What the Nation Needs from the Church

Romans 13: 1-7

Of the several controversial things the Apostle Paul wrote, and there were several(!), one of the greatest is this: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” Did Paul mean we should obey whatever governing authority happens to be in power at the time? If you had been a southern, plantation owner in the 1700’s, you might have agreed with Paul and criticized abolitionists for not obeying scripture. The Bible is clear, we are to be subject to governing authorities. But then you look at the Civil Rights movement and find leaders who were inspired by scripture to resist unfair laws and authorities.

The relationship between church and state has always been tenuous, and Paul’s words in Romans have always been problematic for Christians somewhere in the world at any point in history. For instance, should Christians in Russia today support their current regime? Should Christians in Israel support the policies affecting Palestinians? Should Christians in America be happy or sad about decisions by our Supreme Court?

Of course, the answer is: it depends on what you believe. America has lived its existence in a strange contradiction—believing in the separation of church and state while respecting and even protecting the freedom of religion. People who say that America is a Christian nation have a struggle with the constitution where it says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” At the same time, people who say religion should have no place in politics struggle with endorsements like our currency that says “In God we trust.” We are a country that refuses to let religion determine our politics while also resisting the removal of faith from our political life.

 So what does this mean for the church? At times Christians involved themselves in politics to the point of aligning with certain political parties. This often divides and alienates people. On the other hand, some churches have sought to stay removed from potentially divisive topics, they were guilty of remaining silent when the church should have been speaking up.

We conclude today our series on BE Just, Kind and Humble in which we have been looking at the light Christians can bring to our divided country, and we do so asking the question, What does the nation need from the church right now?

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