~PART 1 ~
I know that many Christians are disheartened and apprehensive as a result of yesterday’s election. The final count is still undecided, and we should pray for a fair and honest counting of all legal votes in states such as Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Realistically, the prospects right now are not particularly encouraging, although considering the possibility of significant levels of voter fraud, there is certainly the possibility that the election will ultimately be decided by lawyers and courts.
American Christians have been uniquely blessed and uniquely privileged for the past 240+ years. We understand that all manmade systems, including all nation-states, eventually degenerate and collapse due to internal corruption and apathy – or else they are violently conquered by rival states – and it sometimes constitutes a terrible blow to civilization in general. But be assured that God always preserves a remnant of faithful followers, as he will continue to do regardless of America’s fate.
Nevertheless, the potential consequences of this election are alarmingly if in fact the secular/socialist Democrats prevail. Their agenda is demonstrably and unapologetically immoral, irrational, impractical, irresponsible, and indefensible. No thoughtful Christian could possibly support it. Furthermore, let us not minimize the effects and the repercussions if the Democrats control our government. But we also should be reminded that ultimately what matters is the Kingdom of God in heaven and on earth, not the fate of the United States of America.
As C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, what matters most are the souls of human beings, not the survival of nation-states. In his words:
If individuals lived only 70 years or so, then a nation or a civilization is more important than the individual, for it could last a thousand years…. But if Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but incomparably more important, for he is everlasting.
Perhaps we should also integrate into our daily devotional this thought from Lewis: “My hope is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am [finally] out of the fight.” But until then, we must be very much in the fight and fully engaged. If we truly love others as we love ourselves, we cannot forfeit the fight. The fact that so many Christians – and so many Christian “leaders” – sat out this election either out of ignorance, cowardice, or because President Trump didn’t measure up to their pietistic standards should always be a reminder of the consequences when Christians are uninformed and unengaged.
As Christians, we are going to need to reassess our position and our calling in society. We are not – nor were we ever – a “moral majority” in American society. (This is, after all, the nation that elected Barack Obama not just once but twice.) But now it is all the more necessary to understand our mission and to act in accord with what the true church of Jesus Christ has always been down through the ages: a radical counterculture in the midst of a world system that craves power, wealth, status and pleasure.
The secular Left wants us to “rethink” policing just as it wants to redefine truth and justice and morality. Considering the quality of leadership in many churches that we have witnessed over the past several months, perhaps it’s time that we “rethink” church!
Scripture has much to say about our current situation:
- “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows [just as a nation reaps what it sows!]…. Let us not become weary in doing good, for… we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we [still] have opportunity, let us do good to all people [and encourage] all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. [Gal. 6:7ff].
- “Be very careful… how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” [Eph. 5:15]
- “This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ….
- “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ….
- “Rejoice in the Lord always… Let your gentleness be evident to all… Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, by thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
- “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is [good], whatever is pure, whatever is [beautiful]… [ruminate and meditate] on such things….. And the God of peace will be with you.” [Phil. 1: 9-10, 27; 4:5-9]
Regardless of whether we live in a society and culture that is Christ-friendly or one that is venomously hostile, our calling is the same:
“You are the light of the world… [L]et your light shine before others that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.” [Matt. 5:14, 16]
~PART 2 ~
As Christians, our primary calling in life is to follow Jesus’ admonitions to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” and “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,… and love others as you love yourself.” In that regard we should function as sources of spiritual Light, Love, Hope and Truth in the midst of a generally secular, postmodern, perverse and dysfunctional society and culture. Eternal matters – not temporal concerns – must be our priority, and what matters most is the cultivation of our soul.
As we mature spiritually, our moral and ethical sensibilities are sharpened to the extent that we become progressively more Christlike. As the apostle Paul wrote in Phil. 1:9-11, “This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best….” Accordingly, we begin to manifest the “fruit of the [Holy] Spirit” – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control [Gal. 5:22-23]. We become wiser, more mature and more honest, dependable, considerate of others, and more devoted to what is True, Good, and Beautiful in keeping with Paul’s admonition in Eph. 5:1-16 – “Be very careful… how you live,… making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
That is our primary purpose for being: wholistic spiritual maturity (including, I might add, intellectual, emotional and moral maturity) as we fulfill our ultimate calling in life to be conformed to the image of Christ [Rom. 8:29]. That is the main thing, and that is what matters most in this life.
But the main thing is not the only thing. As citizens of a free and democratic society that is ideally governed by the rule of law, politics matters. In fact, politics matters because the laws, priorities, policies and programs of government can directly impact the quality of life for its citizens – either for better or for worse. While we cannot expect a predominantly secular/non-Christian society to live by the highest standards of Christian morality and ethics, we can and should expect our society to uphold basic standards of decency and civility in keeping with the principles of Natural (moral) Law. (See Chapter 2 in American Crisis.)
This is why many of us were so concerned about this election. Much was at stake. Donald Trump was the most “paradoxical president” in American history. Although many of us found much of his rhetoric and public behavior to be immature, embarrassing and at times even repulsive, his priorities and policies were overwhelmingly positive. He accomplished far more in his term in office than any president since at least World War II – despite constant venomous attacks and harassment by Democrats and their allies in the media, academia, Big Tech, and the entertainment industry.
Donald Trump was, in many respects, one of the most successful presidents in history in terms of how he handled many of the issues that mattered most including:
- Federal court appointments,
- Management of the economy,
- Energy policies that restored American energy-independence for the first time in many decades,
- Strengthening the nation’s military,
- Support for local law enforcement,
- Policies regarding border security,
- Foreign policies vis-a-vis Israel, Iran, Russia, and China,
- Strong support for religious liberty and the pro-life movement – and, I might add…
- A balanced approach in terms of containing the COVID-19 pandemic without destroying the nation’s economy – a crisis that no one, including most health “experts,” had much of a clue as to how to manage.
How could thoughtful and well-informed Christians who care about the well-being of our neighbors not appreciate and support his efforts? How could a thoughtful and well-informed Christian not realize that these vital issues are of paramount importance – not the President’s annoying, exasperating and sometimes infuriating mannerisms and sloppy and hyperbolic rhetoric? After all, politicians and their personalities come and go, but laws, policies and programs continue on indefinitely.
The results of this year’s presidential election have not yet be formalized, but it seems likely that political power and the nation’s political agenda will be dominated by the Democratic Party. This is cause for grave concern.
In Chapter 8 of American Crisis, I wrote regarding the Democratic Party:
For much of my adult life I sought to be as nonpartisan as possible, realizing that neither party is ideal. But the Democratic Party of the last fifty years – since its lurch leftward in 1972 with the nomination of George McGovern – is not the Democratic Party of FDR or even JFK. The modern Democratic Party is simply the partisan political expression of a secular socialist ideology. Though Republicans are often timid and pathetic, it is the Democratic Party that is the driving force behind virtually all the immoral, irrational, impractical, irresponsible and counterproductive policies and programs that are bankrupting America economically, socially, morally and spiritually. Christians who still identify with the Democratic Party are living in the distant past, totally out of touch with reality and seemingly incapable of connecting the dots. The Republican Party may be (and often is) the party of mediocrity, but the Democratic Party is indisputably the party of venality. Mediocrity is a concession to human limitations and fallibility. Venality is a purposeful surrender to the most base and evil impulses in human nature. In a broken and fallen world, I will take mediocrity over venality any day. It is an unfortunate choice that we often (but thankfully, not always) must make.
Later in the book, in Chapter 9, I noted:
The Democratic Party has become the party of refuge for most secularists, cultural liberals, multiculturalists, the media, Hollywood and academic elites, labor unions, the trial lawyers associations, the open-borders lobby, neo-Marxists, environmental extremists, radical feminists, homosexual and transgender activists, and black and Hispanic racialists. Listening to Democratic politicians and activists, their spin doctors and their sycophants in the media, one can only conclude that the party has lost not only all common sense but any moral sensibilities it might once have had. If consistency were a virtue in itself, one could concede that the Democratic Party is remarkably impressive. The problem, of course, is that it is consistently on the wrong side of most every political, legal, social and moral issue….
In actuality, the main difference in the political parties is that the Republican Party has a base of social conservatives who care about traditional moral values while the Democratic Party functions as the political arm of a radical secular cultural agenda that is absolutely devastating the moral and civic climate in America. Furthermore, the Republican base includes millions of Christians who care passionately about religious liberty. Within the Democratic Party, virtually the only time religious liberty is a priority is when Muslim rights are an issue.
A Category 5 spiritual and moral hurricane is brewing. What can Christians do to prepare for the coming assaults on our values and beliefs? That is the subject that I address in the final three chapters of American Crisis. Check it out and encourage others to do so as well.
