Cultural norms and morals don’t originate in in the political and legal structures of our government. Our political leaders and systems are simply a reflection of the character and values of the people of our nation. Positive social change and movement rarely begins in our nation’s capital and usually is the last place it appears. Washington is a place where tenured bureaucrats are totally invested in maintaining the status-quo, politicians are consumed with managing public opinion and getting re-elected, and powerful special interest groups and lobbyists are defending and extending their preferred position under the law. As Christians we need to realize that Washington is not the hope of our nation and that we can’t legislate morality or faith. We can’t simply elect a Christian president or a group of Christian legislators and expect them to do what God meant the Church to do. The Church is God’s social change agent. If our culture is sick then it’s because we haven’t fulfilled our purpose.
Real change happens in a country when the hearts and minds of its people change. Cultural transformation begins when individuals’ moral standards and world-view changes, when families re-think their values, when congregations integrate faith and personal life, when communities unite under a common cause, and when the social conscience of a people is offended. Things change when people are convinced that more is at stake than politics or economics; things like faith, freedom, the future, or human life, dignity, and well-being. If the people of our nation have lost their moral moorings then it’s because we haven’t shown them the superiority of God’s ways and standards.
Unfortunately, the Church has retreated from the public square to it’s fortress of dogma and tradition. We have judged our culture, found it evil and have taken defensive postures to protect ourselves, our faith and our religious institutions. But what hope is there for our political processes if we are absent (by choice)? Christians have a civic and faith duty to be engaged in the political process. We should be the poster children for what it means to be a responsible citizen. We should at the very least be voting. We should bring Kingdom values and perspectives to bear on the problems and issues of our day. How can we be salt if we are not in contact with our culture? How can we be light if we hide it behind a wall?
We are living in a post-Christian, postmodern, and increasingly pluralistic society. We must find ways of participating in the marketplace of ideologies, philosophies, and religious faith without restoring to judgement and dogmatic defense. We must find ways to value and accept all people without violating our faith and God. We must find ways of communicating the message of Christ that draws people into the conversation and invites them into relationship. We must find ways to love people and earn the right to share our faith and proclaim the good news of the Gospel.
This election will not chart a new course for our nation. It will simply reveal the heart and mind of its people. Our political system is broken but reform will not come from Washington. It must come from the grass root level. This is great opportunity for us to be the Church and influence the future of our country. I’m not advocating a Christian state (that’s never worked) but rather a Church that embraces it’s God ordained purpose to be one of His change agents in the shaping of human culture and the course of a nation.
0 Comments