| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
08 Sep 2005 02:17:59 PM |
| Object: |
The Politics of the People of God |
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/009/28.85.html
The Politics of the People of God
The Church has a unique role to play in our politicized culture.
by Darrell Bock | posted 09/07/2005 09:30 a.m.
(EXCERPT}
A recent poll by Ipsos covering 10 countries shows that the United States
is by far one of the most religious cultures on our planet. While the new
pope, Benedict XVI, laments how Europe has lost her way and is becoming a
secular community, religious vibrancy among the masses is so high in the
United States that one can hardly cover politics and not run into it.
France was on the other end of the spectrum with the highest percentage of
nonbelievers in God, while South Korea was second in unbelief. Only Mexico
of the 10 countries surveyed comes close to the United States in religious
fervency.
What do we do with our religious interest? In some countries, like Mexico,
there is a concern about too strongly mixing faith and politics. The same
hesitancy is true for Italy, the most religiously robust of the European
countries polled.
One of the great calls to the faithful is that we must engage and influence
our culture. Some critics credit the now-defunct Moral Majority with
creating the newfound interest in integrating faith and civic life in the
United States. But the United States has always integrated faith and
politics. This was evident in the days of the Pilgrims. Alexis de
Tocqueville noted it in the early 19th century in his famous study,
Democracy in America. Faith in God deals with all of life, so culture and
the state are inevitably a part of the equation. The question is, How does
an individual believer best integrate faith into the surrounding political
culture?
The Lessons of History
History can teach us much here, as can theology.
First, we look at theology. When Jesus told his followers to render unto
Caesar the things that are his, he implicitly endorsed the idea that
government has the right to exist. He also implied that the state has a
right to tax its citizens. In Romans 13:1-7, Paul taught that government is
a servant of God. Its main concern is to protect its people and bear the
sword against wrongdoers. Luther taught this view, which became known as
the "two realms." The "two realms" view contrasts with other approaches
that tried to have the church and state work closely together or that opted
for a complete separation of the two.
But the New Testament also teaches that the kingdom of God is a thing unto
itself. It is a community in the midst of the world and as such stands
alongside the nations. It operates not so much in states as between them.
Primary loyalty for the Christian is not to any nation, but to the kingdom
of God. The New Testament spends a great deal of time preaching the virtues
of a God-honoring life and being a good citizen. Yet it clearly
distinguishes love for the world from love for God and his kingdom. It is
amazing how little is said directly about or against Rome, even though the
church's values clearly opposed Roman values.
Another way to say this is that government rules over a specific land and
people. It is to protect the interests and well-being not just of believers
but of all its citizens, whatever their race, color, or creed. On the other
hand, the kingdom of God is made up of a specific group of believing people
from a variety of backgrounds, countries, and cultures. It has no
boundaries of concern other than to love God and its neighbors, whoever
they may be, just as Jesus taught and modeled.
Second, consider history, which teaches two lessons.
On the negative side: History teaches us to be wary of confusing church and
state. The fourth-century fusion of these two after Constantine resulted in
the formation of national churches, which often coerced the belief of their
citizens. When church and state become too closely identified, one cannot
tell whether one is allied to the movement because it is the state or
because it is God's community. National church structures in Europe
fragmented the body of Christ into national units. This produced, among
other things, centuries of infamous wars of religion, and eventually led to
cynicism about Christianity in Europe that remains to this day.
On the positive side: History teaches us that Christianity actually
introduced the idea of separating church and state. This is one insight of
British writer Roger Scruton in his provocative book, The West and the
Rest. Though Europe has blurred the distinction at times, it has formally
acknowledged that the roles of church and state are unique.
(END EXCERPT)
***************************************************************
Posting and reading from alt.politics.usa.constitution OR alt.education
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
.
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