In the Christian community of North America, there is considerable concern about declining attendance and a loss of interest in religion. Many Christians of a Puritanical bent are responding by increasing political activity. They want to seize the reins of power in order to legislate holiness. This is nothing new, but current concerns about transgender activism, "woke" ideology, child trafficking, and other Republican party talking points seems to have energized recent politics.
I firmly believe this is not only misguided, but counterproductive, and quite literally anti-Christ.
Don't misunderstand, I am not arguing that the Democrats and their Great Society programs are therefore good and Christian. Partisan politics is built on a false dilemma, especially in the US two-party system. But where I live, people tend to be culturally and politically "conservative." That is why my primary arguments are against that faction here.
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Republicans claim to favor small governments, but never appreciably reduce the scope of government power. To the contrary, they routinely expand police state power domestically and militarism abroad. Nothing is more "big government" than locking people in cages, except of course for invading foreign lands and killing people with rifles, artillery, and bombs. And what says "I follow the Prince of Peace" like going to war?
Setting aside that hypocrisy problem, let's step back and look at the concept of nation-states in contrast to the Church. To the Christian, nationality is irrelevant. The Church transcends government borders, and our Kingdom is not of this world. When Christians complain about "illegal immigrants" and "dangerous foreigners," they are placing the vanity of politicians and their arbitrary dictates ahead of Scripture. We have the example of the Good Samaritan to follow. The Golden Rule makes no exception for race, creed, or citizenship.
But none of that compares to the core problem: Political power is antithetical to the Church. This has been a warning throughout the Old and New Testaments. See for example the corruption of Egyptian pharaohs, Samuel's warnings when Israel demanded a king. Even David, presented as a paragon of kingly virtue and devotion to God, was still a murderer and adulterer who came to power following a civil war and used the office for personal enrichment. The rulers after him tended toward disaster for Israel. Kings of foreign lands are usually portrayed as villains bent on conquest, not benevolent leaders. And then in the New Testament, one of the temptations Jesus faced in the desert was an offer of political power. The Pharisees later colluded with Rome to crucify Him. Many early Christians were executed because they ran afoul of the State and the State Religion.
Government as we know it today is not the path for bettering society. It is the antithesis. Do the bureaucrats and their enforcers exemplify the Fruit of the Spirit or adherence to the Ten Commandments? No. But unfortunately, neither does the Church. I know far too many people who have been subjected to religious authoritarianism in their youth respond to that stifling atmosphere by rejecting religion altogether. And where do they tend to turn? The State. Whether they lean "left" or "right," the political system stands ready to offer a sense of meaning and community with a promise of salvation in its own bizarre imitation of religion. Just swear your allegiance and obey your leaders to earn eternal salvation from the climate crisis, drug abuse, and halitosis!
And when the Church gets involved in this system, the message of Christ is abandoned in favor of expedience and power every time. We must reject the siren song of the State and call for real change within the church. We can be the alternative we want to see if we can let go of nationalistic propaganda and the mythology of political legitimacy we have been taught through pop culture and politics. We can be the shining city on a hill again, but only if we stop soiling it with the trappings of the State. After all, governments are just small groups of people who claim the right to rule their neighbors, and The State is the mythology woven to justify this claim. Do you serve God or man? You cannot serve two masters, so choose wisely.
