Christians Role in Politics
...le, or a deficiency of commitment and effort. Rather, it is because real change will happen from the bottom up and not from the top down. The authors’ reasoning for the failure of the movement to change society is that they are attempting to apply biblical principles to a kingdom that is not godly or biblical. In other words the purist want to apply the biblical principles without compromise to a kingdom that is controlled by compromise. Whereas the political world is fueled by power, the Christian faith is based on truth. There are two dangers that then come from this. The first is that nothing will happen in politics because the conservative are not willing to compromise on one issue to gain on another. The second is that a mentality can take root which believes that by passing a law it will redeem society and make it better. According to the author both of these views could stem from applying the biblical principles to a worldly kingdom. Common metaphors used for the cause of Christian political activism are the wheat and tares analogy or the salt parables that Jesus uses in Matthew 5. However, the authors make the point that parables are designed to show certain particular truths but they cannot be carried throughout. Thus, the Christian church should be more worried about nurturing and growing the wheat than weeding out the tares. As for salt, it is only useful in its preservation ability when it is saturated throughout the meat. This means the salt will be invisible and somewhat unnoticed. It will not stop the spoilage process completely but only slow it down. If Christians really want to make a difference, they should integrate into the many subcultures and various professions that are controlled with sin instead of trying to change them with the power of legislation. In chapter seven Dobson and Thomas answer the ultimate question, “how can believers how more political influence?” The answer is by rebuilding the foundations that have been destroyed so the moral infrastructure is restored. They make the claim that our constitutional order rests on the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Our goal then should be to change the minds and hearts, not just the government. Following this line of reasoning it is wrong to demonize those who we disagree with. This is especially the case with the church it cannot become “an appendage” of a political power play. Dobson and Thomas criticize the Moral Majority’s distribution of The Clinton Chronicles. Even if everything were true in the criticized tapes, there is a criminal system where lawbreakers can be punished, but the church as an institution is not the place. Furthermore they criticize Falwell for using the church as a forum to mock the God-ordained authority of our nation. They contend that the church leaders should instead pray, instruct and privately admonish the political leaders. In chapter ten Dobson and Thomas further expound off of the wheat and tares parable they mentioned previously. The title of the chapter captures the point that they are attempting to make: “Losing where we ought to win.” The family structure is in a state of self-destruction for the majority of America, even in the Christian realm. Instead of putting all of our hope and faith in the political system, we should look at our local communities and the problems that plague it. The message sent out by the Moral Majority is to “reclaim America” or to bring “revival” back to our nation. Yes, these are great goals and admirable, but Dobson and Thomas claim that it begins with the individual hearts of people. There are two things that must be understood. First of all, America has never been a “Christian Nation,” so there is essentially nothing to reclaim. The second is, that the problem of our society is not with the government rather this is just a reflection of the problem. The true harm is in the hearts of people, if the people are reached then the government will be effectively changed. If we put all of our eggs in the basket of politics and place them in the possession of the secular community, which is what the Moral Majority did we are simply asking for trouble. The authors dive into the subject of the family to show its importance for a stable life. They quote Josh McDowell saying that the behaviour between non-Christian and Christian children is becoming increasingly similar as time progresses. This is related directly back to the family. Also, the common factor among the majority of prison inmates is that they come from broken homes. A home not only provides stability in the child’s life, but it also educates them in a way that public or private schools cannot. In fact, the home is now becoming a place where the education and philosophy taught in the public schools could be erased or at least minimized. Sex education is taught so it can be something to be enjoyed for the intrinsic pleasure it provides without the commitment to marriage that should precede it. Thomas and Dobson suggest that parents with children in the public schools should become involved in the school boards and other leadership areas to make a personal difference. However, they do no think that the church as a whole should make a loud public stand against the issues that come up. The final step of actio...