‘Principles of Christian Politics: Advancing Biblical Standards of Civil Government’

There is a view amongst many Christians that Christianity and politics fall into the same category as water and oil. That is, the two things just don’t mix. It is said that as Christ never became involved in politics, neither should we, His disciples, concern ourselves with such things. Our interest should be in the salvation of souls, not in the affairs of government, and so the idea of Christian Politics is the archetypal oxymoron.

Ironically, this separation between Christianity and government, which many Christians make, is welcomed by the new atheists and the liberals who are in complete agreement. “Keep Jesus in your heads and in your hymns on a Sunday,” they concede, “but don’t even think about letting Him anywhere near the public square and government.”

For the most part of the last 100 years or so, Christians generally have been pretty obliging, and have been happy to leave government and social issues for the secularists to handle. But as we now find ourselves living in the time of the aborted baby, huge taxation, homosexual marriage, gargantuan government debt, and euthanasia creeping in stealthily through the back door, might we ask if any of us are happy with this state of affairs?

What of Christ Himself? Is the One Whom Scripture describes as “the governor among the nations,” and of Whom it is said “the government shall be upon His shoulder,” interested in all this? Did He care when New York voted to approve homosexual marriage? And if so, how should we, as Christians, react to all this? Should we carry on as before, with a business-as-usual approach, hoping that all will be well? Should we pin our hopes on being raptured out of here before things get really bad? Or should we make confession to God, admitting that we have failed to be salt and light, and ask for His strength as we begin the process of faithful involvement in the society around us?

An audio CD series entitled Principles of Christian Politics: Advancing Biblical Standards of Civil Government, aims to “help Christians harness and implement Scriptural fundamentals of political authority.” Each of the speakers in this seven-part series of talks refuses to do what is always hugely tempting for Christians in times of social and cultural malaise—that is, to shake our heads in dismay and pin the blame on the government, media, the homosexual lobby, the liberals, Planned Parenthood, schools, etc. According to the summary of the series on the CD case, “The seeds of this present crisis were watered first not by socialists, terrorists, perverts, or criminals, but by Christians who, in years past, decided to retreat from public involvement to pursue private piety.” In other words the blame ultimately belongs on the Church—on us.

The first address, provocatively entitled “Why Government Can Save You,” is given by American Vision president Gary DeMar. Defining government not merely in terms of the state, but also in terms of the individual, the family, and the Church, he goes on to reject the idea that Christians should have little or nothing to do with the civil realm, and is adamant that we should be exerting more influence than we currently are.

However, he comes out equally clearly against the idea that change can be imposed from the top down, stating that it must begin with the changing of the hearts of individuals, and that as the individual comes under the government of God’s Word, this ought then to work its way out into Family government, Church government, and also State government.

In the second address, “One Kingdom, One Law,” Joel McDurmon gives the historical background to the rampant dualism which has infected the church, whereby Christians have come to believe that they should seek to have little or no influence within the civil realm. Citing examples from history, he shows that the inevitable consequences of such thinking is a domineering state, and a subservient church. In his next address, “Christians in the Trenches,” McDurmon, applies the restrictions given to the king in Deuteronomy 17 to our modern setting, showing how modern attitudes to warfare and welfare are unbiblical, and how it is imperative that Christians reject such ideas.

In “Defense of Property Rights,” Bojidar Marinov critiques the libertarian view of property, as espoused by the Austrian School of Economics, warning that although many such thinkers have much to offer which is good and helpful, ultimately their view of property can never be a guarantee of the “inalienable right of liberty,” because it rests on a relativistic man-centered foundation, rather than God’s unchangeable and unchanging Law.

“The Church and the IRS,” by John Eidsmoe, begins by setting out the Biblical view of the relationship between Church and State, before going on to give a helpful legal perspective on the impact of 501(c)3 legislation on churches, and how churches can still be involved in the political process without losing tax-exempt status.

Janet Folger-Porter’s address, “Defeating the Giants,” is a clarion call for Christians to social action. Folger-Porter stresses from Scripture that our God is a big God Who is able to bring down the giants in the land. She urges her listeners not only to believe this, but like Joshua who believed that God would lead the way in conquering the giants of Canaan, to act like we truly believe it. God really is able and willing to end evils such as abortion, if His covenant people are truly obedient to His Word.

The address that will perhaps be of most interest to Samaritan members is “Healthcare After Reform,” given by the ministry’s executive vice president, James Lansberry. He begins by painting a bleak picture of the current realities of health care, pointing out that Medicare has an unfunded liability of $80 trillion over the next four decades.

For a nation that pretty much stopped having children back in the 1960s, this is a catastrophe heading our way. There simply won’t be enough workers to pay for the health care of the retired, and if you couple this with a society that has been taught to despise the elderly, you have an ugly future.

He predicts that this will mean people—especially the elderly—being prevented from having certain treatments, and that it will also mean pregnant women being strongly pressured to abort their unborn child if it is found that they have some abnormality or illness, because the government bureaucrats will make it clear that neither she nor her child will ever be allowed health care if she decides to keep it.

As with the other speakers, Lansberry lays the blame at the feet of Christians for abrogating our responsibility to provide a ministry of mercy to the people around us. But just as it is the Church that initiated the problem by creating a vacuum for the State to come in and occupy, it is also the Church that has in its hands the solutions. As the social systems and health systems of the humanists teeter and fall, we are provided with an unparalleled opportunity to be the light of the world. As Lansberry says, this doesn’t mean solving world poverty, but simply helping our neighbor next door or down the street. This means being ready with funds to help our near neighbors; it means setting up small hospices and health care for the elderly; it means reaching out to women in crisis. In short, it means loving our neighbor as ourselves, because we love the LORD our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and with all our might.

Principles of Christian Politics is a useful tool for Christians considering these issues and wondering how they can bring God’s Word to bear on the social, cultural, and political issues of our day. It can be purchased from the American Vision website at www.americanvision.com.

Rob Slane lives with his wife and five home-educated children in Salisbury, England. He is the author of The God Reality: A Critique of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion, contributes to the Canadian magazine Reformed Perspective, and blogs on cultural issues from a Biblical perspective at www.theblogmire.com.