Christianity in Public

Melchior Hofmann, an increasingly popular Anabaptist lay preacher, arrived in the bustling city of Strasbourg in 1533. He had received a vision from God and was coming to preach his vision to the people there. He and his followers believed that Strasbourg was the city where Jesus would return to establish his kingdom, and they wanted to be there when it happened. Hofmann began to prophesy that he would soon be imprisoned and that six months later, Jesus would come again. The followers of God would then be asked to take up arms to defeat the forces of darkness!

Hofmann was promptly thrown in jail for preaching such revolutionary ideas, and his followers prepared for a fight. Six months passed. Nothing happened. “He must have simply gotten his calculations wrong!” they thought. Two of Hofmann’s followers, John Matthys and John of Leiden studied the issue and determined that Hofmann had simply gotten the wrong location. Jesus was returning to Muenster! They quickly gathered their things and headed to Muenster to make preparation for the return of Christ.

Soon after arriving there, the group managed to take total control of the city and expel the Catholic bishop, starting a war. Catholic armies quickly surrounded the city, and the Anabaptists in Muenster took up arms to defend God’s kingdom. John Matthys was killed in battle, and John of Leiden was declared king of “the New Jerusalem.” As food became harder to find, more and more of the people began to see visions and give prophecies. The new “king” decreed that polygamy was now allowed, following after the pattern of the Old Testament patriarchs. Abuse ran rampant. Soon enough, some of the citizens grew tired of the siege and opened the gates for the armies outside. Muenster fell back into the hands of the Catholic bishop, and Jesus did not return. “King” John was captured and executed, and his followers were faced with violent persecution.

In the aftermath, the Anabaptists were forced to reevaluate, and a new leader emerged, Menno Simons, father of the Mennonites. He believed that all oaths were sinful, and Mennonites were therefore barred from holding public office. Persecution faded, but the influence of the Mennonites did as well. In all but a few regions, the Anabaptists became quiet pacifists with little impact in the broader society.

Two Ditches to Avoid

The story of the Muenster and the Anabaptists offers us helpful instruction for how we ought to engage politically. Interestingly, the Anabaptists have historically fallen into two errors: they have attempted to impose Christianity by political and military might, and they have withdrawn from society so far that they have lost all their influence in the culture. In order to avoid falling into these ditches, we need a clear path forward. We need to learn how to engage our societies in a godly way so that the gospel can be proclaimed to every creature, and we need to understand how governments and political systems fit into God’s larger plan for the whole earth.

It Starts With You

I want to frame our discussion in terms of what you must do, what you may do, and what you may not do. This helps us distinguish between areas of law and areas of wisdom and determine how we ought to behave as Christians. Ultimately, you can only control your own actions, so we should seek to have those actions guided by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. When dealing with politics, Christians need a biblical rudder to guide their actions in such a high tension environment. The Westminster Standards offer us some answers to this dilemma and give us a solid, biblical approach for engaging in politics.

What You Must Do (WCF 23.4)

The Westminster Confession of Faith identifies four duties the people have to the civil authorities.

Pray for the governing authorities. 2 Timothy 2:1-4 gives us two reasons for this. First, our goal should be to live peaceful and quiet lives. The civil government facilitates this in providing things like national defense and police forces. So we ought to pray that the governing authorities are successful in maintaining peace. Second, our ultimate goal should be that the gospel of Jesus Christ be received by all people. So we pray that the governing authorities would receive Christ and, in turn, create an environment where the gospel message can be freely proclaimed.
Honor the authorities. When Peter says, “Honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17), he is making a connection to the value of civil offices. When we honor someone or something, we are recognizing that there is some value in that thing. But where does this value in the civil authorities come from? It comes from God! “[There] is no authority except from God… Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed…” (Rom. 13:1-2).
Pay your dues. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). This verse is often used to demonstrate our need to pay our taxes, but it is actually far more expansive than that. Our confession says that we are to pay taxes “and whatever is owed them.” For example, in America, when men turn eighteen, they are required to register for the draft. This is something owed to the civil government that we are bound to honor.
Submit to all lawful orders. Note the word “lawful.” Remember, the authority of the government ultimately comes from God, so if the government commands something contrary to God’s commands, you are not obligated to submit. That being said, this is no license to rebel. In any instance where we feel compelled by God to disobey, we must be wholly convinced in our hearts and minds that we are doing the right thing. Christians, in an effort to honor their Savior, ought to be model citizens, honoring and serving the civil government in whatever ways it asks of us.

What You May Do (WCF 23.2)

Next, we are permitted, but not required, to accept and execute offices, given that we exercise those offices under the direction of God. Psalm 2:10-12 tells kings and rulers to “serve the LORD with fear” and to “kiss the Son.” If this is the command to rulers generally, how much more does it apply to Christian rulers? Also, we must acknowledge that citizenship is an office. Historically, it is a unique privilege to be afforded citizenship, and it carries with it the responsibilities that God places on every political office.

Today, many make the claim that our personal faith should play any role in the public sphere, but this totally misses the point of our faith. As a Christian, I belong to Christ, and not just on Sunday morning. Christ owns all of me. When we enter public life, when we accept civil offices, we must give those to Christ just as we offer our whole lives to him (Rom. 12:1-2). This means that we have the same zeal for the gospel and God-honoring ethics in public as we do in private. This also means that we are required to execute public in accordance with God’s prescription, by honoring those who do good and punishing those who do evil (1 Pet. 2:14).

What You May Not Do (WLC 128)

Larger Catechism 128 gives us several “sins of inferiors against their superiors.” So these apply not only to civil authorities, but also to all authorities that God has placed over us. So what may we not do? You may not (1) neglect your duties, (2) rebel, (3) curse or mock. You’ll notice that these are mostly just negations of what we must do.

The opposite of paying your dues is neglecting your duties. When the civil authorities require something lawful and we fail to do it, we are in sin and dishonoring God. The government is God’s servant “for your good” (Rom. 13:4), so when what they require aligns with what God requires, your duty is obedience.

The opposite of submission is rebellion. Paul calls the civil authorities “ministers of God” (Rom. 13:6). They bear his authority. When we submit to our rulers, we are ultimately submitting to God. Therefore, when we rebel against our rulers, we rebel against God. This is a very dangerous place to be.

The opposite of honor is cursing. Perhaps, of all of these things, cursing and mocking is the easiest to do. In fact, it’s becoming more and more common and even applauded in our culture. Politicians on both sides of the aisle engage in name calling and mocking and, yes, even cursing. In all of this, you may be tempted to join in, but understand that every human authority, besides bearing the image of God, is a minister of God for your good.

Also, if you choose to take on a public office, you are required to operate within God’s prescribed boundaries for the civil authorities. Public officials may not interfere with church government (2 Chr. 26:18). That is the realm of the elders (Eph. 4:11-12). Public officials may not hinder the worship of God in any way (2 Chr. 19:8-11).

What About Voting?

Now, you may be thinking, “Yeah, this is all great, but tell me who to vote for!” I understand the desire to get a straight answer, but I unfortunately can’t do that for you. I can, however, offer some advice. Kevin DeYoung describes four options for what you can do with your vote. Here they are:

Vote for the best candidate of all the candidates.
Vote for the best (or least bad) candidate of the two major parties.
Vote for the best candidate—of all the candidates, or of the two leading parties—so long as the candidate meets a certain threshold for character and ideology.
Vote in a way that you believe best advances the long-term interests of your policy goals and convictions.

Now, which course of action you take requires wisdom. We can’t just pick one of these options and make blanket application to every election. Local elections are different from statewide or national elections. School boards and judges have different jobs. Even where you live matters. The fact that we live in a solidly Republican state means we may vote differently from people in swing states. The important thing is that Christians walk into the voting booth with prayer on their lips and the Word of God on their hearts.

Updates

Prayer meeting starts this Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 PM! We’ll meet in the sanctuary while the kids start packing Operation Christmas Child boxes in the fellowship hall.
Our youth membership class is November 15-16. We’ll meet Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. If you haven’t talked to me about your child participating, let me know ASAP.
The community Thanksgiving service will be Sunday, November 25, at 5:00. Be ready to host our guests!
A congregational meeting is scheduled for Sunday, December 8, immediately following the worship service.

Your friend in Christ,
Reid