" For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:12 KJV
In the final analysis, America (and the rest of the world) consists of two types of people, i.e. regenerate and unregenerate. All other divisions are superficial and but a reflection of the persons membership in the one of the two fundamental classes.As Christians, we have a hard time remembering this. As a result, we too often find ourselves aligning with individuals or groups with which we have no real connection, because they appear to endorse a position with which we are in agreement. We align with "pro-life" groups because they oppose abortion. But our opposition to infanticide is exclusively biblical. Infant killing is wrong only because God commanded us not to murder. All other reasons, the long term effect on the mother's health, etc. can be no part in our opposition.
This goes for all of our advocacy for or against a particular social or political issue, whether marriage equality, immigration, education, health-care, etc. We may oppose government funded/controlled health care because of practical reasons, but if there were no practical problems, we must still oppose it because it, like most government social programs, is based on theft, and theft is forbidden by God and we MUST declare this to be our reason.
While we may seek to influence public policy, our fundamental task is making disciples of all nations. This means we must primarily be engaged in the proclamation of the gospel and subsequent disciplining of believers. This begins with a declaration of God's absolute law and a call for repentance. Primarily, this is the work of the church. This role of the church cannot be fulfilled by a man or political affiliation. Neither Franklin Graham nor the Tea Party will do.
Our participation in public discourse must be biblical. That means that the church must teach its members to think biblicaly in public as well as private issues. Our founders were able to accomplish the great achievement of establishing a constitutional republic because the people had been taught to think "govern-mentally" by the colonial clergy. Until our pulpits are once again occupied by pastors capable of providing such instruction, the church will not have a profound effect on society. As long as the world views the gospel through the prism of the self-centered message delivered by television preachers, they will never look to the church for leadership.
De Tocqueville declared that America is great because America is good. Chesterton declared the America was a Nation with the soul of a church. Whatever success Donald Trump may have in reforming certain policies, America will never be great again until America is good again. Let us pray that is may be so and let us labor to see it so.
