both other-worldly and perfect, "...even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Perhaps thinking Christians need to think harder.

11:57 AM  

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