Understanding the Limitations

We need to be very careful of trusting to much in the political process. It is very limited in what it can do. It has the effect of only muzzling the beasts in society so they do not bite us. It cannot change them. Even this effect depends on the general support of the society at large. It is difficult to enforce a law without general support for that law. But much of the efforts of Evangelical Christians in recent times to change society has concentrated on political action. I have to ask are we putting too many of our eggs in the wrong basket.

Much this is a result of a concept, I am conceived is a false concept. This is the idea that this country's moral problems are the result of a few people in leadership who have led us down the wrong path. The rank and file at still on our side and if we can just eliminate a few leaders, we would go back to where we were as a nation. I am convinced this is a fantasy. If we lived in a country that was characterized by firm Christian moral convictions we would not be where we are now. What we have is a minority of people who hold such convictions and a large number of people who mildly affirm such convictions, but have no intention of standing up for them. This is the last remainder of an original nominal Christian position in our culture. This is not stable but seems to be slowly changing as more and more things are being considered acceptable.

The idea that this can be changed by simply passing the right laws or getting the right person elected seems to me futile. I am not saying all Christian political action should be avoided. Christians need to stand for what is right, even against opposition. Also if we do not work to oppose the political decay, it would undoubtedly go faster and further then it would otherwise. But unless there is a change of heart it will not amount to much more than a holding action. It is only in reaching people and convincing them of God and His truth, can we in the long run hope make a real difference in the political climate of this country. And this has the advantage of being the approach in which God has promised to empower and support us (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:1; Colossians 1:28,29). We need to let go of the past where Christianity was respected in this country and start over from the beginning as Christians in a pagan society. For it is only in this way we can hope to rebuild.