Thesis 27- We must refuse to be a clamoring demographic.
The demon Demos rules not only politically, but commercially. Political power flows to and from those who are able to cobble together the biggest coalition. The ballot, one wise man, wisely said, is a bullet. Majorities can be just as tyrannical as tyros. The same is true, however, in the commercial realm. Here the power of numbers does not devolve into raw force, but it still shapes our world. The music on the radio, the programs on the television, these are determined by the inexorable power of the market place.
In both cases, the church faces a terrible temptation. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and so we are tempted to outsqueak the world around us. The desire is to get our share, either of the political pie, or of the marketplace by presenting ourselves as a demographic juggernaut. When we succumb to that desire, we become like the world, and lose the very power of God.
Consider for a moment the opening chapter of Exodus. As Genesis draws to a close, Joseph, a potent messianic picture, rules the most powerful nation on earth. But as Exodus opens, there is a new Pharaoh, who remembers not Joseph. In the space of four hundred years, the descendants of Abraham have grown from seventy souls to four million. Pharaoh, in his fear, first enslaves the people of God, then orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the male offspring.
How do God’s people respond? They do not establish a lobbying organization. They do not tap Moses to run for Pharaoh. The Hebrew midwives do not march around the palace carrying placards and hoping to make the evening news. They do not establish a boycott of Egyptian cotton. Instead, we are told, they feared God. Instead they continued to live in the context of God’s blessing. Instead they cried out to the Lord. And when the Lord heard the cries of His people, His strategy was not more of the same. He didn’t tell Moses, “Go and remind Pharaoh that My people could vote him out of office.” He didn’t tell them to divest their stocks in Egyptian companies. He didn’t tell Moses to begin training the Hebrews for battle. Instead He told Moses to take this message- “Let My people go.” Four words. God’s people did not clamor to be heard, but delivered a simple message from the true and living God. Then God acted.
When Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal he does not merely mean that they are not tanks and missiles, though he does mean that. He does not merely mean that they are not worldly, though he does mean that. He also means that our weapons are the weapons of power. Shouting louder than the other demographics, complaining more bitterly of our victimhood, these are anemic and foolish. Trusting God, fearing God, these bring us under the one great power, the power of the living God. We don’t need a place at the table. Our king not only owns the table, but He called it into existence.
If you’re trying to relate this to today’s American situation then you’re way off base. We don’t have a king here. The people are the authority, and have bound their elected representatives with a Constitution. When those elected representatives (stewards) violate their boundaries, they are in rebellion. They are violating Romans 13. The preachers and laymen out there saying we should just obey them when they issue unlawful orders are therefore also violating Romans 13 by encouraging that rebellion.
It is our Christian duty to “stand in the gate”. We are responsible for making sure our stewards are fulfilling their responsibilities. There may be times when we obey some of these unlawful orders based on convenience, and that every fight isn’t necessarily worth fighting. We are allowed to use strategy, but if we allow them to do unlawful rebellious things, then we will be held in account for the evil that they do. God is in charge, and requires of us to fulfill our responsibilities as the authorities in this government. This will play out differently in different governments in different countries, but passiveness in our duties is always a sin.
If we don’t enforce our orders on our stewards, then we are rebelling against God whom we are stewards for. Our representatives sin is an affront to God, and he has made us stewards with the duty to take dominion of our culture using biblical methodology.
Much I agree with there Lance. What I disagree with is that what I wrote can’t speak to our situation. There is a difference between prophetically calling for justice, as Moses did, and as you describe, and cobbling together a coalition to get to a majority standing.In addition, my post included a discussion of doing the same in the marketplace.Thank you for your comment.