our citizenship

I voted today. Upon returning from the polling place I was greeted by the latest issue of Newsweek that only served to further intensify the questions over which I struggle each and every election cycle--how do I work out my heavenly citizenship within the context of 21st century American politics?

As I said in my sermon on Sunday on Philippians 2:12-18, I believe we are called to live lives of morality and responsible citizenship to our respective governments as Christians. I read in Romans 13:1-7 that God Himself has instituted societal government as a part of His common grace in the restraining of evil on the earth. This means participation in our societies--voting, paying taxes (mentioned by Paul), praying for our leaders, etc. Yet, this issue of Newsweek embodies another principle I see in Philippians 2. Our lives need to stand out in ways that go beyond morality and social structures, which our unbelieving society understands within its own framework.

Let me give an example of what I mean. I think all of us in the Evangelical world have been embarrassed and grieved by the recent news of Ted Haggard's involvement with Mike Jones. It's bad enough that the significant moral failure of a giga-church pastor and resident of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) serves to promote a negative image of the Church once again. But I don't think Haggard's moral situation is what's most embarrassing in this week's Newsweek. I was most embarrassed to read the image of the Gospel we have portrayed to our culture long before the Haggard affair. Newsweek describes the NAE as "a powerful lobbying group that represents some 30 million Christians." (p. 33, "Newsweek," Nov. 13, 2006). The articles further characterize evangelicals as having a reputation for being harsh, intolerant, going too far, and a collection of hard shells and hypocrites. To be fair to Newsweek, the article's representation of American evangelicalism is that of a movement at a crossroad's regarding its future. Though I'm not sure this actually paints a more winsome portrait. I don't see a societal reputation that can be identified with Paul's desire for us in Phil 2:15-16 that we be "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Is there any way to harmonize our current reputation with Paul's admonition to shine as lights in the world? We may be quick to point fingers at the Haggards in our midst, but my point is much larger than that.

My concern, as I struggled over which candidates and propositions (and especially!) judges to vote for and against, is that we put too much hope as Christians in the electoral process. We are citizens of a third race neither Jew nor gentile (which category would you place "American" in?) that is the People of God. No political party, no democratic process, no educational initiative, no politician is going to bring about the Kingdom of God. The apostle Paul warns us "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12) Even our political processes in America are under the influence of these powers. How else do you explain that the party who opposes abortion promotes policies that oppress the poor? Why is it that the party that promotes social justice campaigns against criminal justice and the lives of the unborn?

In our efforts to live lives that display the justice of the Kingdom of God we must remember that our true hope is that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated in the coming of Messiah Jesus when he died on the cross and was raised again in victory over the powers. Our hope is in His return when justice will be done and as one NT scholar puts it, "the world will be put to rights." Until that time let us strive to work out the implications of the Gospel in our lives. May we engage, may we do our part, respect the government God has placed over us, vote, pay our taxes and so on. At the same time, may we place our hope in Jesus, His cosmic plan of redemption and pray "Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven."