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Location: Out West

An old-fashioned guy grappling with new-fangled ways.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Christians, Theocracy & Tyranny, oh my...

A friend of mine, who blogs here: http://luker.org/ is following a cordial discussion between a prominent pastor and the author of the small booklet 'A letter to a Christian Nation'. The writer is yet another agnostic hand-wringer worried about theocracy. This phenomenon always gets me thinking about the biblical maxim 'the wicked flee while no one is pursuing'. From my perspective, the last thing most christians want is a theocracy. That's because most christians today are so woefully ignorant, so brainwashed and assimilated by secular pluralism, they are practical atheists. They may as well equate Allah and Jehovah, just like the President does. But at least the muslims have a backbone; the spaghetti spines of modern christians are legendary. We'll vote for any dunce who entertains a moment of silence and fights for Israel and oil.
Is anyone else tired of secular preachers warning us to keep our morality to ourselves, even as they enthrone their own godless version of the public good in the public schools, in every public office, every courtroom, every football game in Texas, every statehouse and assembly right down to city councils and county commissioners? They've left us our churches and our homes, but only the ones not run by women and queers.
Relax, hand-wringer. We're a long ways from theocracy. Besides, what you really fear is not christians-in-charge, but the holy Trinity, who is busy weighing secular nonsense on His scale, and is finding it deficient. You also fear churchmen in funny hats, robed like women, whispering in the ears of Presidents and Prime Ministers. You fear inquisitions, book burnings and heretic hunts. But that's not a theocracy, it's an ecclesiocracy, or rule by an elite bunch of clergy-persons. Theocracy is what the founders of Plymouth Plantation wanted; it is self-government under God.
Real theocracy is what I want as well; but gradually, from one redeemed soul at a time, not by decree from the top down. I want the freedom to teach and follow my religion in my home and church without interference from an unbelieving state. I want the freedom to tell others about Jesus, and help disciple others who voluntarily embrace the Gospel. I want the freedom to agitate publically for christian morality. I want freedom of speech, just like you. Look, I have unbelieving family and friends and I love them no less for all of that. But the invitation of the gospel is just that. An invitation. Only God can change a heart; but He does so through the prayers and testimony of those who are already His.
And this is the crux of the matter, isn't it? That God has chosen christians to proclaim repentance and faith in Him wherever they go, and you just don't want to hear it. You are like a vampire who fears the rising of the sun. Well, too bad. May you have your own personal encounter with a wooden stake very soon.

2 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Good points, Randy. What bothers me is how many in mainstream evangelicalism have turned the progressive nature of the kingdom on it's head by striving for and whoring after political power rather than seeking and building the kingdom that will have no end. Not even the gates of Hell shall prevail against it. Christians, do you believe that? Then live as you did.

11:05 AM  
Blogger Randall Gerard said...

Yes, the top-down approach despises personal freedom, personal property, and generational faithfulness in the small things. The history of Rome after Christ is instructive on this point. The followers of Christ were a tiny minority with zero political clout; Yet the church gradually took over through sheer endurance and by overcoming evil with good over many generations.

But, as soon as the church appropriated political power for itself, it became more and more corrupt. The blood of martyrs was barely dry on the floor of the Colliseum before the church turned this power against pagans of every stripe. Don't misunderstand; the church has power and should exercise it, but that power is NOT political, it is moral. If a christian wants to be great, he follows a radically different career path then the politician. He doesn't lord it over other men; he becomes a servant of all.

11:58 AM  

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