Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church (hand-written by flashlight following Hurricane Sandy. No heat or light in church.)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 4, 2012
My sermon plan was to preach on politics. Fits nicely with the theme of my series on controversial topics since the election is only two days away. I think it is – I’m not sure how we will vote if the power doesn’t come back. Hurricane Sandy has thrown everything in turmoil. Romney and Obama have suspended their campaigning.
Rather than personalities, the storm highlights the real reason we have government. Someone needs to keep order in the gas lines. There is a very thin line between civilization and chaos.
Government affects all of us. Jesus was confronted with the issue. In response, he gave his famous “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s” quote.
Some think Christians should take a firm stand on politics. About a month ago, a few thousand pastors defied the IRS (and jeopardized their tax-exempt status) by endorsing a specific candidate from the pulpit. I am not going to do that.
Personally, I don’t think modern American politics fits neatly into the gospel. Each party makes points that can claim Biblical support - From the Bible you can make a strong case for capitalism and pro-life, which would favor the Republicans. From the same Bible, you can make a strong case for supporting the poor and helping immigrants, which favors the Democrats.
Rather than get partisan I would rather explore some of the issues the Bible says citizens should focus on. Some Christians feel we should ignore government and just focus on evangelism. Others exalt the government and basically want to do its job. I think they are both wrong.
The Bible says God has instituted government – he invented it. Government is not as important as God and cannot replace him. Instead, God has given government some specific tasks to carry out.
What are they?
The New Testament has a consistent response, which is highlighted in 1 Peter 2:14. Government must punish those who do wrong. It should reward those who do right. So the government must use the carrot and stick to enforce a moral code.
What is the code? There are many passages in the Old Testament that apply morality and religion to the government, but you have to be careful there. Israel was a theocracy, like Iran is today. God was in charge of the country. The best equivalent today is that the church is a theocracy, but the American government should not be. Our government does not have to defend god, or evangelize. What moral standard should it endorse, then?
A strong case can be made that our government should enforce God’s natural law. These are the commandments at the end of the Ten Commandments: Don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t lie in court. Things like that. The Old Testament prophets often challenged pagan governments to abide by these moral laws. Daniel and Amos were especially strong in this.
What should a government do besides supporting morality? Security is another obligation of government. Governments should protect their people, from each other and from outside governments. They should especially protect the little guys who can’t protect themselves (widows, orphans and the unborn?) Governments should enforce fairness in business, keeping things honest.
The Bible supports the principles behind capitalism - property is private and the owner has control over it. There is something else it is assumed government will do - demand taxes. Jesus and Paul say we should pay them. They don’t suggest the right level for taxes, though. In the early days of the nation of Israel, there were no taxes, just tithes. But then they demanded a king so they would be like everyone else. Samuel warned them a king would be expensive. He would demand a big chunk of their produce and their sons and daughters. It has been that way ever since.
Government and religion have their own areas of responsibility, according to the Bible, but you cannot separate them totally. In a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Alexandria Pitts, a nineteen-year-old college student, was quoted as saying; “My religion is Christian, but I’m still going to vote for Obama. My politics and religious beliefs are separate.” As a Christian, Alexandria is free to vote for any party. But it is troubling when she says her politics and religious beliefs are separate. Faith can’t be locked in a little box like this. Our faith should always inform our politics. But a lot of people don’t get it.
A few years ago, a friend of Jeff Iorg’s refused to participate in an activity at his workplace. When the friend’s boss asked why, Jeff said it violated his Christian convictions. The boss told him, ”That’s your problem - you are letting your religion affect your life” Duh! Isn’t it supposed to work that way? I hope you take a different view, that you have a good grasp of what you believe and base your decisions, political and personal, on them.
This is very offensive to some Americans. After the vice presidential debate, The New Yorker magazine essayist Adam Gopnik was very alarmed at something Paul Ryan said. Gopnik wrote,
“Paul Ryan did not say, as John Kennedy said before him, that faith was faith, and public service, public service, each to be honored and kept separate from the other. No, he said instead, “I don’t see how a person can separate their public life from their private life or from their faith.” Our faith informs us in everything we do.” That’s a shocking answer.... what those scary Ayatollahs would say.” [#63764]
Essentially, Gopnik is accusing Ryan of behaving like a radical Muslim. But it is hard to imagine that Gopnik would have complained if a similar statement had been made by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., concerning his stand on civil rights.
Some of the most important movements in America have been inspired by religious faith. We cannot dictate what others should believe. We cannot dictate what policies the government will enact. But we can apply our faith to everything in life, including politics. When I go into the voting booth, I vote my values, without apology - You should, too.
Last week I had dinner with three of Josiah’s skateboarding buddies. They initiated it, which makes me feel good. We talked about a lot of things and eventually politics came up. It turns out all three of them supported the other guy. But I also found out none of them intends to vote on Tuesday. So my vote counts for four! I like that.
How much will your vote count?
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Typed on January 31, 2013, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#63764 “Of Babies and Beans? A Frightening Denial of Human Dignity,”
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, http://www.albertmohler.com,
October 17, 2012. Adam Gopnik's quote comes from his article,
“Of Babies and Beans: Paul Ryan on Abortion,” The New Yorker,
October 12, 2012. [Warning: The article includes a vulgarism.]
<http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/10/~
of-babies-and-beans-paul-ryan-on-abortion.html>.
#63746 “Our Political and Religious Beliefs Should Not Be Separate,”
Jeff Iorg, Baptist Press, http://www.baptistpress.org,
October 3, 2012.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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