The Church- Shock Force 2010

As we wind down a year of economic instability, turmoil, and an unprecedented sense of fear that swept this nation, we look towards 2010. All of our fears, uncertainty, disappointment, excitement, etc. will be expressed in the upcoming elections. The TEA parties, liberty rallies, and various other political marches harmonize the general sentient of the American people both secular and religious. The question is posed as it is in every election- Where is the church? The responsibility for projecting and promoting a values-based position lies with the church and the people of God. Participating in the political process is a privilege relegated through divine providence. Noah Webster admonishes Christians with, “God commands you to choose rulers, just men who will rule with the fear of God. The preservation of a republican form of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted to execute the law; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. Sounds a bit prophetic? Billy Graham provides an excellent summation of the church’s role in the public arena- “If America is to survive; we must elect more God-centered men and women to public office- individuals who will seek Divine guidance in the affairs of the state.” Again, a prophetic word that is timely for our nation. Voting is the most democratic participation in our establishing the leadership to guide our nation. Unfortunately, recent statistics prove the church and her people to be lacking in their responsibility in shaping the future of America. Our participation in the process not only violates historical precedent, but ignores the consensus of our founding fathers. Charles Finney, an outspoken pastor and great revivalist in early America tells us, “The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics. God cannot sustain this free and blessed country which we love and pray for unless the Church will take the right ground. It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation are becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they think God does not see what they do in politics.” At the end of WW II, President Harry Truman reaffirmed the church’s role in the world during one the most difficult periods of American history. “We have just come through a decade in which forces of evil in various parts of the world have been lined up in a bitter fight to banish from the face of the earth… religion and democracy. For these forces of evil have long realized that both religion and democracy are founded on one basic principle, the worth and dignity of the individual man and woman. …In that long struggle between these two doctrines the cause of decency and righteousness has been victorious. …If men and nations would live by the precepts of the ancient prophets and the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, problems which now seem so difficult would soon disappear. This is a supreme opportunity for the Church to continue to fulfill its mission on earth and to provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening. No other agency can do it. Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve. Oh for an Isaiah or a Saint Paul to reawaken this sick world to its moral responsibilities.” President Truman was accurate in his assessment of the current role of the church in the public arena. It is the mission of the church to provide the shock forces to restore our moral foundation. However, with all due respect, I will have to take exception to his calling for the Isaiah or Saint Paul to accomplish this task. Both men were great servants of God who fulfilled the assignment commissioned by God. Today God is calling His church to rise to the occasion and be that shock force President Truman described. As we start the election cycle of 2010 all secular eyes will be focused on the church. Will the church cower in the safety of church pews behind a theology of sugar-coated Christianity? Will the church be silenced through the spirit of fear of retribution by a tyrannical government destined to suppress the voice of God’s people? Or will the church once again rise up and fulfill the commission set forth by our Creator and restore the moral foundation that America was blessed to be laid upon. Only time will tell.