A Political Journey in Politics and the Bible

THE 1950s

The 1950s was a decade of extreme Conservatism in the U.S. with Senator Joseph McCarthy leading the way. Liberals were hunted down and labeled "Communist" or "Communist sympathizers." Hollywood actors and directors were blacklisted and ten to twelve thousand people lost their jobs. The country was filled with the fear of communism and unquestioned loyalty to authority. Eventually McCarthy went too far in his witchhunts and the courts loosened up the anti-Communist laws.

THE 1960s

By the 1960s there was a change in the air. Liberals became more popular, African Americans rioted and protested against unfair treatment and unjust laws, and young people got tired of an anti-Communist war that was going nowhere except killing thousands of young Americans. Media exposed our own evils as pictures came back from Viet Nam showing that we were not the good guys after all. As a result a lot of young people lost their trust in the leadership of this country and began their own movements to rebel against the establishment.

At the same time as all of this, LSD entered the scene, and marijuana and other drugs became popular among the youth of America. Young people began building their own culture around drugs, music, fashion, and anti-authority.

My teen age years were spent during the 60s, rebelling against authority, including parents, government or church. In my world there was a huge seperation between teens and most of those who were over 30. The values that I held dear were love, sex, peace, drugs, and Rock and Roll.

THE 1970s - BORN AGAIN

In 1971 I became an Evangelical Born Again Christian. With my conversion, my fascination with the 60s lifestyle died. I followed the conservative Christian/Pentecostal values of the Deep South and quit Rock and Roll (for a few years), completely threw out the drugs, and renounced most of the values I picked up from the 60s.

Along with most Evangelicals, I liked and voted for Jimmy Carter who was a Democrat. But he was the last Democrat the Evangelicals supported in mass. Among other faux pas, Jimmy made the mistake of hiring a homosexual on his team, which upset many Evangelicals.

Other than voting for Carter, I had very little interest in politics during the 70s. I was much more interested in the Bible and spiritual matters. Even though I didn't see it at the time, Evangelical leaders were beginning to look to the political arena in order to help direct the country in ways that was considered moral and spiritual.

THE 1980s - THE RADICAL LEFT

In the late 70s Anita Bryant began her crusade against homosexuality, and by the 80s the Evangelicals jumped on the pro-life band wagon with the help of Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop (the Catholics had already been working hard to fight for the rights of the unborn for 5 years before the Evangelicals).

With Schaeffer's encouragement Jerry Falwell gathered together like minded Conservatives from different religious groups and formed the Moral Majority while Pat Robertson jumped into the political scene after much wavering about what he called "backsliding into politics."

While Evangelicals were turning more and more to Conservative politics, I lived overseas in Europe and Africa still ignorant of what was taking place among Evangelicals and Politics. I was huddled away in remote areas of Africa studying and teaching the Bible and Psychology, content with only a general books about how the political system works.

When I came back from Africa in 1987 I visited a Seminary friend Kevin (teaching at a college in Nashville) who saturated himself in politics and social studies. During our previous years together at school I always admired him for his intellect and ability to argue anybody under the rug; but unfortunately, by the time I visited him in Nashville, his political, social and economic views drove him away from his Christian rooting, because he felt that Christians weren't doing enough to change the injustices inherent within the world systems. During my short visit in Nashville, I decided to pour into the same books and authors that were so important to Kevin.  I wanted to learn what he knew mainly for 2 reasons.

1. I wanted to find out why my friend had lost his faith.
2. I hated feeling at such a loss when I argued with Kevin. He knew so much about stuff I knew nothing about.  I could argue with Kevin, but my arguments were always shallow compared to his.

So for the next 10 years I dove into new ideas; politically delving into Socialism, Marxism, Anarchy, Conservatism, Libertarianism, and socially digging into the influences of media, culture, Economics, and as much as I could find - in any direction - that would help me understand about people as individuals and as groups, governments and societies.

Through those 10 years I tried to pinpoint where I belonged. Was I Anarchist? Marxist? Socialist? Libertarian, Conservative? Nothing seemed to fit. One day (literally one day) I thought I was Marxist (not Russian or Chinese style Marxism, but a purer form), then I leaned toward the Anarchist position.  I seemed to like the Anarchist point of view the best, but saw that they too had feet of clay. 

In fact, the more I read, the more I realized that every system had its problems. When it came right down to it, every system seemed to have great ideals, but when it came to real practice, every system had the same issue... and that was, people will corrupt every ideal. On paper a lot of systems sound great, but when any system is given its day, self interest and greed will seep into every attempt to establish a just government or economy.

So while the Marxist says that Marxism would work if it was ever really tried - the fact is, it can never really be tried without people coming in an destroying its ideals; and the same is true with pure Capitalism.  No system of government or economy will ever live up to its hopes or its promises.

The 1990s - THE PRINCIPALITIES AND THE POWERS

During the 90s I realized that the more I understood about what was going wrong with the nation, the more I fell into despair, fear, and anger.  I saw the Evangelical Right become the most powerful voting block, capitalizing on hate, fear and anger.  Even though I was a polar opposite to their agenda and their political aspirations, I saw that my fear, anger and hatred was the same.  I was just like them.  I thought about how aggressive and naive they were, and they thought the same about the what they called the Left, the Democrats (who are not even as Left as I had become - in fact, to me, the Democrats were just another side of the supporters of an unjust economic system that takes from the workers and the poor - Republicans and Democrats were just two sides of the same coin). 

At the same time I was facing these issues, and at the same time I began realizing that in many ways (emotionally and idealisticly) I was no different than the Christian Right that was on the opposite side of the political spectrum; I came across Hendrik Berkhoff's, "Christ and the Powers," which claimed that the world was controlled / watched over by spiritual principalities and powers.  These principalities and powers are not demons, Satan or good angels as we tend to view the spiritual world, but rather, they are fallen powers that point us, not to Christ, but to themselves. 

As I saw it, the principalities and powers were at work within our nations, our governmental and state parties, our way of life, and much more.  I read that they were the unseen movers of societies and governments.  And, I emphasize, they point to themselves and bring dedication to themselves as their ultimate goal.  Berkhoff wrote "Christ and the Powers" after WWII, trying to understand from a biblical perspective, how so many people were so easily led astray in Germany. 

While I was digesting Berkhoff, I was also realizing that the books I was reading rarely offered solid solutions for the problems of our political systems.  In fact, they seemed to be much better at pointing out what was wrong with a societies than building working models of just and good societies that could withstand the test of time.

So, in the 1990s I began to let go of politics, and turned more to Jesus... and Jesus alone.

2000s - JESUS ONLY

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. But as for you, the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are (Dueteronomy 4:19-20).

Most of us in the 21st Century would be surprised about what this little known passage is saying.   God appointed certain powers over the nations, which Israel turned to in worship.  Most modern thinkers believe that those powers were non existent or demonic, but Deuteronomy is saying that God appointed these powers and they are real.  The Bible is also saying that although He appointed these powers over the nations, His people did not have these powers over them, because they belonged only to God.  Finally, this passage warned His people to stay away from serving these powers, as they lured His people toward temselves.

During the late 90s I learned that I did not belong to any political party or the powers of this age, but I belonged to God.  That doesn't mean that I can't join a party or become politically active; it simply means that I represent, first and foremost, Jesus Christ and His kingdom.  I am His ambassador, and as such can minister in any (or most) party or economic system as His representative. 

When Paul the Apostle wrote to his Philippian church about his ministry, he said that he had sacrificed every part of his identity in order to belong only to Christ (Philippians 3:1-11).  Because Paul had sacrificed his entire identity as a Jew, and as a Pharisee, he was able to minister to Gentiles as a Gentile, and he was able to minister to the Jews as a Jew. 

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).

Had Paul held diligently to his political and religious parties, he would not have been able to accomplish half of what he did.

CONCLUSIONS

I believe that our world is under the spiritual powers of this age, and there are many.  Whether they are individual identities as much of Intertestamental literature claims, I don't know.  But I believe these powers serve their own interests and not Christ's. 

I believe these powers deceive their followers into believing that they and they alone can bring true freedom (2 Peter 2:19).

I believe that the cross of Jesus exposed these powers for what they were - against God and for themselves.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15).  However, the powers of this world were only temporarily exposed as history moved away from Jesus' generation.  Now every generation can say, "that was then."  And using that cloak, each new power can once again claim to be God's side...the side of truth.

I believe that Christians need to renounce their identities in this temporary world as Paul renounced his.  This did not mean that he stopped loving his people or his religious training.  It meant that Paul no longer accepted his national, political and religious identities to define who he was.  His new identity was completely wrapped up in Jesus Christ and in the cross of Jesus.  As such, he was able to minister to different groups that were opposed to each other in this world.

Jude and 2 Peter 2 were First Century letters written in hot political times.  The writers spoke about these spiritual powers and warned the Christians to stay away from those who spoke evil of the powers, and who spoke evil of the rulers on earth that were aligned with the powers.  Jude and Peter told their readers to stay away from those who promised freedom while trapping them in their own political turmoil.  Jude told his readers to follow faith, hope and love instead (Jude 1:20-21).  Peter, in 2 Peter 3, told his readers to be patient, not to be led astray, to hope for the return of Christ, and to keep holy (that is, seperated for God).

FINAL COMMENTS

- As much as I think the New Testament discouraged following after the powers of this world, I don't think it forbade involvement in politics.

- I question how much the Evangelical Right in America has worshipped at the altar of a world power.   No doubt, many of its people have, and still bow down to a worldly power, convinced it is one and the same as God's only choice; but I also believe that good Christians can be in most political parties of any nation.  Like individuals, there is both good and bad in any system.  Old Testament prophets came from all different economic and political backgrounds, so I expect that God would place good Christians in different parties in today's world as well.

- Christians need to separate themselves from their own leanings, surrender to Christ and come back in representing Him first and foremost. 

- Christians need to open their eyes to the falicies within their own political parties.

- Christians need to repent from demonizing other parties - it is one of the surest signs that they have bowed down to the powers of this world.

- Christians outside of the United States can easily see the falicies of the U.S. system, but bow down no less to their own systems.  They can get every bit as defensive of and supportive of theirs while trashing the U.S.   This world's powers are not just among the most powerful. 

- Jude and 2 Peter were written during and about rising rebellions (filled with promise) in their own times.

- We do not bow down to the powers of this world.

- We do not allow ourselves to be carried away by their promises.

- The New Testament is very clear about this, we do not fall into talking trash about our leaders and the powers of this world.  For better or for worse, the Bible says they are established by God (Romans 13:1).  When Paul stated this about Roman authority, he was telling his people to subject themselves to the very person who would later have Paul killed for his faith.  Jude and 2 Peter also warn against speaking evil of these powers.  When Paul talked back to the High Priest and was rebuked for it, he appoligized, saying he did not realize he was the High Priest.  Paul then quoted the Bible saying, "You shall not speak evil against the ruler of your people."

QUESTIONS I HAVE

Q:  What was the proper response to Hitler?
A:  This Century has seen a few rulers who can be best described as evil.  Hitler stands out above the rest.  They present to us a huge problem, in that, according to the Bible, rulers are appointed by God for the purpose of justice and well being of humanity, and therefore should have a measure of respect and obedience. I think Paul faced the issue similar to Hitler with Nero, when he wrote Romans 13.

In 1934 the Confessing Church in Germany put out a declaration seperating the Church and Christ from the State.  The resulting document is called the Barmen Declaration.  In it, the group rejects the State's intrusion into the Church and visa versa; but the Barmen Declaration doesn't give any calls to action, such as open rebellion or non-violent protest.

On the side, many conservative Christians of the 1930s thought that Hitler was God's answer to Communism, so they believed that God ordained him. These same Christians are honored today as builders of the faith.

Q:  When is it right to join resistant movements?  After all, the resistant movement may be the next group in power that we should pay biblical respect to.
A:  I don't know, but two factors help judge when it is right to resist the powers that surface in resistant movements, but do not answer every situation:

1.  The Future's Judgment - Unfortuneately we will not know what historians will say until years after the event.  Billy Graham, who I admire for several reasons and who tore down racial barriers in his auditoriums, asked Martin Luther King to be more patient in the struggle for Civil Rights.  But patience was not the answer, so history was on the side of Martin Luther King.

Although we cannot be sure what the future will say about the present, past history should help us make better decisions for present situations. Nevertheless, we don't always learn from the past as much as we should.

2.  World Opinion - World opinion has helped bring down Apartheid in South Africa, but remains unheard in too many other cases.

The Tradition of the Elders

In Mark 7, Jesus and his disciples were rebuked by Pharisees and Scribes for eating without proper washing of the hands. Washing of the hands before eating had nothing to do with germs as we understand it today, but had to do with laws of purity and holiness which according to tradition were handed down from Moses.

The Pharisees in Jerusalem believed that Moses received 2 sets of laws; the oral traditions which were memorized and passed down from generation to generation, until they were finally written down 200 years after Jesus, and the second set of laws which were written down and formed into what we call the Bible.

Pharisees from Galilee were not as sold on the oral laws as the Jerusalem Pharisees, and this may explain why Jesus, who was Galilean, had little interest or respect for the oral tradition.

There was a lot of discussion about both forms of Law among the rabbis. Without ceasing, they discussed certain subjects relating to ritual purity. The Mishnah was written down around A.D. 220 in order to remember what the rabbis in Jesus' day were discussing. Here is a small portion of what was said about the washing of hands:

Mishna - Mas. Yadayim Chapter 2
MISHNAH 3. HANDS BECOME UNCLEAN AND ARE MADE CLEAN AS FAR AS THE WRIST. HOW SO? IF HE POURED THE FIRST WATER OVER THE HANDS AS FAR AS THE WRIST AND POURED THE SECOND WATER OVER THE HANDS BEYOND THE WRIST
AND THE LATTER FLOWED BACK TO THE HANDS, THE HANDS NEVERTHELESS BECOME CLEAN.13 IF HE POURED THE FIRST AND THE SECOND WATER OVER THE HANDS BEYOND THE WRIST AND THEY FLOWED BACK TO THE HANDS, THE HANDS REMAIN UNCLEAN.14 IF HE POURED THE FIRST WATER OVER ONE OF HIS HANDS AND THEN CHANGED HIS MIND AND POURED THE SECOND WATER OVER BOTH HIS HANDS, THEY REMAIN UNCLEAN.15 IF HE POURED THE FIRST WATER OVER BOTH HIS HANDS AND THEN CHANGED HIS MIND AND POURED THE SECOND WATER OVER ONE OF HIS HANDS, HIS ONE HAND BECOMES CLEAN. IF HE POURED WATER OVER ONE OF HIS HANDS AND RUBBED IT ON THE OTHER HAND IT REMAINS UNCLEAN. 16IF HE RUBBED IT ON HIS HEAD OR ON THE WALL 17 IT BECOMES CLEAN. WATER MAY BE POURED OVER THE HANDS OF FOUR OR FIVE PERSONS, EACH HAND BEING BY THE SIDE OF THE OTHER, OR BEING ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, PROVIDED THAT THE HANDS ARE HELD LOOSELY SO THAT THE WATER FLOWS BETWEEN THEM.

As you can see, details were very important to the Pharisees of Jerusalem, so when they saw that Jesus and his disciples were eating without any hand washing, they were shocked that Jesus would do that. They looked for anything to fault Jesus, just like we do today to those we don't like; and Jesus made sure they had something to fault him with, using his offence as a stepping stone for discussion about the Oral Law.

The Political Power of the Crowds in the Time of Jesus

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (Mark 6:34).

Crowds are like sheep, following whatever or whoever. Both Jesus and the pharisees knew this. Crowds are not always the brightest. In the last 60+ years, social scientists and psychologists have studied crowd behavior in order learn and manipulate buying behavior. Political scientists have likewise studied crowd behavior in order to manipulate voter response. All of them conclude that crowds can be manipulated. Using the right buttons (usually related to emotions such as anger, fear, insecurity, etc., people generally (but not always) respond in predictable ways. As Jesus believed, people are like sheep.

THE PHARISEES

The Pharisees sent officers to take Jesus and bring him back as a prisoner, however, after hearing Jesus, the officers were impressed by what he said and did not take him. When they told the Pharisees that they didn't bring Jesus and why they didn't, the Pharisees got angry and said, "This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God's curse is on them" (John 7:49)!

The Pharisees looked down on the crowds for 2 reasons:
1. They did not know the Law.
2. They followed Jesus. They believed that the reason they didn't like Jesus was because they knew the Law better than the crowds, but in reality there were other reasons they didn't like Jesus, such as:
a. Jesus posed a threat to their preeminence.
b. Jesus did't believe right; he disagreed with them in several areas of the Law.
c. Jesus didn't do it right; he became good friends with bad people and helped them out.
d. The Pharisees were jealous of Jesus' popularity.

Over the years, the Pharisees developed a faith better suited for professionals. It took time and energy to be able to reach the goals and demands for individual piety that they strove to reach. It took time and energy that only certain people could accomplish, people who spent their days studying small details about the Law, pouring over words, striving to understand details about the Sabbath, about what is or what is not unclean, and the proper amount to tithe.

JESUS

Jesus read the same Law, but he took it from the professionals and gave it to the common and poverty bound people. Jesus' focus was more on community, forgiveness and mercy. Like the religious leaders, Jesus viewed the crowds as sheep; but whereas the Pharisees despised the crowds for their lack of knowledge in the Law and following Jesus, Jesus had compassion on the people, knowing that with proper guidance they were awesome.

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (Mark 6:34).

When Rulers Came to Jesus

When a friend of mine found out that he had pancreatic cancer, he went to the health store and bought up all kinds of vitamins and herbal cures he would never have touched before. He knew that traditional medicine had nothing to offer him, so he was willing to try anything that promised healing or a better life; including medicines he beforehand deemed to be wacky.

People in Bible days were no different. They knew when traditional cures and medicines could do nothing for their sickness or disease; and when they had no where else to go, some went to Jesus, who was a man who identified with the lower classes more than the upper classes.

Upper classes would not feel comfortable mingling with Jesus and the types of people that he hung with, because they believed they were superior. They dressed differently; they had a different set of values; and they probably talked differently. We do know that Galileans were despised by and had a different accent than the Judeans. How much more would prejudice and pride affect the classes.

So for a man who hung out with more noble classes to go to Jesus and ask Jesus for a favor, it was quite humiliating... Jesus was not a messiah to the rich and the noble. Nevertheless, desperate times demanded desperate measures, so when rulers or wealthy came to Jesus for help, they were putting aside their own feelings of superiority.

There were several people who came to Jesus from the upper classes who were genuinely seeking for some favor. And even if they may or may not have been wealthy, they did hold respectable offices. At least four different people from the upper classes came to Jesus: a ruler of a synagogue, a centurian, Nicodemus (a Pharisee) and a rich young ruler.

The first 2 came to Jesus on behalf of others, while the rich young ruler and Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions about the kingdom Jesus was preaching. The first 2 went away satisfied; their needs were met. But the last 2 left Jesus very troubled.
They were troubled because their lives' status was placed under the microscope and challenged by Jesus. The rich young ruler learned that his money was a barrier, hindering his walk with God; and Nicodemus walked away knowing that his reputation would be at stake if he openly confessed Jesus.

Other people of stature came to Jesus, but most of them were trying to trap him in his words. They were not troubled by Jesus' teachings, and they did not look to Jesus for help. Instead, they went to Jesus in hopes of destroying Jesus' ministry.

The Parable of the Seed

In 3 of the gospels, a farmer sowed seed that fell on different kinds of ground. How the seed grew depended on the ground. What Jesus said about his group applies to any and every group.

There are some who will newcomers who will not get what it is about the group and walk away, never to return.

There will be some who enter the group, thinking that it will be great; but when the newness wears off, or when times get tough, those people will leave.

There are some people who will join a group, but eventually get lured into another.

And finally, there are those who become strong followers, then leaders within the group.

Did Jesus Really Heal?

After Jesus cast a devil out of a man in Matthew 12, the people reacted in one of 2 ways. Some thought he was the Son of David (Ie: he was the messiah king they were looking for), and some thought that he was deceiving the masses by healing, working miracles, and casting out devils. They even went so far as to say that Jesus was casting out devils by the prince of devils.

Jesus argued with this second group by telling them that it would be absurd for Satan to fight his himself. He told them that he was taking territory from Satan because Satan had been already been bound.

Nobody doubted that Jesus was working amazing miracles, in fact, everybody assumed that Jesus was healing and working miracles; there was no doubt about that. There was doubt, however, about what those miracles meant and where they came from. This is unlike healers of today whose miracles are questioned and usually found wanting. Even Jesus' enemies believed he was working miracles.

Breaking the Sabbath

Several times in the Gospels, Jesus broke the Sabbath in order to eat with his disciples or to heal somebody. Upon being rebuked by religious leaders for breaking the Sabbath Jesus told them that the Son of Man was Lord of the Sabbath and that there was one who was greater than the temple in the place where they were. These were indirect ways of pointing to himself as that person.

Jesus also directed them to other passages of scripture such as when out of need, David ate unlawful showbread set apart for the priests. He also used reason to explain that even the religious leaders know that there is a time to bend the rules in order to help an animal. Jesus did not break the Law of Moses, but rather, he reinterpreted it in favor of mercy for others over strict obedience. In the Law, Jesus read that people were more important than the icon called the Law or the icon called the temple.

The religious leaders were sure that Jesus was breaking the Law because they had inherited, and built on, a different way of reading and obeying the Law than Jesus taught. For years, the leaders had been debating and refining the interpretation of Scriptures, so that they would know how to interpret the Law in matters of the Sabbath and purity.

We do not know who influenced Jesus and how he came to the conclusions he did about the Law and its interpretation. The Gospels tell us that Jesus received his teachings from God; but does this mean that, like Paul, he received revelations directly from God through visions and revelations; or did God give him his teachings from others who mentored him when he was young; or was it both?