Good Citizens

One of the areas about which there seems to be no absence of discussion in the Christian community at large has to do with how we are to relate to our country. Regarding our civic involvement, we can recognize that Christians should bring our worldview based on Scripture to every area of life. Words from the great preacher Adrian Rogers, who is heard weeknights at 6:30 on Faith Radio, were featured in a recent article on NotTheBee.com, a division of The Babylon Bee, which included these quotes from him:

Patriotism is not bad. When our government is good we praise our government. This scripture says “give honor to whom honor is due…”

Patriotism, love of the fatherland, is not wrong. We are to give honor to whom honor is due.
Next, we are to preach to our country… God’s people dare not be silent. We will be civil. But we won’t be silent… As long as they’re killing babies and practicing infanticide, I will not be silent. As long as we have a government that is trying to normalize sexual perversion, I will not be silent. As long as they’re handing out condoms to high school and junior high school students in so-called God blessed America, I will not be silent. And as long as a free born American is told he cannot pray out loud anywhere, I will not be silent…

We must say to our government, whatever is morally wrong is not politically right!

According to the transcript of the message on “Christian Citizenship” at the website for his ministry, Love Worth Finding, he declared we are to “preach to our country,” reminding the audience:

We will be civil, but we won’t be silent. Nathan warned David. Elijah preached to Ahab. Eleazar warned Jehoshaphat. Daniel preached to Nebuchadnezzar. Moses warned Pharaoh. John the Baptist preached to Herod.

Rogers went on to say:

Our government is, “A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” And I’m telling you, friend, if you do not participate in your government, you have not rendered to your Caesar the things that belong to your Caesar. If, for example, you do not vote, if you do not inform yourself, in my estimation, you have disobeyed the Lord Jesus Christ. It is inconceivable that God would’ve ordained human government and told His people to stay out of it. If that is true, who does that leave to run it?

The NotThe Bee.com article offers perspective on the way we should regard our country and relationship to it, noting: “Christians ought to favor a nation that rules in accordance to God’s law.” It also offers a statement consistent with Scripture: “Punishing good is bad but punishing evil is righteous.”

Mark David Hall, professor at George Fox University, was on The Meeting House recently and discussed a piece he wrote for the Centennial Institute of Colorado Christian University, in which he stated, “…our ultimate allegiance is to the King of Kings, not a particular nation state. There is nothing wrong with loving one’s country, but it should be a properly ordered love that does not result in blind obedience. This proper love of country is best referred to as patriotism…” He also wrote: “We cannot let critics shame us into privatizing our faith and abandoning our responsibility to ‘seek the peace and prosperity of the city’ (Jeremiah 29:7).” The professor offers defense of religious liberty, which is a cornerstone principle of our nation.

We can consider that God is not against us loving our country. Paul at Mars Hill, quoted in Acts 17, pointed out how people have been organized into nations by God’s hand. He also related that, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28, NKJV) So, we are to recognize God first, our allegiance is to Him ultimately; but that does not preclude us from loving the country in which He has placed us.
That is where our citizenship in heaven and our earthly citizenship intersect. We are to work for the benefit of these authoritative units: nation, state, municipality, etc., in order that God might be glorified.

So many of our laws reflect the principles of Scripture and laws for the betterment of a society are encased within the Ten Commandments. I believe we are to function as good citizens, advocating for freedom of religion and taking advantage of that liberty afforded to us so that we might influence good laws, laws that are inspired by godly wisdom and are not hostile toward people of faith.

We can choose and support candidates that best line up with our deeply held Scriptural beliefs. Dr. Rogers reminds us that God didn’t ordain human government and tell Christians to stay out of it.