In matters political many of the most fervent Christians find themselves "conflicted"--for understandable, but not excusable, reasons.
Here are some of the conflicts: God calls us to an absolute, unconditional loyalty to Him, whereas all political or democratic options are full of putrefying compromise. To support even one of them seems disloyal to God.
Secondly, God's prophets spoke to power without fear or favour, without compromise or bending. In our post-Christian world there is no room allowed for such messengers from God. Christians have been ostracised and exiled. Therefore, let's not participate--until Jesus returns and makes everything right.
Oh, but wait a moment, we forgot. Once He returns there will be no need for prophets any longer (I Corinthians 13: 8-10).
Thirdly, many Christians get frustrated that the state does not act like the Church, nor does it take up the concerns and responsibilities of the Church--therefore, it must be incipiently wicked. Better to have nothing to do with it.
If we stand back and look at these discomforts with the political process they all betray immaturity and naivety. Christians, of all people, should be familiar with the "perfect, and not yet" tension that stretches us all on the rack, daily. After all, Jesus commanded, "Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect," and at the same time inspired the least of His inerrant apostles to write,
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh: for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; bit I practice the very evil that I do not wish. (Romans 7: 18,19)Every Christian recognizes the antinomy of the "now, and not yet" and lives with it every day. It keeps our hearts in heaven filled with hope and our bodies on their knees, pleading for mercy and help. Why then would be expect any lesser tensions in fulfilling our duties in the public sphere, in politics? If "perfection or I will not participate" does not apply to our Christian lives, nor to the Church, why demand it in politics?
Consider the errant Christian who is wrestling with the unfaithfulness of his church in matters liturgical. He believes fervently and correctly that having women publicly read the Scriptures in worship is forbidden by the Lord Himself. He reasons that to join and participate in such worship will make him partially responsible for the error. After all his presence is support, non? Therefore, he determines that he will not attend worship until the matter is corrected. But even children can discern the folly of that extremist position. Images of babies and bathwater come to mind.
The sad reality is that this poor chap will never be able to attend any public worship--for it is all less than perfect--before the Final Advent of our Lord.
If Christians can navigate successfully between legitimately expecting perfection in the Church, on the one hand, and complete lassitude in matters liturgical, on the other--why do we struggle so much in matters political?
Presumably it has something to do with the game being run by pagans. But in the sense of "Deeper Magic" that's not true. Matters political are run by the Lord of all rulers and kings. The fact most rulers of this world do not acknowledge it only serves to display their foolishness and blindness.
We once heard of a faithful preacher in a smallish country town. The local church was dominated by a couple of wealthy and influential men. They were used to moulding the church after their own image. After a while the puppeteers began to feel a certain discomfort from the faithful biblical teaching of the minister. They took him aside for a little chat, suggesting that if he did not adjust and adapt, his tenure would be short-lived. The preacher told them to be-gone. He would be staying in his position for the time appointed by the Lord--he would be leaving not a day earlier, nor a day later.
As it turned out, both were right. The manipulators engineered his dismissal, but so consigned themselves to the curses that fall upon those who do not receive the prophets of the Lord. Thus had the Lord decreed, and so it fell out. The political realm is no different.
In the United States a debate has broken out amongst earnest Christians as to whether a vote for Mormon Mitt Romney would be an act of faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the Lord. The issues we have spoken of above are all swirling in the mix. One protagonist, Jim Jordan has written an excellent piece on the subject. We will publish it on the morrow.
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