by Frank York
Some Christians see the decay of the world as predestined and inevitable, so they withdraw from society. Such a retreat, however, only contributes to the growth of evil.
In 1963, Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society, wrote an insightful booklet called The Neutralizers. In it, he described religious viewpoints that keep individuals from becoming involved in political or social action.
In his section on "Religious Neutralism," Welch noted that two ideas within religious circles were neutralizing Christians and keeping them from getting involved in political and cultural battles. The first of these was that prayer alone would be protection enough from seemingly omnipresent evil. The second of these was the belief that our culture, society, and indeed, everything in this world will continue to get worse and worse until Jesus Christ appears at the Second Coming to rapture Christians into heaven, making it foolish to waste time fighting against what has been predestined by God.
In accepting these ideas as true, many Christians think that they should not be involved in political or cultural battles against such evils as abortion, homosexuality, divorce, drug abuse, and racism. They believe their only purpose for living is to evangelize the lost, not to impact their culture in any way.
One particular stream of thought that has helped neutralize many Christians is the belief that we are living in the "End Times." This view promotes the idea that Jesus Christ is going to return to earth within our generation. He will "rapture" the church into heaven, complete His plan for the Jewish people, and then set up His thousand year reign on the earth.
In many religious circles, this End Times scenario teaches Christians that all they should do is preach the Gospel and avoid any entanglements with the world. This means they should not involve themselves in political or social action. Not only should they refrain from impacting their culture, they should rejoice as they see the world facing wars, earthquakes, and social decay. These are signs of Christ’s imminent return.
In Matthew 24, Jesus describes the signs to look for at the end of the age when He will return in glory. These signs include wars, famine, earthquakes, and death. Yet He also cautions his listeners against trying to predict the day or the hour of His return. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
This caution, however, did not stop Christians from the first century onward from trying to figure out when He would return. By the sixth century, Pope Gregory was certain the end was near: "Of all the signs described by our Lord as presaging the end of the world, some we see already accomplished.... For we now see that nation rises against nation and that they press and weigh upon the land in our own times as never before in the annals of the past."
Such theorizing became more frequent toward the end of the first millennium. Adso of Montier-en-Der wrote in 950 about the imminent return of Christ. Further, Halley’s Comet in AD 989 and a super nova in 1006 were seen as signs of Christ’s Second Coming. In more recent times, Christians have suspected that Napoleon, King George, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein were the Anti-Christ. These examples should be a reminder to us of what Jesus told us: We cannot know the day or the hour of His return.
" Anderson notes that God created civil government (Romans 13:1-7) and gave it three primary functions: to wield the "sword of justice (to punish criminals), the sword of order (to thwart rebellion) and the sword of war (to defend the state)." God has also given Christians responsibilities. They are to render service and obedience to the government (Matthew 22:21), but are not expected to give blind allegiance to an ungodly government. Christians are also called to be "salt and light" in the world (Matt. 5:13-16). And that means being involved in the world around them.
"Government is a legitimate sphere of Christian service, and so we should not look to government only when our rights are being abused. We are to be concerned with social justice and should see governmental action as a legitimate instrument to achieve just ends," concludes Anderson.
Dr. Richard Land, head of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, observes that Christians are citizens of two kingdoms: the spiritual and the earthly. They have responsibilities to both kingdoms.
Writing in "Citizen Christians: Their Rights & Responsibilities," Land says the Bible commands us to be good citizens as "salt and light" in the world. The "Baptist Faith and Message" statement of faith observes that "every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society." It also says Christians "should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth and brotherly love."
Charles Colson, one of today’s most influential Christians, agrees that people of faith must not withdraw from the battlefields of the culture war. In his new book How Now Shall We Live? Colson argues that Christians have a responsibility to share Christ with their neighbors, but also have a responsibility to bring God’s rule and righteousness into every area of life.
Christians, says Colson, have both a cultural and evangelistic mandate. "The church’s singular failure in recent decades," says Colson "has been the failure to see Christianity as a life system, or worldview, that governs every area of existence. This failure to view Christianity as a total worldview has crippled the church’s impact on the culture." What is our task? "As agents of God’s common grace, we are called to help sustain and renew his creation, to uphold the created institutions of family and society, to pursue science and scholarship, to create works of art and beauty; and to heal and help those suffering from the results of the Fall," says Colson.
As Colson observes, we are either advancing the rule of Satan on earth or establishing the reign of God. "In every action we take, we are doing one of two things: we are either helping to create a hell on earth or helping to bring down a foretaste of heaven." The question each Christian should ask himself, then, is this: Are you helping to advance the kingdom of God on earth by fighting evil until the Lord returns or are you helping advance the kingdom of Satan by your inaction?
After reading these words, we have a decision to make. Will we be the first to take the stand, or do we let Satan rule over us? It is now or never, because each day the enemy grows stronger. If we step to the front in the name of God, I feel that he will guide us in taking back his Churches, our Government, and return morality to our Countries.
