Recently, our group decided to start a study on the role Christians should (or should not) play in the political arena. What to do about voting, should they be in office, what should they do if they ARE in office, is America a Christian nation, are we a "nation under God," etc. Very interesting stuff to me, if I do say so myself. That was before I read this article.
Now, I am even more intrigued.
Hopefully, that is a good teaser to read the article, but if you don't have the time, "let me esplain....no, there is too much....let me sum up" (as Inigo Montoya once said).
A new book is coming out by Mr. David Kuo, former second-in-command of President Bush's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, which provides an under-the-covers look at Bush's promises to faith-based programs, his attitude toward them and evangelicals, the ways they found loopholes to deceive them, and also ways they used them for votes. The article contains a portion of the book which chronicles one instance of meetings between Bush, advisor Karl Rove and prominent African-American ministers. The main point of these ministers coming: "Where is the $8 billion you promised faith-based organizations in 2000?" Bush's instructions to his advisors on how to answer this question: "It's coming, I promise."
The only problem was it never did.
Now, obviously, I don't know David Kuo, I don't know President Bush, I don't know his staff or the people who met with him at all. If you asked 1,000 people their opinions about Bush and how religion and powerful evangelicals play a role in his administration, you would get 1,000 different answers. His family would answer one way, his staff would answer in another, and his critics would provide yet another. I am not one of the many who know him, so I am not writing to judge Mr. Bush's ethics or his actions or even if he is sincere. I frequently read that he is a very devout and spiritual man.
What I do want to call to your attention, however, is the faith and hope many of us (including myself) put in politics and leaders, who so often promise one thing, but deliver another. Especially when it comes to religion and beliefs. In the past, I have found myself thinking something like "well, Candidate X seems to be more in line with the beliefs or convictions I have, so I think I will vote for him." I now have come to realize we tread on very shaky ground when we do this.
One thing I have read recently talks about how, no matter how great the moral conviction of the country or its leaders, a government or nation can not truly be "under God" because of the fundamental function that government must serve and the role it must play. Our great country has never had to worry about dictatorships or genocide or a loss of peronsal freedoms. Our country has a distinct moral fiber running through it and does not tolerate law-breakers, but this does not make it a "Christian" nation.
Whether peacefully or violently, governments seek to have control over a number of different things; its citizens, other hostile countries, the laws that are created or revoked, etc. This is in stark contrast to what Jesus implicitly and repeatedly taught when he said to turn the other cheek and to walk the extra mile or love your enemy. Governments can not afford to do it that way. Governments can not survive doing it that way.
So when you hear Christians or churches championing Bush or the Religious Right or you hear them insisting you must support one party or you must vote for a particular person, just be careful and think for yourself. In my opinion, at least, the goal of governments (no matter how moral they seem) is control, the goals of (most) politicians are votes and dollars. On the other hand, the goal of Jesus is love and sacrifice......two things governments and politicians just can't afford to give.
Ryan
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For some good viewing sometime on a related subject, see if you can find a copy of Paul Stekler's documentary Last Man Standing: Politics - Texas Style. It documents two state representative candidates in small-town Texas and the lengths they will go to to win their respective race and how the Texas political landscape is changing. It's interesting to see how each one of them in their debates or speeches start off with, "First of all, I'm a God-fearing, Christian man...," and then what they will do to win and what they have been accused of. Try www.realfilms.org for info about the movie.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
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4 comments:
Ryan - you have hit a subject that I have thought about often. Here are some of my thoughts.
Lately, I have spent a lot of time pondering whether or not I can simultaneously be fully-Christian and fully-American. Are there certain ideologies of these two sets of beliefs that are in contradiction?
To your point, there is no question (in my mind) that many of the goals of politics are in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. However, I think we have to recognize that there is a distinction between politics and government.
The number one role of government, or at least a democratic government, is to protect it's citizens from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Well, on the surface that appears to be a very noble cause, but as you mentioned how does that fit into the teaching of Jesus to "turn the other cheek?"
How would this priciple play out in the war on terror? Let's imagine for a minute that George Bush were to have a crisis of conscience and decided to align his strategy in the war on terror with the teachings of Jesus. I suppose this would mean that he would immediately bring all of the troops home to be re-trained. The new focus of the military would be to actively love the militant Islamic believers. If asked for nuclear technology, give it. If stolen from, let 'em keep it. If shot at, get shot. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not in any way mocking Jesus' teaching. I just wonder what the consequences would be were this to happen.
The enemy we face today is one that can not be defeated with this strategy. The result of the strategy above would mean the killing of millions of Christians, Jews, secularists and anyone who refuses to convert to Islam. Is this the result we should be willing to accept so that we can be Christ-like?
Therein lies my struggle with being a Christian and an American. This dilema will probably plague my thoughts the rest of my life. However, I believe my main responsibility in life is to seek God. I think it is important for all Christians to seek Him. This belief leads me to the main questions: "What is a Christian's role in politics?; "Should we be involved in politics?" "Can we be a nation under God?"
Poltics and government are undoubtedly a part of our lives. We can't choose which parts of our lives we are going to try to influence and which ones we aren't. I believe that Christians have a duty to strengthen their voice in the world of politics and government. In my opinion, there may be no greater mission field than that of government, at all levels. There is no question that we are a nation of Christians, our governement needs to reflect that once again.
I will now step down from the soap box.
Brad,
Excellent post, thank you very much. I must say my opinions are almost exactly in line with yours on this subject. There IS a distinct difference between government and politics, and that distinction often involves making tough, sometimes indeterminable, choices.
I also believe that the U.S. as a country can not afford to simply pull its security or troops out of every foreign country, they can not allow enemies to raid our soil, they can not allow terrorism to rule this or any other country. Our country would fall apart under oppression and anarchy if that were to happen.
I believe that our president and law-makers know this now, and they also knew it when they entered into public service.
It's on this point that I choose to fight my battles, because people are too often guilty of choosing leaders or believing in government based on the fact that they can make this a more "Christian nation;" that they can change the moral fiber and conviction of those who don't believe like I do.
In your words, you elegantly said that the sole purpose of democratic government "is to protect it's citizens from all enemies, foreign or domestic." And it is because of this mission that our national leaders can not truly lead this country by Christ-like values, lest we risk being overthrown, dominated or split apart.
A country, especially a super-power like ours, simply does not have the luxury of turning the other cheek or handing over the cloak when someone asks for our shirt. The consequences, like you mention, would be disastrous.
I just pray that we as citizens do not put our hope and faith in the men and women we have elected to office to change lives by new laws or policy decisions. But rather I hope that we put our faith in God that he can change hearts and minds to Him and His kingdom.
I'm going to go ahead and jump in here...hopefully my EX-SECOC status will be sufficient :)
Brad and Ryan, I can definitely see what you guys are saying concerning the tension between responsible governing and Christ-live action.
I do believe a distinction has to be made, however, between the common man and the governor. It is my belief that God establishes authorities and governments all around the world to not only sustain nations, but to administer justice inside a nation. If someone breaks in my house and steals something, I should respond with forgiveness and gentleness, not bitterness. I believe this would be God's will for me. I also believe it would be God's will for the justice system to punish the wrong-doer. I do not believe it is the role of the judge or jury to "turn the other cheek".
In Romans, God describes those in authority as "God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer". Certainly this is not Christ-like, as Jesus himself stated that he did not come into the world to condemn the world, only to save it. While individually we should attempt to be mirrors of Jesus, I do not see this as a being in conflict with government's larger role of administering justice, peace, security, etc.
Great thinking and great conversation.
Any institution (including earthly governments) exists to protect and promote itself. If that's true, no institution can be like Christ. There aren't even too many individuals (take me for example) that can be like Christ with much consisitency. In the moments we can, it's beautiful, on a heavenly scale.
I like what I've heard expressed in your posts. I'm not anti-American. I'm pro-Kingdom. God (like any king) doesn't share allegiance well. Unless "United States of America" and "Kingdom of God" are synonymous - and I don't think anyone would say that, and if both demand your complete allegiance, at some point there will be a conflict of allegiance. I struggle with the Pledge of Allegince - a declaration and promise of my allegiance to an earthly symbol and power. I could pick on the wording of the Pledge, but overall I think it's a pretty good expression of what the US is at her best, a summary of worthy ideals that even find occasional expression in policies and actions. Maybe more than in any other earthly government. But to promise my unqualified allegiance to it, makes me uneasy. By my understanding of the 'code of the US flag', if Jesus would have left Christians a flag - maybe pulled one out at the last supper or something- it would have to be displayed in subjection to the US flag. In the pledge, how about adding "except when and where this allegence is necesarilly overriden by my allegence to God." And yes, I realize that would sound strange at high school football games. I wouldn't trade my passport for any other on the face of the earth, but the Bible tells me that I've already defected and that my citizenship is in heaven. (Man, I preach it better than I live it.)When my country asks my oppinion, I feel responsible to give it (vote), but to not co-op my hope or allegence. I typically vote 'conservative' but have little use for the (institution) of the evangelical religious right. I wonder if it does more harm than good. I'm thankful that I live under the government that I do. I count that a blessing. Any lesser government would imprison us for having this conversation. That's why communist governments take Christians seriously. They understand it's a threat to their government. I like that many of our laws promote morality and that many laws are based on christian ideas, but that is changing and quickly. But that doesn't make it Christian. I don't think it can be. I don't even know if we're supposed to ask it to be. It's too much to ask. Maybe the best we can do is to admit that it's not, lamment that, help it be more Christian on occasion, and spend the same energy being like Christ ourselves. What if I had spent the time it took me to write this post doing that?
I wonder about the instituion that church has morphed into.
God bless America...and every other country in the world.
-D Cady
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