I have refrained from expressing political opinions to date,
largely because I have been afraid of alienating or offended some friends. But it is time to speak out.
My positions are those of an immigrant, who grew up in
war-torn central and southern Africa, pretty well unbiased by US
partisanship. I am also trying to live
using the Bible as an absolute authority that supersedes all human opinion.
It seems to me that Christian churches in the US are
following drifting changes in cultural trends rather than obeying scripture on
some issues. The frog is in hot water
and starting to boil.
Some of the statements made by politicians referenced below
have not been verified, but they are not the focus of my thoughts – it is the
response of Christians to the potential truth of them that scares me.
Jesus demands of all believers that they love God first and
wholeheartedly, and also that they love one another enough to sacrifice their
lives. This is the backdrop to the
discussion that follows. All of the
topics are far more complex than this space or my expertise allows, but I have
sought to give an overview of scriptural principles.
Leadership and Ethics
The last presidential election has been extraordinarily
divisive. Neither candidate represented
a Christian world view. I suspect that
the majority of people made their choices based on voting against, rather than
for, a given candidate. Hence, we had to
make decisions about which behavior was worse, and this was subjective. I have been informed by Christians on both sides
of the party divide that people who went the other way are stupid, deluded or a
tool of Satan. The fact that Christians
are resorting to personal attacks like this is deeply concerning. Such behavior is not an exhibition of love.
This came to a head with the senate election in Alabama
where statements were being made by church leaders and politicians that a
potential criminal is more acceptable than anyone from the other party. This is clearly a political rather than a
biblical position. I have heard his behavior being justified based on the
likelihood that Mary was about the same age as the victims when Jesus was
conceived. This is deeply offensive to
non-christians and a hindrance to the gospel. Such a thought process is
inappropriate because it is a description of cultural practice at the time
rather than an injunction from God. The
bible says nothing about her age other than she was young and of marrying age.
I reflected on this as I watched a coup d'état and a change
in leadership in the land of my birth.
It took 37 years for this dictator to be held responsible. My (rapidly fading) dream is that the USA
does not spiral down a similar path. I
am not encouraged when the US president reportedly uses expletives to describe
immigrants from Africa. That is bad
enough, but when church representatives speak in support of this behavior I
question their motives. As an African
immigrant I am outraged to be characterized in the terms used, but to have the
church join in this abuse is unspeakably hurtful.
What is the church supposed to be doing? Its role is to ensure Christ is glorified –
not a politician.
How then should we think about political leadership?
- · The greatest need for any nation is to be lead toward God
- · Pray for your leaders – that they learn to listen to the voice of God
- · All men are fallen, no leader is a god
- · Leaders are ultimately answerable to God
- · Choose leaders who are honest and ethical
- · Leaders should be held accountable for their actions
- · Christ comes before the nation or the party if you have to make a choice
John 19:11 - Jesus
answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been
given you from above.”
1 Timothy 2:2 - First of all, then,
I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made
for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead
a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good,
and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth
Romans 3:22 - For there is no
distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Wages / Economics
Many small businesses (and churches) pay wages and salaries
that are insufficient to live on, while benefits are pathetic or absent. Organizations are employing part time workers
to sidestep the law requiring benefits for full time employees. This may be legal, and smart business – but
immoral, and unloving. Those who work
should be able to support their families without having to work 3 jobs. Those who cannot work should be supported.
The opposite and equally unacceptable extreme is a society
where large numbers of people are indigent and so well supported by the state
that there is little motivation to seek employment. So many resources are poured into these
people that the infrastructure is neglected and crumbling.
Tax laws are written by the rich to favor the rich. The rationale is that savings to the employer
encourages job creation. The flaw in
this argument is that fallen humans are fundamentally selfish, so a dollar not
paid to an employee is an extra dollar in an owner’s pocket – who can resist
that!
1 Timothy 5:18 - For the
Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and,
“The laborer deserves his wages.”
1 Tim 6:18 They are to do good, to
be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share
Proverbs 14:31 - Whoever
oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy
honors him.
James 5:4 - Behold, the wages of the
laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out
against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord
of hosts.
2 Thess 3: 10 If anyone is not
willing to work, let him not eat.
Immigration
As an immigrant who paid a fortune in time, money and
degrading inspection to be legal:
- · Immigrants are an integral part of a flourishing society, not all of us are stupid or criminals. Do we let everyone in? No. Do we let in the people we need and can trust? Yes. Is the process transparent, fast and efficient? Duh.
- · There must be clearly stated and rational protocols to process immigrant applications
- · The government must provide the resources to handle all of the applications timeously. It took 5 years for a clerk to stamp a piece of paper with my name on. In every other country on the planet it is less than a year. If it were not so difficult to be legal, then being illegal would not be necessary.
- · Yes work on border security – but a wall? How did that work out for Hadrian, Qin Shi Huang and East Germany in the long run? The money would be better spent on more clerks to stamp papers. The wall does not help enforce the law within our borders.
- · There must be a way for illegals to work toward legality even if it includes some punishment. They are here, working, paying taxes and learning the language – that’s a head start on many newcomers. Expecting them to leave, and leave behind American born children is troublesome.
- · Blindly excluding all people from a given nation is nonsensical.
Scripture
Hebrews 13:2 - Do not
neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained
angels unawares.
Exodus 12:49 - There shall
be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”
Leviticus 19:33 - “When a
stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall
treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall
love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the
LORD your God
John 13:35 By this all people will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Guns
Only in the USA is this an issue. That should speak volumes in and of
itself. The US constitution allows
people to own guns. The constitution
also allows a number of other privileges, yet all of those others come with
some constraints or requirements to ensure well-being of the community at
large. Some Christians swear to clutch
on to their guns (without controls) until their dying breath because it is
their right. The joke behind this is, as
a friend recently pointed out, there will likely be no guns in heaven, so they
will have to let go of them with that last breath.
The fundamental question is whether Christians should be
clinging to any rights? Jesus did not.
Why do they hang on so hard?
- · Because the constitution says we can. So what?
- · To hunt. Do we need bump-stock AR15s to snag a squirrel?
- · For self-protection. No – that is God’s job. Should Christians even consider using lethal force for personal protection?
- · To protect our schools and sports stadia. No – that is vigilantism.
Again, scripture
Matthew 5:39 I say to you, Do not
resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to
him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him
have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with
him two miles.
Matthew 5:44 - But I say
to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Psalm 5:11 - But let all
who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your
protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
Climate
·
Change is happening
·
The causes may be debated
Genesis 8:22 While the earth
remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night,
shall not cease
“Keep” meaning protect and preserve for the future
generations – not pillage for our comfort.
I am not convinced that the second passage gives us free rein to
decimate the planet assuming that God will fix whatever damage we cause. While the seasons will continue to roll
around, they are likely to change at any given location, with potentially
devastating effects on how we live there.
While Christ has guaranteed forgiveness of sins, he also allows us to
enjoy the consequences. An example is the City of Cape Town. I remember it is as
a lush, green, soggy place, yet it came desperately close to running out of
water this year.
Gay marriage
A complex issue:
- · Scripture rejects same sex relations and defines marriage as between one man and one woman
- · However when it comes to government benefits there may be some validity to the argument that discrimination based on sexual choices is not appropriate
- · Resolving these two is difficult
Remember that when addressing sin, we should not forget that
we all sin in some way, including self-righteousness and pride. The church may not accept people’s choices,
but should still love people and seek to lead them to Christ.
Romans 3:23 - for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Racism
Jesus was neither white nor upper-middle class. He was the
semitic son of an artisan class family. Christianity started and grew in the
middle-east, Turkey and Greece. Believe
it or not, the bible was not written in King James American English.
Differences in skin color, IQ, technological advancement,
financial resources, accent, history, job-title, or football team are not
grounds for treating any human being as sub-human.
Col 3:11 Here there is not Greek
and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, 5
free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Genesis 1:26 - Then God
said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
In Summary
Are our churches teaching Christ, or politics? Are they showing the community how to love –
or to discriminate and hate. Are they
practicing generosity or selfishness? Is
the frog boiling?
I am thankful that my Pastor teaches truth. Is anyone listening? Am I going to lose friends over this? Probably, but I am obligated to obey
scripture.
“…theological integrity more than
political partisanship must govern the churches’ response.” Jim Wallis
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