WHAT IN THE WORLD #2: ROARING REPUBLICANS

In part one of this series What In the World I painted a picture of how some Christians live out the supposed order from God to be “in the world but not of it.” These believers see “the world” (here we go again with the quotation marks) as being somewhere out there, removed from Christian culture and therefore in need of being brought to church, Christian concerts, Christian clubs, Christian businesses etc. These Christians sometimes see “the world” as sinfully dangerous to anyone getting too close to it, or as a place out of their way, so they prefer that the world come to them. So they attract the world by being the coolest, most “relevant” and likeable Christians they can be - with Jesus fish on their cars so the world can spot 'em when they want 'em. But this response is not the only way Christians are going about being in the world and not of it.

Conservative politicians typify the next group trying a different approach to putting this Sufist phrase into action. The thinking goes something like this. “The world” is still “out there” somewhere segregated from Christians but, the thinking goes, it shouldn’t be “out there”. It should be under us. It should be rule by Christ – or more honestly, by Christians.

This Christians, like the last group we scrutinized, may actually be powered by an intense love for God and people. This love moves them to run for office, fight perceived barriers to Christianity, and climb the rungs of the government to the White House as well. The thought being that a godly man on top of “the world”, if he’s not of it, can make the greatest fastest difference of all in it.



Take Jerry Falwell, for instance. In him, an extreme example I know, we get a good look at how these lambs sometimes think about “the world” and what they think it needs.

When September 11th happened Uncle Jerry got ticked off and when Uncle Jerry gets ticked off he starts talking. And wow can he talk?

“And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.’ [spoken September 11, 2001, "God Gave U.S. 'What We Deserve,' Falwell Says," The Washington Post (September 14, 2001)]

Notice Falwell blames the “secularization” of America for September 11th and most things he doesn’t like about the place. He believes, as so many of these lambs do, that God can be separated from the world, thus creating “the world” – a place without God and in need of enforceable spiritual guidelines on a mass scale.



He believes we kicked God out of school – that we are capable then of bringing him back in with new laws. He believes not being allowed to put the ten commandments up in a courthouse thwarts God’s power over those making laws, boots Christ’s presence out of our nation, and the only way to get those ten precepts back up there is to reinvent America’s government reinvented in God’s image – well, at least the Republican-friendly parts of his visage.

Jerry wants Christians in power so that the ungodly will be forced to act otherwise and therefore “the world” will be erased and a Christ-like utopia erected in its place. One problem with that plan is, of course, that it requires a tremendous amount of political power and political power doesn’t come cheaply in our system. It requires that large numbers of people all on one side of the aisle have to like you and your agenda. To please so many, Christian ethics sometimes have to take a backseat to political prudence – the ultimate seen as justifying the immediate. Jesus issues like poverty and peace making are shoved aside to support America-benefiting issues like capitalism and war. While God's early church shared their belongings and fed the hungry, clothed the naked and sheltered the oppressed, these lambs prefer to focus on government plans for the least. While Jesus shook a finger at the wealthy, saying that it is hard for them to get into Heaven for various reason, these lambs pass laws that benefit their supporters' pocketbooks. Instead of taking meetings with the widows and orphans and they are consulted by the insurance and oil companies, the unions and the NRA. These lambs must pay attention to the powerful first in order to become powerful themselves even though Jesus spent his time and life on the weak. These lambs are often willing to pay these prices though, and for good reason.

Whether in politics or industry, these lambs belief the world belongs to Christians. The world is our court and everyone will play by our rules or be punished – or called un-American. They believe our nation was founded on Christian values but since them God somehow got locked out of everything we do by "secular" political, business and other leaders. They believe we Christians should win back our country for Jesus by political or business force so that citizen's must obey God’s laws re-written on paper by Congress even if those laws have not been written on the hearts of citizens by the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 36:27)

For these lambs, whether CEOs or Senators, one way to be “in the world but not of it” is to rule over it – above it - and may God Bless America because of it.

To be continued...

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