Got a letter from
Focus on the Family the other day (I’m sure many
of you receive the same monthly missive) imploring
Christians to be involved in social activism. Christians
have an “obligation to defend righteousness and
morality within the culture . . .churches and
believers should be motivated by their faith to .
. .make a positive impact on society . . .(by)
speaking out on controversial social and political
issues.”
Dobson makes a good
point:
someone has to stand for what is right and
true.
Indeed, in a culture where truth is seen as
a relative thing and everyone seems to be doing
“what is right in his own eyes,” ethical chaos,
moral deterioration and spiritual lassitude are
inevitable.
It is the role of the church, he says, to
speak out on controversial social and political
issues.
I don’t disagree
with the premise . . .seems to me, however, that
there is more to be said on the matter.
Christians should speak
out:
Ours is a voice
which reflects Jesus’ voice. . . .and we’ve got to
think about what that sounds like—it may sound
different on various occasions. Sometimes
it is the strident voice of the temple-cleanser
and the rebuking of Pharisees. Sometimes
it is a gentle voice responding to a broken soul
with a redemptive word. Sometimes
it is the voice of one who eats dinner with social
outcasts and undesirables.
Christians should be
active:
Sometimes that
action is subtle and quiet (salt and light, both
powerful agents of change, are generally not
noisy.)
Sometimes that action is audible and
obvious:
paying taxes, praying for rulers,
abstaining from evil, being an advocate for the
poor, visiting prisoners, doing what makes for
peace and justice, loving God and loving
people—these are social actions right out of the
Book (some [most?] of which are downplayed in
favor of the more sensational causes du
jour.)
Christians should be
informed:
We should know what
the issues are. We should
take some time to understand the pros and cons,
the arguments “fer it and agin it”, which swirl
around the “great moral issues of the day.” This
is actually not too difficult a task.
The tougher aspect
of the job is remembering that “issues” do not
exist apart from people . . .and people are more
complex than simple definitions of issues. In fact,
people are the issue! Whether I
agree with someone or not on an issue, my first
concern as a follower of Christ is to engage that
person as He would. Gentleness
and respect, a willingness to listen,
understanding what makes that person “tick”,
responding to the person’s need, concern for his
spiritual welfare—these are the starting
points.
We will get around to “the issue”—but we
will have a much greater possibility of addressing
it constructively if we have developed some
measure of mutual understanding. That is
being a truly “informed” Christian.
The church should influence
culture.
The same principle applies
here:
the church is people, not a large,
monolithic, impersonal entity which speaks
uniformly for all Christians everywhere. I’m
bothered just a bit when someone cavalierly
demands that “the church must take a stand” on
this or that cause celebre. Plenty
good idea—but even the pope, who essentially rules
unilaterally, has a hard time getting all the
troops to line up.
Perhaps believers,
biblically informed and Spirit-led, most
effectively transform culture gradually,
incrementally, at a personal level—from the inside
out, so to speak. Perhaps we
are most effective when we are truly faithful to
what we are clearly given to do: worshipping
fully, proclaiming the good news of grace
effectively, living faith positively, loving each
other, loving neighbors, and acting on our
convictions.
But does that mean we,
corporately, don’t “take a stand” or have
commonly-held convictions? Of course
not—we articulate beliefs and seek scriptural
guidance for life in this world continually. There are
many statements we make regarding proper faith and
practice.
Furthermore, there are some Christian
individuals, groups and organizations that are
particularly effective in social activism—and we
need them to do what they do.
The point: the church
influences culture in many different ways, almost
as many ways as there are Christians. You and I
are responsible for the way we think about issues
and the way we respond to people—none of us is
exempt from being involved in our world. But be
careful—when you and I begin to believe that our
particular approach should be the norm for the
rest of the world, we are in risky territory!
Some useful
advice:
Trust the Spirit to shed some light, give
courage and provide wisdom: light on
what is right, courage to speak when necessary and
wisdom to know when to be quiet and listen. Don’t go
off half-cocked, cock-sure that you’ve got the
corner on the whole truth—humility is always in
style.
One more thing: keep
politics in perspective, and always keep them out
of the church (we can and do legislate morality,
but we can’t legislate faith.)
Thank you, church
family, for being the fun, exciting, challenging
people you are. I love
being on the journey with you. (And, by
the way, thanks, Jim Dobson, for prompting
important ethical reflection.)
