Jesus and the death of democracy

This is the third time I have lived through a nominally democratic country being taken over by a dictatorship. My hope when settling in the US was that the checks and balances in the constitution would maintain stability. However, those responsible for implementing these checks and balances have been bullied, bribed, or fooled into inaction.

I am too old to move again. And I am dismayed that Christians are supporting, indeed celebrating, the normalization of theft, lies, bullying, racism, and inhumane actions by political leadership based on the false promise of personal prosperity. Meanwhile, those questioning these actions are shunned and mocked.

 I have therefore been pondering a biblical response to the rapid devolution of the USA from a thriving democracy to an autocratic empire. The best guidance I can find is in looking at the parallels with the situation in Israel when Jesus was on earth. There were three broad groups of protagonists in this story:

•        * The Roman occupiers. Oppressors, with a single aim of pillaging every penny from the functionally enslaved populace, with no concern for their welfare.

•        * The religious establishment. Comfortable in their long-held position of power and authority. They have worked out a deal with the oppressors to retain their status by compromising the fundamentals of their doctrine. They are indifferent to the cries of the people.

•        * The disciples of Jesus. Looking to Him to be their political savior. To free their land.

So what did Jesus say to these groups?

* To the Romans... Not much. Surprisingly. You would expect them to be loudly reprimanded. In fact, he simply instructed some soldiers to stop abusing their power, and went so far as to heal one of them.

* The "holy" people were the focus of his ire, repeatedly calling them hypocrites and roundly criticizing them for misrepresenting God. They were instructed to repent. Which they did not, rather choosing to murder him.

* And the followers? They were told to submit to, pray for, be generous to, and love their oppressors.  Their pleas for freedom were ignored. His intent was for them to worship him, trust him, and reflect his character. Regardless, or even because of, their circumstances.

What happened in the end? Jesus fulfilled his mandate of freeing his people from the burden of sin. He did not crush Rome right then, instead sending missionaries to convert their leadership. Much later, like all other empires, it collapsed under its complacency. The Jews lost relevance and were scattered. The gospel spread under persecution.

Now we turn to today. Three similar groups in the USA: the ultra-wealthy seeking to enthrone themselves; the established church supporting them; and a smaller group of Christ followers seeking security and stability.

I suspect Jesus' message to each group would be the same:

•       * The oppressors to stop oppressing

•       * The church to repent

•        * The followers to trust that it is God who is in charge. We need freedom from sin, not political freedom.

It is notable how often in both testaments, it is emphasized that God allows bad decisions by leaders, to encourage His people to look to Him alone for security.  

Morality

What is morality? From the Oxford Dictionary: “Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour.”

Is morality universal?  No.  Different cultures have different standards.

Who, then, defines what is right or wrong?  A Christian would argue that God does, as described in the Bible.  The Ten Commandments were the basis of laws and the boundaries of morality for many nations.  However, in a post-Christian age, some tenets are being rejected in these nations, followed in time by more. It is not unreasonable to expect that in the end, all will fall away.

Morality then becomes subjective, based on what I want, regardless of how it affects you.  This trend leads to normalizing selfishness, self-comfort superseding care for others, rule by might (or wealth), and the abuse of power.

This is observable in the USA with worship of retirement funds and cars, fear and persecution of people who are different, loss of generosity, and denigration of those with differing opinions, even among Christians.  The gap between rich and poor is widening. The next stage in the progression is observable in southern Africa where there is loss of the rule of law (e.g. traffic chaos and theft), runaway corruption, and a lack of infrastructure spending. The gap between rich and poor is enormous.

If these trends continue then anarchy and dystopia are inevitable.

The next tricky question then, is, “Should anyone impose their morality on others by force?”  Christians may support this action because God’s requirements are indeed absolute, but the Crusades and the Inquisition have not gone down well in history.  Should God be enforcing them, or me?  Current day USA is pushing back on Christian morality because of what they perceive to be discriminatory laws loosely based on an authority they do not acknowledge enforced by corrupt officials.  They are also seeing hypocrisy among Christians who lay down rules but do not obey them.  Works appear to supersede grace, which indicates that something is seriously wrong.

Indeed, can morality be enforced by law? People, by nature, manipulate, push the boundaries of, and break laws.  True morality stems from convictions within about what is right and wrong, guiding actions from conscience, rather than fear of enforcement.

So where do we go?

·       “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13;35)

·       Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:23)

 

Our Father

 I recently listened to a sermon about the amazing privileges associated with being able to call almighty God “Our Father”.  It was reassuring and encouraging. 

But…

Our culture tempts us to focus on the privileges and skip the first word; “Our.”  This is important because He is not just “My Father.”  I am not an only child.  I am not more privileged than others, including those who are different (race, nationality, intelligence, college, eye color, political opinion, age, gender, economic status, whatever.)

This precludes me from being proud or arrogant about my status, because “… to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1: 12).”  The status is a gift, and has nothing to do with my race, nationality, intelligence, college, eye color, political opinion, age, gender, economic status, whatever.  The status is given to all who believe.  The status is not a license to be narcissistic.  Rather we are to act like we believe that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27).”

We should be defending, loving, helping, and sacrificing for all our (God) siblings.  This is regardless of their race, nationality, intelligence, college, eye color, political opinion, age, gender, economic status, whatever.

God is not impressed with my position as an upper-middle-class, middle-aged (OK, old), white, male, suburbanite professor; he gave all of that to me.  What he is watching is what I do with it.  Do not say “God, I thank you that I am not like other men… (Luke 18:11),” but pray like this “Our Father… (Matt 6:9)” and all it implies. 

 

 

Thorny Soil

 Back in the 80s, a Christian writer opined that the biggest threat to the western church was not persecution or want – but abundance, because it would lead to complacency and prioritization of comfort over love.  Was he right?

Matthew 13 ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it.”

The topics of conversations I have held with people in the UK and USA over the last few weeks have been remarkably consistent, covering:

• Politics – Binary positions without nuance or compromise on Trump, Brexit, Israel / Hamas, Covid, global warming.
• Money – No one has enough.
• Relationships – Resentment, hurt, separation, and social media exhaustion.
• Kids – Dealing with technology, being on the autism spectrum, schools.
• Health issues.

·       Little difference was observed between those who were Christian / non-Christion, old / young, economic status, or the country they live in. Jesus hardly ever came up except in a church setting.

Our priorities are reflected in:

• Relationships shattered by political differences.
• Decisions based solely on economics or on input from a political leader, not scripture.
• Fear and dehumanization of the “other” (race, nationality, state, sports team, party).
• Placing people in boxes with (often derogatory) labels that carry a mountain of baggage.
• Yearning to return to the good old days (but they weren’t that good were they?)

It sure seems that we are in thorny soil.  But how to get out?  Hear and understand the word (v23):

Matthew 6 ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What are we seeking?  Jesus, or comfort?  It is our choice, and these choices have eternal consequences – not only for ourselves but the people we push away from the gospel.

 

Buried in Laws

Recently it struck me that it is weirdly incongruous that the community that teaches salvation by faith alone (i.e. actions do not count toward salvation), is one of the most tightly regulated with dress codes, limits on what can be watched and consumed, and who to hang out with.  It also spends an inordinate amount of time and effort trying to enforce those rules on the communities around them.  In the USA, some are starting to push back – hence the rapid change in generally accepted perceptions about homosexuality, abortion, and drugs.

In an age of culture wars, I have long wrestled with the question of what basis Christians have to enforce their morality on a nation that does not hold the Bible as a source of authority.  They may argue about science and sociology, but Christians base their thinking on Scripture.  However, discussion about what is good and right with someone who disdains scripture is hard, because there is no common point to work from, nor a superior authority to refer to.

More recently I have watched people who grew up in a christian community start to question the plethora of rules their lives have been governed by.  Some have concluded that the rules are invalid and walked away from the church.  In some cases, it would seem that their lives were about the rules, not Jesus, and all their flaws and failures were papered over; inevitably doomed to fail.

I am also seeing teenagers rebel against the constraints they have been living under, rejecting their parents and everything they stand for, encouraged by their unchurched peers and media who view the rules as simply a means of exterminating all the fun in their lives.  The joy and freedom of Christianity has been lost, hidden behind a plethora of behavioral codes.  Indeed, freedom (that widely vaunted American privilege) has been completely turned around from “freedom to serve others regardless of what it costs me” to “freedom to serve me regardless of what it costs others.”

So how do we balance grace with holiness, freedom with righteousness? Generations of far smarter people have wrestled with this question, including Paul.  But let’s try and play it out in the culture we find ourselves in now, including some navel gazing.  Before we look at ourselves however, lets refresh our understanding of God.

He is by nature: holy, good, righteous, sovereign and loving (among many other attributes).  He cannot change.  He cannot be persuaded to bend a little.  This is who he is.  Even in this truncated list there are some challenges: e.g. how can a perfectly righteous being love sinners?

Now me.  A sinner, meaning that I cannot come into the presence of that Holy God.  Finite, limited – especially in self-control.  Indeed, I have no control over most of the important things in my life like my selfishness, the economy, my longevity, or the behavior of people around me.  As Paul noted – “wretched” (Romans 7:24).

Then I meet Christ.  As a full member of the godhead, He is the answer to the conundrum presented above.  By the humiliation of taking on human form, allowing himself to be tortured and killed, and raising himself from the dead, we have a person who can usher us into the presence of the God described above (Romans 5:1).  In so doing we are changed (by Him) from sinner to holy (Romans 6:6).  The key point here is that it is never about the (pleasure killing) rules.  God’s standards are far out of our reach and any striving to achieve them on our own will always lead to burn-out and failure.  Instead, He takes on the responsibility of changing us.  So now we are not trying to obey rules, but our renewed natures drive us to embrace the satisfaction Mick Jagger never found.  Words that apply include rest, joy, fulfillment, peace…  Sounds good right?  And it all comes from within; without the need to lash ourselves for being failures.  Yes, discipline is needed, because we are not in heaven yet, and still have work to do, but we are not striving to be good.  The good is striving to change us.  Tricky to comprehend – but very freeing.  

One way to avoid getting arrogant about our status in Christ is to remember that I am a sinner.  Forgiven, redeemed, yes.  But still a sinner – so no better than all the other sinners around me.

Next layer out from my own navel – what about my kids?   Ephesians 6:4 invokes me as a father to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  There is that tricky discipline thing again.  First – can any of us make our kids perfect?  Of course not – we can’t even make ourselves perfect!  Can we make them into Christians?  Nope – that is Gods job.  So, what is the goal then?  Scripture does not seem to be very loud about this.  Look again at verse 4.  It starts with “don’t provoke them.”  What does that mean?  I am reaching the conclusion that excessive “rules” are provoking.  I know that as an employee of a large bureaucracy I am provoked by busywork and policies and rules I have to comply with at work.

We have to teach them the Gospel described above. We do also have to teach them to be good citizens – i.e. to look out for others and to avoid activities that will hurt or inconvenience others around them: to be loving (Matt 22: 35).  I am coming to the conclusion that the root of misery on the planet is rooted in selfishness (i.e. the love of money).  It is not for nothing that most two-year-olds have a limited vocabulary dominated by “why?”  Instead of responding with “because I said so” (rules), lets explain the why behind the need to love, because that is the route to fulfillment (relationship).  As Ted Tripp wrote years ago - work on their hearts, not their behaviors.  While we demonstrate God’s standards and love in our own lives without hypocrisy, and pray for their souls, we hope that God chooses to save them.  

And finally – last ring out – the community around us.  Much the same as our kids, we demonstrate Christ’s love (John 13:35) and so provoke them into asking what makes us different.  I am increasingly convinced that beating them over the head with laws and rules will not lead them to Christ.  I am regularly seeing posts by non-christians on social media calling out christians for their hypocrisy, and they are not wrong.

Faith and the control freak

A presenter at a recent conference stated that civil engineers are typically leaders, assertive, take-charge kind of people.  She also said that most of us are somewhere on the autism spectrum.  I couldn’t argue. I would add that many of us are control freaks. 

In many ways, these characteristics are what make us good at our jobs.  Attention to detail, strategic planning, problem solving, ability to analyze and deal with complex problems, and the compulsion to ensure that work is done right, are all critical to ensuring that the infrastructure civilization depends on is reliable, safe and affordable.

The policy in my organization is that no publication, design or drawing goes out until it is reviewed by several people.  We do this because we know that mistakes can happen, and the consequences of mistakes can be expensive and deadly.  We trust each other, but we also question and verify.  Striving to be in control of everything in our purview is a good thing.

But…

Jesus calls his disciples to trust Him.  We are to allow him to govern every detail of our lives.  Everything has to be submitted to his authority.  But, God created me and imbued me with my character and skills.  He made me a control freak.  Do you see the tension here?

Trusting is also hard because He does not often tell us what the plan is, so we are flying blind through both bad times and good. 

To make it all the more complicated, we are also told that we can’t sit back on a recliner and do nothing.  While giving control to God, we are still required to live our lives, make decisions, and do good things.  We have to actively love.  We are not permitted to allow life to drift past us.  Passive fatalism and idleness are not God's intent.

So where do we go with this?  Are we to be two people, one in control at work and another letting it all go at home?  Sounds dangerous.

To start, we have to absorb that God is infallible, so we don’t need to verify His work.  He is also good, in fact, He defines what is good.  He is all-powerful, meaning He can do whatever He wants.  He also loves everyone, including me, more than we can imagine.  This is proven by his incarnation, death and resurrection.

We are able then, to let go the things that we can’t influence to this sovereign, loving, intimate God, while we have to work on the things we can. Sounds trite, but it is true. The real challenge is knowing where the boundary is between these two.  We control freaks will tend to bias toward interfering in things we shouldn’t.

So, please be kind to, and pray for, us while we wrestle with finding the balance between delegation and action. 

 

 

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive

 Last week was rough.  In the midst of dealing with the pain of losing my ministry and many friends, I found myself under intense pressure to deliver far more than I have resources.  Coupled with health issues, I was pretty well done with life.  One evening, I yelled at God and told him that if I did not wake up the next day, that would be gain.

Waking up was indeed a disappointment – but I got out of bed and started on chores to stay distracted.  Working in the forest at the bottom of our garden I slipped and fell, and bashed my head on a tree stump.  It was the hardest hit I have ever experienced.  When my wife and son saw the blood, they shoved me into a car and rushed to the ER. Two hours, a CT scan, and four staples later I was told I still have a brain and it seemed to be working OK.  My whole right side hurt like crazy with bruises and scrapes. 

Later that evening we walked back down to the scene of the crime to find my shoes.  We wondered at how lightly I had got off, considering the height I had fallen and the shape of the stump I had hit.  It was surprising that I had survived at all.

I can almost hear God snickering.  He took me to (indeed, beyond) the edge, and then protected me.  He heard my demands – and said “No!”  He wants me alive, even if hurting.  For what purpose I have no idea. 

Time to be still and listen for directions…