Struggling with Contraceptives

When I was in high school I was a teen peer educator for 2 years on the issues of safe sex, HIV, AIDS, STDs, date rape, and more through a program called R.E.A.L. (Reaching Educating And Learning) at the Southwest Washington Health District.  It was a great experience and God taught me about loving others through it, even though I was not yet following Christ.

I've never had much of a struggle with the idea of birth control. I've not approved of the "morning after pill" or abortions since becoming a Christian since both seem obviously incompatible with the teachings of scripture. Birth control pills, condoms, vaginal barriers, etc., on the other hand, have never been problematic in my mind. Why? I can't say. The notion of controlling child-birth has never crossed my mind as unfaithful or irresponsible.

Recently, however, I've begun to question my protestant position on this issue. Perhaps it's not ideal or even God-honoring to use these birth control methods (unless of course they are absolutely necessary for one's health I guess). What has made me question this?

The Soul and the Conception

A couple early church leaders have some strong words about this sort of thing. Below are a few quotes from the early church leader Tertullian regarding when human life begins.

"Life begins with conception, for we contend that the soul also begins from conception. Life takes its commencement at the same place and time that the soul does." -Tertullian

Lactantius agrees with Tertullian when he writes, "The soul is not introduced into the body after birth, as some philosophers think. Rather, it is introduced immediately after conception, when the divine necessity has formed the offspring in the womb."

Tertullian further explains this position when he writes, "Now the entire process of sowing, forming, and completing the human embryo in the womb is no doubt regulated by some power, which ministers therein to the will of God - regardless of what may be the method that it is appointed to employ... We, on our part, believe the angels to officiate herein for God. The embryo, therefore, becomes a human being in the womb from the moment that its form is completed." He also made his point in very simple words by stating, "The flesh and the soul have a simultaneous birth, without any calculable difference in time."

In the gospels we read that Mary becomes pregnant with the Messiah. Are we to think that the coming Saviour was not yet who the angel proclaimed to Mary and Joseph the very moment the process of pregnancy began? All this has weight in the following words.

Ending Pregnancy
The father of Western theology (Tertullian) also wrote about pregnancies that end early. He writes, "If we become injured in the womb, this is a loss suffered by what is already a human being." When it comes to the use of methods to intentionally end pregnancy the early church leaders had things to say as well.

"We say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder. And we also say they will have to give an account to God for the abortion." -Athenagoras

"Are you to dissolve the conception by aid of drugs? I believe it is no more lawful to hurt a child in process of birth, than to hurt one who is already born." -Tertullian 

"There are some women, who by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels. So they commit murder before they bring forth. And these things assuredly come down from the teaching of your gods." -Mark Minucius Felix 

Intentional Sterility 
The above words can all be considered to only address post-conception methods of abortion. But there are other words from the early church that speak of methods which produce sterility and even of the need to welcome children as we seek sexual activity.

"Women who were reputed believers began to resort to drugs for producing sterility. They all girded themselves around, so as to expel what was being conceived. For they did not wish to have a child by either a slave or by any common fellow - out of concern for their family and their excessive wealth. See what a great impiety the lawless one has advanced! He teaches adultery and murder at the same time!" -Hippolytus

"If God still forms man, we will be guilty of audacity if we think of the procreation of children as something offensive. For the Almighty Himself is not ashamed to make use of it, in working with His undefiled hands." -Methodius

It's murderous. It plays God, seeking to control what it taught to be his work in humanity (this also puts the "pull-out" method in jeopardy). It holds potential to make us sexually irresponsible by eliminating natural consequences. These are a few arguments against using these birth control methods that I've come across.

Admittedly, some of these early church leaders also believed that marriage and sexual activity were only to be engaged in for procreation alone. Some of these men even said that pleasure is not something to be persued. For our culture, this sounds crazy. I'll confess that I disagree with a bit of these teachings. But that doesn't make me right. We're all influenced by the time and culture we are in.

I'm not saying I'm persuaded that Christians should abstain from these contraceptives. Not yet anyway. I'm trying to wrestle this out and find understanding. I want to do that fairly by investigating all the legitimate positions possible.

I'm borrowing a book from a friend that discusses this issue in seemingly efficient detail. It's called Birth Control for Christians; Making Wise Choices by Jenell Williams Paris. I'm looking to answer the question: "Why shouldn't I support abstaining from these practices as a Christian?" I'm curious to see what the author has to say about surgical procedures such as vasectomies.

Perhaps this article is merely for my own sake, but I hope that it also spurs on questions and discussion that build up others. Let's reason together and seek discernment. May Christ lead us to living out truth and goodness so that we may reflect him to the world.

Voting As Worship

My brother and schoolmate John Lussier of Hope in Exile sent out a few tweets today that were incredibly on target as social commentary and I had to share his words and some thoughts on them. He wrote, 

"We've made voting a sacred act. It is our 'responsibility' and those who do vote somehow gain their 'dignity' from it."

"'Get up and vote!' Has been turned into an altar call at the Church of the Public Square. Who are you gonna live for?"

Lussier responded to someone asking if he thought voting was in fact a sacred act. He responded saying, "I don't think so. It has been made to be something we have to do, because we have divinized the State and its solutions."

In many ways I agree whole-heartedly with my friend. We have far too often convinced ourselves to look at the State and her methods as divine, even if we won't admit it. Too often we feel the authorities and their legislation will save us (or others). When we have such high views of the State and those who make it up we turn President's into Saviours and votes into worship. With such a perspective we can see why we must bless the world with democracy and defend it with great violence (and we will feel more than justified for both). This is nationalism at it's highest point. 

This is also idolatry. Plain and simple. Voting is not a responsibility but rather a right (which means you are free to vote or not vote and neither decision makes you more or less a citizen or appreciator of the nation). We are not made more valuable based upon who we vote for or even upon the decision to vote. Don't be fooled into thinking that you owe anyone your vote. Not soldiers, not neighbors, not politicians, not America, not God; no one. 

The State, the Kingdom of God, the President, the Christ, the voting booth, the Church. All have a place in this creation but not all save. That's what matters. All our acts are significant, and in some senses, sacred. However, don't be led astray and begin to think that voting is like the Eucharist or baptism. It is not an ordinance and it is not demanded of us. 

Christ saves us. His solutions are the ones we put our trust in. When we trust in the divinity of Christ the King and cling to his kingdom then our views of voting being a sacred duty are shattered. We won't follow the sacred acts of national worship because we will have exchanged them for the liturgy found through Christ and his Body.

As I've said in other articles, voting isn't bad. If a person feels divinely pressed to vote they they ought to listen to their conscience and do so. Whatever we do must be for the glory of God and it should look like Jesus Christ. The water gets muddy in this part of the discussion but the point of this specific discussion is simply to remind ourselves that our worship doesn't belong to the state but to God. The state, the president, the legislation; none of these can ever save us. Christ has already saved us and we must respond accordingly, giving him all our worship and allegiance. As singer/songwriter Derek Webb sings, "There is a day that’s been inaugurated but has not yet come, that we can proclaim by showing that there’s a better way." 

So during this election season, do not forget that, as Christians, you already belong to a kingdom and it's king. Don't let foreign (aka earthly) nations and politicians distract you too much. Don't think you owe them anything but your allegiance to Christ, because you don't. The State needs your loyalty to Jesus far more than your vote, even if she doesn't know it. 

How To End Abortion

In this election season there is a lot of talk about abortion and which candidate is going to fight for the 'rights' of the unborn or of the pregnant. We hear labels like 'Pro-choice' and 'Pro-Life' (both of which are terrible titles for what they tend to represent and terrible for the sake of honest discussion since they create a false dichotomy simply by existing in opposition to one another)* and we enter into discussions that focus solely on legislation. 

Too often we hope to find our answers for a better world in the men and women running for political office. For some reason, we think our hope belongs in legislation and that if we could just get that one Supreme Court case overturned, or that one bill passed, then we'd be satisfied and then things would be better. If we could see a law then we'd have real change. Then we'd have our answer, our way.

Unfortunately, that's a misguided hope. Especially when it comes to abortion. 

When I discuss the issue of abortion and how we can best approach it, there are a few pillars which hold up my arguments. There is a foundation upon which I am building and I think it necessary to briefly provide some core beliefs and facts that make up that foundation.

Some Foundation

• Abortion is legal in the United States and has been for several decades.
• Christians are to put their hope in Jesus Christ and not in man or man-made systems.
• Christians are first and foremost citizens of the kingdom of God, a society within the world that is different from all other societies (being in the world but not of it).
• The chief concern of Christians is the work of reconciliation for sinners towards God and the rest of the world.

I've written previously (and recently) about politicians, voting, and why I don't find the government to be the place in which we should place our hope for change. The fact is that the law doesn't change hearts. As the band Brave Saint Saturn sings in their song Underground, "Real love doesn't come from a mandate. Real change you can not legislate." Jesus Christ changes hearts. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit. If we want to see real change in our world then our answer isn't in the United States Supreme Court, Congress, or President; It's in Christ and his means.

Jesus Christ has continued his ministry on this earth through his Church which is his Body. In this world, we are to be like Jesus. A pagan once wrote of the early church that "because of them, good flows on in the world." This consists of many things. Part of the ingredients are loving our neighbors, taking care of widows and orphans, being hospitable and generous, and living sacrificial lives. 

I firmly believe that Christians are not to rely on the government to stop abortion in this nation. While it's true that the amount of reported abortions have gone up in number since Roe vs. Wade, we also must confess that many of those are replacing unreported and unsanitary abortions that were already taking place. It's undeniable that the Supreme Court decision altered the way our society reacts to unwanted pregnancies. However, going backwards in legislation doesn't promise to create change for the better so why put focus on such efforts (remember prohibition)?

If we want to see the pattern of abortion change then we need to look to Christ and begin to function as the Church, just as we were meant to do. When we live into our purpose as Christ's body we'll not only see less abortions but we'll see healthier families, stronger marriages, less unwanted pregnancies, and less premarital sex (because these are the results of living faithfully and obediently to Christ). 

So how do we end abortion if not through traditional American means like voting the 'right' person into office or picketing at Planned Parenthood (because that rarely does much good)? How do we see the change that our hearts desire to see? Maybe we've been doing all we know to do and it isn't working (like voting, picketing, and wearing shirts that say "abortion is murder"). How can we end abortions by just being the Church? What does that even look like?

What We Can Do

We need to remember what our goals are. We need to remember what our mission is. Our mission is to be the Bride of Christ, rejecting sin in our own lives and doing the work of reconciliation so that others may join Christ in his death and resurrection and also live life to the fullest, free of sin's bondage.

In being a faithful witness to Christ, we commit ourselves (as Christians) to honoring the covenant of marriage, dating responsibly, remaining sexually pure, responsibly teaching our children about the reality of sex and this world, and constantly practice confession, forgiveness, repentance, and grace. Being a community of people that is obedient to Christ and who takes these commissions seriously results in a community that calls for and produces less abortions within itself. It also stands as a witness to the world so that the world may see how such a society can come to exist (that is, through Christ and his Spirit) and spurs on conviction.

While much of that is very hard and often seems impossible or idealistic (which it isn't, otherwise we prove ourselves to have a severe lack of trust in scripture and God) we must push through the difficulty and become such a community (and obviously, such individuals). 

Besides being a faithful and obedient people in relationships and sexuality, what are things we can do to foster a community in which abortions become less of a desirable option? How do we offer a better solution? How do we tell a better story than the one our earthly culture is telling?

First of all, we commit ourselves to not getting abortions. As the bumper stickers say, "If you're not for abortion then don't get one!" While we can't agree with the mentality that morality is private and individualistically determined, we have to see that part of the answer is obvious; if you're a Christian and you become pregnant then give birth to that child instead of destroying the life that is growing inside of you. Let us make a modest proposal; that Christians not get abortions. 

This is a nonnegotiable. Barnabas (who worked with the Apostle Paul) wrote, "You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born." The disciples wrote a similar teaching in the Didache stating, "You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill one who has been born." Even the pagans recognized that Christians abstained from this practice. In the Letter to Diognetus it is written, "They bear children, but they do not destroy their offspring." Tertullian was perhaps the most explicit when he wrote, "In our case, murder is once for all forbidden. Therefore, we may not destroy even the fetus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier way to kill a human. It does not matter whether you take away a life that has been born, or destroy one that is not yet born."** 

One of the biggest things the Church can do is to come alongside the youth of this nation, the pregnant, the single parents, the orphaned, and build relationships that are loving and providential. 

This means that local congregations and Christian couples/families ought to be intentional about knowing people in the community who are pregnant and didn't want to be. This may mean partnering with organizations such as Planned Parenthood (even if you don't partner with everything they do). When we know these women we are able to offer to adopt their unwanted child but we are also able to offer to adopt those parents into our lives, homes, and families. We should do everything we can to teach about sexuality and healthy relationships while also exampling these things. If we desire to tell people how they should live then we should show them how to live and help them do it. Mentoring and inclusion will allow these folks to see how we raise children and support one another and thus we can will love them and their child (and how they can do the same).

If we want to love women who are thinking about getting abortions then let's meet themas  early in the process as we can. Whether they are adults or teenagers we need to build trusting friendships with them and get them good counsel and resources. Hopefully, they can be persuaded into giving birth. If they aren't persuaded, then we need to be people who aid in the healing that is needed after an abortion takes place. Even if we can't support the decision to abort a child, we can love the person giving the abortion, offering them forgiveness on behalf of the child and the Father of both that child, the mother, and ourselves (that is, God). There is emotional baggage that comes with abortions and that needs healing.

Being involved in our community and the development of our youth is a huge help as well. Being hospitable families that can influence neighborhood children to love God and serve him goes a long way. Being people who constantly pray with and for people (maybe even at abortion clinics) is helpful. Prayer changes things! Preaching the gospel changes things.

What We Shouldn't Do

While I think we need to be bold in our message and speak truth without wavering, I also believe that the Holy Spirit produces gentleness and kindness in us. In our compassion for others and our love for them we will not communicate in ways that cause damage but rather ways that convict and offer healing confession and repentance. For example, when I was in college I had friends who wore shirts that said "ABORTION IS MURDER" in big bold letters. While I agree with the statement I would never want that to be my only statement, or even my introductory statement. 

Why? I had another friend who impregnated a woman out of wedlock. She got an abortion (against his desires) and those shirts broke his heart. They filled him with guilt and made him feel like a monster. It eliminated the opportunity for discussion and caused nothing but pain and anger. He didn't support abortion. He didn't like abortion. Yet, he was face to face with abortion. He had no idea what healing looked like because all he was told is "You're a murderer." 

Along with this is picketing. Some people picket on the side of the road with signs that have pictures of ripped up fetus' on them while others stand in front of abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood buildings while wearing sandwich boards and yelling at those going in and out. Awareness is a great thing. A lot of us don't see the truth about abortions and that should change. This is a way to do it. I won't argue against that. But like the T-shirts, we have to ask ourselves if this is the best way to start a discussion and if we're willing to let this be our only input in someone's life because odds are that these tactics won't produce valuable, convicting, edifying discussion opportunities with most people who come across our path and they will be left with this short statement. 

There are better ways to start the conversation while still being honest and bold. We don't have to condemn to convict. In fact, we're not supposed to condemn. Another fact: The Holy Spirit convicts people. We simply love them and speak truth through loving means.

I know that this is a rarity but we need to know that we can't bomb abortion clinics or shoot doctors who perform abortions (these have happened). Killing people is not a good way to say "Don't kill people." The enemy of God comes to kill, steal, and destroy. This is the opposite of what Christians are to do. Maybe we should be praying outside these buildings and getting to know the doctors so we can share the gospel with them but we shouldn't be causing damage.

Here's the problem with all of these protests: None of them are self-sacrificial. They are all short-sighted and convenient for the protestor while offering little to no room for valuable and edifying discussion. The invitation to confess, repent, be healed, transformed, forgiven, and brought into a family (of God) is not nearly (if at all) as present in these methods. People don't hear the full story through these methods and reconciliation is stifled as a result.

Final Thoughts

I'll never say people shouldn't vote their conscience or take action that they are persuaded is Godly. Sometimes a strongly worded t-shirt, picket sign, or ballot is the right thing. However, when we have the opportunity to do something greater and to be a people that reach out to others in practical ways then we should do that. Speaking the bold truth and sticking to our guns is vital but it means nothing if it isn't accompanied by loving action that changes hearts and social dynamics. Let's be up front and honest with people about what God tells his creation. Let's tell his truth to each other, our friends, the politicians, and everyone. 

Let's not forget though that we've been called to self-sacrifice and if we want to end abortion then we're going to have to seek that out with crosses on our backs and compassion in our hearts.  Any other way is not the Christian way and thus, as Christ's body, we must reject any other way.

Finally, our goal isn't to end abortion or even see less abortions. That's an unfair framing of the situation and even though I've given into it for the sake of this article we need to confess that being faithful to Christ and being his witness is our goal. We won't see the end of abortions or sin anytime before the judgment but we can be the people who bless the world as God intended in the meantime. 

As Derek Webb writes, "Our ultimate hope is not in politicians or powers or governments, but in a day coming when all things will be made right. And our ultimate concern isn’t success but faithfulness." Therefore, let us serve others as Christ has served us, loving people away from sin. May they know the option of being adopted by God into his family and thus know true life and desire to give life instead of extinguishing it.

*Most people believe in choices and people who are 'pro-life' don't seem to spend a lot of time speaking against military action, the death penalty, and healthy eating habits. 
**Tertullian also provides an even more explicit telling of how abortions worked in his time (not too different how we perform them). Some of the early church fathers (such as Hippolytus) also proclaimed that using forms of birth control which prevented birth should be avoided as well. 

Liking Christ But Not Church; Does It Make Sense?

A lot of people, especially where I live in the Pacific Northwest, tend to make claims like "I do Christ but I don't do the Church" or "I have a relationship with God but I don't need the Church."

I get it. I really do.

A lot of folks (myself included) have been burned by Christians, even groups of them. Particular local congregations have upset and even wronged us at times. We're hurt. We may be bitter.

Sometimes we need to realize that in our pain and bitterness, though they may seem fair, we've become unforgiving. That's not too Christ like. That's a problem.

The bigger problem is this: While attendance at local congregation gatherings isn't the defining characteristic of a righteous relationship with Christ and doesn't prove our salvation, we need to have a proper understanding of the Church at large and how Christ, the Church, the local congregation, and ourselves are all connected. And I assure you, they're all connected.

We can't allow ourselves to neglect the Church because a group of imperfect people hurt us. Sure, our pain is valid, but our cold shoulder isn't valid if we claim Christ Jesus as our Lord (ruler). Here's the deal: We're going to hurt each other. We're messed up. That's why we agree that we need Jesus day after day. Let's not deny Jesus' healing and reconciliation among us because we've created need for that healing by being imperfect people.

Last night I sent out a few tweets on the issue of Christ and his Church that are truths I've been taught which have greatly altered my perspective.

• You don't get Christ without the Church because you can't have Christ without his Body.
• We can not be individualistic & relativistic about God & his Church if we wish to be Christian. We are baptised into a concrete community.
• Being part of the Church is as important as being with Christ because they are one in the same.
• Church: It's not about you (or me). It's about Jesus. We worship him as one selfless body, HIS body which is selflessly sacrificed.
• If we do not have a high view of the Church we simultaneously have a low view of Christ.

Too often we think of the universal Church spoken of in scripture as merely the local church (Notice the capital C and the lower case c). The universal Church is God's people world wide and through time, both living and dead. So that makes the local church the building down the street right?

Wrong. The local church is the Church in your local area. Stick with me. That means the local church is the people, the community, the family of God that is in your neighborhood or city (not just the building or the gathering event). In other words, you don't go to church; you are the Church. You go to buildings and events but the Church is neither of those. It's a community of people that make up a bigger organism. Christians are the small bits that make up the whole which we call Church. The person is the arm, the Church is the body.

The local church is as much a group of people unified through Christ as the universal Church. This is why we need to have a deep respect and honor for the local church; because it's the Church.

I'm not saying you are going to lose your salvation if you miss a Sunday gathering or the weekly potluck (but why would you want to miss them if you can help it). I'm saying that we tend to think our relationship with Jesus is strictly between Jesus and ourselves. We don't tend to think it's everyone else's business. But it is. We tend to think we can love Jesus and ignore the Church. But we can't.

Our faith/salvation is a public matter. It's personal but it's not private. We are baptised into a community of believers which Christ calls his Body on earth (that's the Church). We are adopted by the Father to be his children. We belong to each other and each time we partake of the Eucharist (the communion elements) we open our eyes to Christ knitting us together through his Spirit.

We too often want our life to be out of the hands, eyes, and ears of others but that's not what God wants for us. He has always called us to community. We were created for community and we know this because the very first thing that God deemed as "not good" in scripture is man being alone. We are not meant to know God privately in isolation. We are meant to be a family, blessed by God, so that we may bless all the families of the world (this is what God promised Abraham Israel would be).

We are meant to uplift one another through encouragements, rebukes, teachings, songs, accountability, discipline, leadership, and more. These truths are written throughout the New Testament very plainly. If we read from the book of Acts all the way to Jude we'll be unable to justify the type of attitude which states "I can have a relationship with Christ but not his Church." It's simply impossible.

I don't want this to sound condemning. I merely want to spark something inside the reader which leads him/her to a place where he/she embraces Christ fully by embracing his bride/body which he loves and refuses to be separated from. Christ brings us into him and simultaneously into the Church. It's an unavoidable happening and if we attempt to have one and not the other we will find ourselves causing a great tearing within ourselves and the kingdom of God.

If we are serious about loving Christ then we must love one another. The people loving one another as they love Christ are called Church. Each of the members are called Christians. The people who love a god who accepts and encourages isolation, individualism, bitterness, unforgiveness, and selfishness are not worshipping Jesus Christ. Yet, Christ knows them, loves them, and desires for them to know him fully and he uses his people (the Church) in an effort to draw those individuals closer to him. He invites those people to be his body and bride, his family, his Church.

God willing, I'll see you Sunday (if you can make it).

A Saviour on Capitol Hill

In my last blog I wrote about my hope in Christ and his Church as the center and power of my political activity. I wrote about my lack of concern for the type of government which I live under because it doesn't hold a candle to the authority and transformation power that is found in Jesus and experienced within his Body (the Church) and it doesn't prohibit me from having a voice and witness in the face of that government. 

Now I want to address what some might call my political pessimism. While I wouldn't call myself a pessimist (rather I'd say 'realist') I admit that I have a less than popular view of politicians. I don't put my hope or trust in them. I don't expect them to do the God-honoring and edifying thing for the majority of the time. Part of it is because of the person, part of it is because of the position, and the biggest part is the human condition. We're sinful people and power doesn't help us escape sinfulness or seek justice and righteousness (maybe that's why Jesus refused power when tempted with it by Satan in the desert).* 

One of my favorite singer/songwriters is named Derek Webb. He wrote a song several years back entitled Savior on Capitol Hill. Even though this song is unable to paint the entire portrait of my views, it's a good start. My views are best discovered through sincere discussion. I'd also add that I'm constantly reworking my views and am always open to opposing views.

With that said, the lyrics to the song are posted below along with the music in case you desire to listen to the song while you read the lyrics (please note that this is not an official video).

I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election. 

So come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill.

You can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
‘cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill. 

All of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in the President’s ear.
He could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit.

You can render unto Caesar everything that’s his.
You can trust in his power to come to your defense;
It’s the way of the world, the way of the gun,
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill.

I'm not saying you shouldn't vote. I'm not saying we need a new saviour or that we shouldn't trust imperfect people for leadership positions. What I am saying is that history and scripture show us that our hope doesn't belong in ruling authorities and we shouldn't invest too much in them. We should invest in Christ and his mission. 

"It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:8-9).

"Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help" (Psalm 146:3).

There was a time in the Old Testament in which God speaks to one of his prophets named Samuel. During this time the people of Israel demanded that they be given a human king just like all the other nations of the earth. Up until this point they had lived only under the reign and authority of God. They listened to the prophets (God's mouthpieces) but that was as close as it came to them having a ruling authority. This demand went against God's desire for his people but he granted to them this wish. 

Samuel reports God's words to Israel telling them that a human king will send their sons into the front lines of battle and employ thousands to fuel his war machine. This king will take the people's daughters as his servants and their farmlands for his servants. He will take portions of everyone's harvests and give them to his officials. He will take all the best animals and workers from the common people so they can work for him instead and enslave all Israel. It will be worth regretting and crying back to God.

The people respond to the prophet saying, "No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles" (2 Samuel 8:19b-20). God grants their desire and everything he had promised them would occur comes true. The people are enslaved to injustice and bound to war. Why? Because that is the result of earthly ruling authorities because humans are sinful beings who can't handle power in the way God can. 

Jesu stands in stark contrast to the human king. He rules with a towel as a servant rather than a sword as a warrior.* He refuses office (John 6:15) and examples love through daily action. He concerns himself with the renovation of people's hearts rather than the renovation of government. His work is of the grassroots type. He described his kingdom (and it is a very real kingdom) as a mustard seed which starts small and slowly grows to a giant bush with provides shade and housing for creatures. In other words, it's a subversively infectious kingdom of loving service. Doesn't sound much like a government we're used to does it? 

The early Church fathers, understanding the problem of sin and power, took Jesus' kingdom and means of love so seriously that they refused political office. They were concerned with functioning as the Church and being the reality of God's kingdom on earth. They believed Christ's authority was greater than earthly rulers and that he was ushering his kingdom into the world through the Church. Below are some of their quotes.

"The Caesars too would have believed on Christ, if either the Caesars had not been necessary for the world, or if Christians could have been Caesar's." -Tertullian.

"Celsus [a pagan] also urges us to 'take office in the government of the country, if that is necessary for the maintenance of the laws and the support of religion.' However, we recognize in each state the existence of another national organization hat was founded by the Word of God. And we exhort those who are mighty in word and of blameless life to rule over churches. ...It is not for the purpose of escaping public duties that Christians decline public offices. Rather, it is so they may reserve themselves for a more divine and necessary service in the church of God - for the salvation of men." -Origen

"Satan causes others to swell with ambitious desires. These are those who direct the whole occupation and care of their life to the holding of magistracies." -Lactantius

"In us [Christians], all ardor in the pursuit of glory and honor is dead. So we have no pressing inducement to take part in your public meetings. Nor is there anything more entirely foreign to us than affairs of state." -Tertullian

Tertullian is a large voice in this matter. Like Derek Webb, he makes a statement which basically poses the problem that a person can not live the Christian life while also holding public office. He states, "Let us suppose that it is possible for anyone to succeed in operating under the mere name of the office, in whatever office. Let us also suppose the following: ...He does not give spectacles at his own or the publics expense, nor preside over them. He makes no proclamation or edict for any [pagan] festivals. He does not even take oaths. Furthermore, he does not sit in judgment on anyone's life or character (for you might allow his judging about money). He neither condemns nor indicts. He chains no one. He neither imprisons nor tortures anyone. Now, is it believable that all this is possible?" 

"The desire to rule is the mother of all heresies" -John Chrysostom

Hippolytus wrote of Church Order in the Apostolic Tradition and stated that anyone in public office who wishes to be Christian must give up their office or be rejected.

For these early church leaders and theologians there was an obvious contrast between those who hold political office and those who exist as citizens in Christ's kingdom. One simply could not be both. They were firmly convinced that they had no reason to put hope in governments or the ruling authorities because they already put their hope in Christ and his kingdom. The governments became almost irrelevant. 

Of course, there are realities we must be aware of. Being naive won't help us. We should remain informed without ever becoming anxious. We should also admit that the government of the United States has some large differences from those of the time of these church fathers. However, they share a great many similarities as well. 

At the end of it all, a saviour has come and his kingdom was with him. We've been invited into that kingdom and we'd do well to take up that invitation. As citizens of that heavenly kingdom we become the catalyst in which good flows through the world and when we function as that catalyst we lose reason to cling to government and our demand for earthly rulers and their domineering and unjust ways. 

Every earthly ruler will be unjust. Period. They are all sinful and will succumb to the temptations that come along with power. God has told us not to put our hope or trust in these rulers and given us a beautiful alternative to them in Jesus Christ. It is this saviour Jesus Christ who is the bottom line. 

*Matthew 4:8-10, "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."'" (Interestingly, Jesus never denies Satan's ability to hand over earth's kingdoms. It seems, being the ruler of the world, as the Apostle John calls him, that Satan really does have some type of grasp on the earthly kingdoms). 
**See John Howard Yoder's book entitled The Politics of Jesus.

Church As Political; No Matter the Government

I'm never too worried about the political state of affairs in the United States, despite being a citizen of the United States, because I don't see the type of government I live under as a major impact in my worldview or how I live out what I believe to be true and good. The type of government I am under has little bearing on how I speak to the government.

Don't get me wrong, I'm involved in the political sphere. I pay attention. I contribute. However, I also don't find it to be so important that it contribute much to my identity or even reputation (what little of it I control). Christ is the ultimate truth/reality and he guides me. The Triune God made up of the Father, Son, and Spirit is who determines how I see and how I act. I respond to him above all else.

When it comes to political involvement and the issue of voting (which I have been abstaining from) I often hear the argument that we should vote because we have the freedom to do so in the United States and this freedom is a gift that deserves to not be squandered since it is such a rare gift. Some would go so far as to say it is God-honoring and a Christian obligation to give thanks to such "freedom" by way of voting for government officials. The even more radical folks might add 'lest we become a communist nation!'

To this small argument I must respond by saying I don't care much about which type of government system presides over the nation of which I am a citizen. Whether I am below Nero or Obama, I serve God and honor the authorities. Either way I pray for the leaders and in that way serve the authorities (better than many others if you take the argument of the third century theologian Origen). I am dedicated to clinging to Christ and doing his will, seeking his kingdom, be it as a citizen of a nation which is communist, democratic, or even a dictatorship. The way of a system of government means very little in the long run and big picture.

What matters in the long run and big picture is my actions. How I love matters. As someone who finds all worthwhile action as happening as a part of Christ's body (the Church) it is easy for me to claim that no matter the type of government or elected official, I will always have a voice. I do not need the invitation to elect government officials in order to make a difference in the way of a system, the type of a government, or the officials leading a nation. I do not need officials who value the Constitution or Bill of Rights in order to live rightly or to change the world in beautiful or political ways (I would even make the challenge here that changing the political sphere isn't at the top of the list of goals for the Christian).

I am a Christian and I believe God has established the authorities and that those authorities rebel against him and thus every system of government is infected with sin and is not as it ought to be. As a Christian I pray and seek God for the change I believe is needed in the world, and in those prayers I ask for his good and perfect will, for his kingdom to exist on this earth just as it exists in heaven at the present moment. I seek justice as I live. I hold fast to the imitation of Christ, living a life of self sacrifice and service to all people in the hopes that I might help them to be reconciled to both man and God.

In being Christian, being Church, I fulfill every obligation to contribute to the system of government which reigns over the earthly realm of which I reside. In prayer and the practical loving of my neighbor I do more than voting can. In my confessing Christ I do more than picketing. In singing praise with the body on each Resurrection day (Sunday) I do more than attending town hall meetings or watching debates.

Being the Church means always clinging to Christ's truth, justice, and person. In doing this we will inevitably speak truth to power. Simply by intentionally functioning as the Church in a broken world, as the reconciled people in a world of conflict and tension, we crash heads with governments and systems. In these inevitable moments we will tell the world who it is and the world will see who Christ is by our way of life (a way of love for each other).

God's people, Christ's body, the Church looks the same no matter what the building they gather in, the geographic surroundings, the culture, or the governing authorities presiding over them. Why? Because his people belong to his heavenly kingdom. Their politics derive from his kingdom. He is their king and as a result they answer to him above all else. They are citizens of heaven and are concerned with heaven and it's advancement. There may be some small differences across the globe and time in how God's Church looks (for no person, group, or moment is the same) but the nature of the Church remains the same. No matter the king, Christ is King of Kings. No matter the lord, Christ is Lord or Lords. Perhaps it is more appropriate to say Christ is President of Presidents.

It is here that the Church and even individual Christians speaks most clearly and powerfully to the systems and authorities (and thus have the best type of influence in accordance to who God wants us to be in the world). It is on the foundation of Christ, and the work of being his people, that we find credibility to tell the authorities where they are unjust and in rebellion to God's way.

We do not attempt to change the system so laws will reflect biblical moral mandates but rather we attempt to be people of Christ's love, knowing that in such a pursuit there will be an obvious line drawn between us and the evil within the world and that we will then be able to speak with power about the contrast and how healing can come through Christ. We do this under Obama, under Hitler, under Nero. We do it as democrats, republicans, communists, "voiceless" peasants, etc. because we do it as the Church first and foremost.

This, in part, is why I fully believe that we are the most political when we are being the Church.

Pay attention, read the paper, watch debates, vote, attend town hall meetings and local government gatherings. Be a part of the process if you like, it's not wrong. However, above this, be the Church. Sing hymns, pray, love one another, be baptised, partake of the eucharist, wash each other's feet, honor marriage, repent, confess, gather together, give to the poor, help the orphans and widows, embrace the marginalized, and preach Christ crucified.

Nothing is as political as claiming Christ is Lord. Be political. Be the Church.