Category: Advancing the Reign of God

I have some difficulty with politics. First, as a Christ follower, I put my trust in Jesus, not politicians. I consider my first loyalty and citizenship to be with Him. So, when I see and hear people invoking Christ and the Scripture to further their own political careers, I get a tad upset. In the book, “Contemplative Prayer” by Thomas Merton, it seem he had a similar concern. Written in the late 1960s, he put his finger on a piece of the issue.
“On thing is certain: the humility of faith, if it is followed by the proper consequences-by the acceptance of the work and sacrifice demanded by our providential task-will do far more to launch us into the full current of historical reality than the pompous rationalizations of politicians who think they are somehow the directors and manipulators of history. Politicians may indeed make history, but the meaning of what they are making turns out, inexorably, to have been something in a language they will never understand, which contradicts their own programs and turns all their achievements into an absurd parody of their promises and ideals.
Of course, it is true that religion on a superficial level, religion that is untrue to itself and to God, easily comes to serve as the ‘opium of the people.’ And this takes place whenever religion and prayer invoke the name of God for reasons and ends that have nothing to do with [God]. When religion becomes a mere artificial facade to justify a social or economic system-when religion hands over its rites and language completely to the political propagandist, and when prayer becomes the vehicle for a purely secular ideological program-then religion does tend to become an opiate. It deadens the spirit enough to permit the substitution of a superficial fiction and mythology for this truth of life. And this brings about the alienation of the believer, so that his religious zeal becomes political fanaticism. His faith in God, while preserving its traditional formulas, becomes in fact faith in his own nation, class or race.”
I have seen this tendency from all sides in the political process. It nauseates me. I especially have ill-feelings concerning the policies of those on the so-called “religious right” who justify injustice, (if that’s possible), in the name of some conservative economic ethic that privileges those who have against those who do not. Merton quotes Raissa Maritain, “If there were fewer wars, less thirst to dominate and to exploit others, less national egoism, less egoism of class and caste, if mane were more concerned for his brother, and really wanted to collect together, for the good of the human race, all the resources which science places at his disposal especially today, there would be on earth fewer populations deprived of their necessary sustenance, there would be fewer children who die or are incurably weakened by undernourishment.” And, I might add, fewer reasons to go to war and wage terror against others.
Just food for thought.

One of the neat things I learned at seminary was how the writers of the New Testament began to proclaim Jesus as Lord. While we, sitting some 2,000 years hence tend to simply accept the title in a manner that we would accept any other title, i.e., Doctor, etc., this was not so simple in 1st century Rome. Then there was one lord and his name was Caesar. To dispute this was a one-way ticket to crucifixion. Read the gospels. Jesus was convicted of claiming to be a king. Not something one wanted to do if one had hopes of living a long time.
Another thing that came from the idea of Jesus’ lordship was that worship was directed to Yahweh through Jesus alone. In a pantheistic culture this was somewhat of an anomaly. To add to this, one of the deities to be worshiped and sacrificed to was none other than the lord Caesar. For the apostles and the early church, then, worshiping One God and proclaiming Jesus the Messiah as Lord created a double-whammy of perceived apostasy and treachery. Paul, Peter and James encouraged the churches that they wrote to with a message of perseverance in the face of cultural pressures to ‘return to the fold.’ The gospel writers, also, seemed to present their narratives with encouragements to the respective audiences they wrote for.
The people who chose to follow The Way were persecuted for being contrary to the accepted system. The Pax Romana was a big part of that system. Of course, it was peace at the tip of a sword, but it worked. We can read how Paul got in trouble because he ‘made waves’ that could have brought the weight of the Pax down on the heads of the locals. He taught things that were unlawful for Roman citizens. Things like a God other than the accepted gods; a Lord other than Caesar. No more idols.
And the result? A world turned upside down. Culture changing acts of political defiance.
What does any of this mean for us today? I think more than can be discussed in a blog post. But, we can take a moment to reflect on what idols and gods we have accepted. Perhaps, that green guy George? What about American exceptionalism? For sure the triune god of our age; “Me, Myself and I.”
The message that the apostles proclaimed directly confronted the gods of their age. It proceeded with power. Power to transform lives and culture. Does the message we bring have that power? Do our attempts to argue  and explain things like justification and sanctification make any real difference to those who are pressed down and broken by the gods of our time? Where is the power that goes along with the proclamation? I think that we have become disconnected from our Source. In order to see the light of the Gospel chase the darkness of culture that light needs to shine into the deep darkness of our souls and our churches. It’s hard work. It’s dangerous work, just ask Jesus. But, it”s necessary work.