Salty Christians

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
08/12/07 - Sunday Morning

Salty Christians

A natural question that comes up during an election year or when a controversial law or ballot measure is being considered is “How involved should a Christian be in the political process?” We know that Christians are to be good law-abiding and tax paying citizens (Romans 13:1-7). We also know that God’s people can work for the government or run for office (Daniel, Mordecai, Joseph and Erastus (Romans 16:23), and that we are to pray for those in positions of political power (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

In years past some have argued that seeking to change society through political involvement only yields temporary results (if there are any results at all), and that we should spend our efforts trying to convert the individuals in a society rather than changing the laws that govern society. While our emphasis is always on the salvation of the sinner (Matthew 28:19; Luke 19:10), consider the following as well:

Laws do affect us

To say that “I will just go about my business and whatever happens in government will not affect me” is naïve.

· Not only do laws affect us, but they equally can hinder our attempts or the attempts of our children and grandchildren in living the Christian life.

· Laws can be contrary to God’s standard of right and wrong and thus bring judgment upon a society (Jeremiah 18:1ff), and we can or our children, can get caught up in such a judgment.

· Laws can bring persecution upon us or our children.

· Laws can create a situation in which the society in which we or our loved ones live, is far more dangerous.

· Consider the spiritual, psychological, emotional and mental impact that the following political decisions have had upon our culture in the last 40 years.

1. Creation is not allowed to be taught alongside of Evolution in the classroom.

2. The removal of corporeal punishment from the classroom as well as attempts to make it illegal in the home.

3. No prayer in the schools.

4. Abortion on demand.

5. No fault divorce.

6. Commending homosexuality, bisexuality, cross-dressing as morally neutral.

Legislating Morality

From time to time some will argue that we should not be legislating morality, yet the truth of the matter is that morality is what is directly or indirectly behind all legislation. For example even laws that deal with seatbelts, where one can smoke, or bicycle helmets are all grounded on moral arguments such as the concern for human safety. Even such regulations as building permits are founded on the moral argument that they are necessary because we want to make sure that buildings are safe and that people are not needlessly hurt. In fact, one could argue that if a proposed law has nothing to do with morality, it is unnecessary or will be a burden upon society. So the real question is not whether morality will be legislated, but whose standard of right of wrong will become the law of the land? Will the standard be based on the view of the Creator who knows what is best for us, or will the laws reflect the limited vision of man? The trouble is that when laws are based on man’s limited understanding of right and wrong, the laws man enacts are often immoral.

Rights can be lost

In the Wednesday 18^th, 2007 issue of the Oregonian newspaper there was an article explaining that the Gay-rights bills had passed in the Oregon House of Representatives. Rep. Dennis Richardson, a Republican from Central Point argued against the bills by comparing homosexuality to smoking, alcoholism and drug addiction (as does the Bible 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). He argued that it is not in the state’s best interest to “enshrine in Oregon’s bill of rights a behavior-based orientation” (Metro Section, C-1). Rep. Tina Kotek, a Democrat from Portland who had helped carry these bills to the House floor, is a lesbian, and she warned Rep. Richardson against making statements “about my personal character”. This exchange reveals that as homosexuals gain more power, they will not tolerate any view that puts their behavior in a negative light, and may take legal action against those who do. On a side note, Rep. Kotek needs to realize that God takes the comparison further than did Rep. Richardson, for He places homosexual behavior in the same category as adultery, those who murder their parents, murders and kidnappers.

Where are the victims?

In the recent debate over homosexual civil unions and especially “marriages” the homosexual community and its supporters have argued, “Who is hurt by two men getting married?” They argue that something is wrong only if there is a “victim”. Yet, most do not even adhere to their own self-made standard. When it comes to the subject of abortion, they completely ignore or dismiss a very clear victim, i.e. the child. They also ignore the two men or two women in the relationship. When one attempts to live in violation of God’s laws, there are always victims (Romans 1:27). When sin is glorified, praised or declared “good” in a culture, the entire culture becomes a victim. Consider the following descriptions of cultures that were ripe for judgment:

· “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination—for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled” (Leviticus 18:22,24)

· “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).

· “Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 7).

In addition, when people talk about “victims” they seem to completely forget all the victims of past legislation that was contrary to the will of the Creator:

· No fault divorce created an entire generation of victims, both grieving men and women, and especially grieving children, who contrary to the claims of the “experts” that they would just bounce back from seeing their parents divorce, were deeply hurt.

· No one seems to want to talk much about the victims of abortion as well. Just imagine 45 million people dying from any other cause over the last 34 years. Why is there equally no serious pursuit in the news of why homosexuals have a life span 20 years shorter than the general population?

Would someone own up?

Personally, I am not impressed when legislators argue that there will be no victims, then pass a socially destructive law and go on their merry way, while Christians are left in the next generation trying to help people put their lives back together. Before we tinker with human relationships, gender issues, and marriage I would like someone in the human race to own up to the fact that all our experiments with morality and the family in the past have miserably failed, and that we have actually created a huge mess by departing from the Creators plan.

· Since 1960 violent crime has increased 500% and total crime is up 300%.

· Teen pregnancy rates doubled from 1960 to 1980.

· Teen suicide rates have tripled.

· By 1990 the percentage of children living with a single parent was 22%.

The world has become a very dangerous place, despite jumps in technology, political correctness, and investing so much money into social programs and education. I would appreciate an acknowledgement from the people in our culture who want a completely secular state, that their experiments have failed and that apart from God, we really do not know how to live or solve our problems (Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 16:25). The current mess in the current culture is objective evidence that the implemented worldview of unbelievers does not work in the real world.

“It won’t do any good”

Sometimes even professed Christians get discouraged and justify not participating in an election by saying, “My vote will not change anything”. The problem with such reasoning is that recent elections have proven that even a handful of votes can make a huge difference between which world view that is allowed to govern. In addition, unbelievers, and those who want social changes contrary to Scripture, do not have such a defeatist attitude. We need to realize that if good men and women decide not to get involved, people with agendas contrary to what is right—will be veryinvolved. For someone who knows that God rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 5:21), and that all things are possible with God (Genesis 18:14), and that one person can make a huge difference (Esther 4:14), the attitude that, “I can’t make a difference” is not an option. Finally, Christians do need to be involved in this world, because the religious people that are involved definitely need our help. Often I find well-meaning religious people making emotional and poor arguments in defense of the truth, and our voices are needed for clarity and credibility on various issues.

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017