Saturday, July 26, 2014

The New Christian Activist


This is the writer's uncut version of an article I wrote for The Underground called "The New Christian Activist."  


The loyal Christian, dedicated to the Heavenly Father must be an activist, in the pluralistic global environment post 9/11. We've put up with a lot in the United States.  Christianity is in trouble in the USA, and has crumbled to dust in Europe over a short period of time.  The American public seem poised to remap the moral framework from a Christian view to a sort of tolerance pluralistic view that quietly ejects Christianity and Judaism while embracing self deification.  The Judeo-Christian worldview has been called into question and found incompatible with the tolerant majority.  

We can see the problem.  I don't need to expand upon the problem.  What's the solution?  Do we end up asking ourselves if Christianity can even have a seat at the table?  Inevitably the question arises as to the role of the Christian in the political process. 

It must be stated that when Jesus Christ came he did not concern himself with political process or the government of Rome.  He was concerned with showing mercy to the poor and lost, and rebuking the self righteous religious types.  His stated purpose on Earth was to be offered up as a sacrifice for many.  But in fair contrast God has quite often involved himself in political processes.  He personally raised up the nation of Israel to be an example to the nations of the Earth.  He very personally claimed the seat of king in the temple, and later set up a line that went from Solomon, David, and later to Jesus Christ himself. 

Jesus Christ will be the literal political leader of the world one day in the future.  What should we do until then?  Jesus Christ said to his friends, go and make disciples of all nations.  I find it interesting that Jesus Christ said nations and not peoples.  Or individuals.  He said nations.  We go into nations and Christianity changes nations.  This is powerfully illustrated when comparing North Korea to South Korea.  One has a democratic government, the other is a militarized dictatorship.  And we hear about the autracities of the dictatorship don't we?

Unfortunately Christianity has been tried in a manner where the religious leaders wield power and that has utterly failed to the shame of many in the history of Europe and the Christian conflict with Islam.  The crimes of the papacy are well documented and those crimes continue at the Vatican to this very day.  We don't want a government imposing religion.  But we don't want a government devoid of religious reference either.

That lead to the great experiment, the United States of America.  The political process made mention of a God, but did not name the God.  This allowed various denominations and faiths to pour in meaning interchangeably.  It left the freedom to choose a faith open.  But now we in America want to tear that apart, and eject that philosophy from the government.  We want to play god.  Something special happened in 1776.  I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I do know that God was involved.  He's involved in all of human history.  Something special happened, something divine, that allowed for the United States of America to come together.

Can it really be our destiny to fall into moral decline?  Can it really be our destiny to slink back in defeat as militant atheist groups sue and lobby all mention of God from the government?  Will we really allow the metal beams in the shape of a cross to be removed from the 9/11 memorial?  How sad a thought.  How pathetic that we've let it get this far. 

The new Christian must be an activist.  This means we participate in the political process to a certain extent.  We form organizations to protect our moral values.  We express the sacredness that they try so hard to reject, the sacredness of the marriage, of the marriage bed, of what the eyes see, of what the ears hear, and what the mind conceptualizes.  We build websites and form petitions to lobby our elected representatives.  We speak out in our communities on key issues.  We refuse political correctness and talk about God the Father of the human race.  We get bold about the issues.  We stop retreating as the liberal majority condemns us and calls us intolerant.  We stand up for the truth, because we know the truth. 

Ephesians 5:For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”