We have witnessed a major transition of power and seen a major shift in our political structure almost overnight. We’re left to ponder what to do when the party in power represents values that are mostly opposite of what we believe. Remember values are more prevalent and more lasting than political candidates.
Remember, values are more prevalent and more lasting than political candidates
Have we been here before? Yes, many times. The church of ancient times had it worse. There was no Democracy, no chance that Caesar would give up power, no guarantee that they would be protected, no constitution, no independent judicial system, only Christ. Nero deeply persecuted the church and the church grew and much later, Constantine established Christianity as the main Roman religion, and the church grew. God was in charge, not human rulers.
It’s interesting that most of the Bible was written by a persecuted crew. They went through intense persecution to produce what we have today. The Apostle Paul spoke of boasting about his sufferings (2 Cor. 11) – I’m not sure I’m there yet. He later says a good soldier of Christ must endure suffering (2 Tim 2:3) – another hard teaching. Nowhere, except in his appeal for his release from prison to Caesar does he indicate we should fight to have a good secular leader.
I understand the political environment we live in and that the United States is an exceptional country, built on Judeo Christian values. This unique position gives us a special place to seek and to demand that our government continues to respect those foundations. This is not the Roman Empire. In the same breath, we understand that our society is quickly changing and transforming to reflect more secular values than what the founders of the nation dreamed of. Our approach must be based in this vein of thought. Our leaders, in a Democracy, are going to reflect the population. They come from among us and we choose them. We do not live in a Theocracy.
…our society is quickly changing and transforming to reflect more secular values than what the founders of the nation dreamed of.
All this to say the ties that bound the church to the government in this nation are slowly being cut in order to save the church from further deterioration and loss of voice to the culture. This, in the end, will give the church a greater voice back to those in power. It’s what made Elijah powerful, he was not bound to Ahab. It’s what made Nathan powerful, he was not bound unconditionally to David – even though David was a righteous king.
These ties that bind were a powerful tool in the past but over time have become a tool of great manipulation on both sides. I believe the separation of church and state was intended to protect the church from state influence yet maintain church influence in state matters. We don’t want those roles reversed. The church must continue to hold an upper hand and maintain a standard of morality and integrity in governmental affairs. The government, on the other hand, should protect the church from rampant policies that could be detrimental to the thriving of the spiritual state of the people.
Moving forward, we still remain values voters and use our conscience when elections come around. As for now, we respect the authority even if we don’t fully understand what God’s up to.
Nelson Masinde 