Adam McLane

Church vs. Government

Christians make strange political bedfellows

Have you noticed that a lot of Christians are exhibiting a hatred for our government?

I just don’t get it.

For those who are mad about the latest government program… (yesterday it was social security, today it is health care, tomorrow it will be something else.)

Just some friendly reminders

  • Anger isn’t the answer, it just make you look silly.
  • Agreeing with everything isn’t an option, we live in a pluralistic democratic society.
  • Living in denial of the situation we live in isn’t an option.
  • Pointing back to founding fathers of the nation is silly, they are dead.
  • Separating from society isn’t a biblical option.
  • Moving to Canada isn’t an option, they don’t want you.

What is an option?

  • Changing your attitude.
  • Being a part of the solution.
  • Loving your neighbor.
  • Caring for your neighborhood and proving it with your actions.
  • Being hospitable to people you don’t know.
  • Stop waiting for your church to start a program.
  • Putting the needs of others above the needs of yourself.

If you are Good News to your community you have to live like it.

If you aren’t willing to be Good News to your community, than shut up and let the government do what you aren’t willing to do.

Doing nothing tangible and also complaining about the government doing a bad job at your job… let’s just say that’s not “Good News.”

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5 responses to “Church vs. Government”

  1. Erik Ullestad Avatar
    Erik Ullestad

    It seems that some of the conservative (fundamentalist?) folks have neglected to read Romans 13 or 1 Peter 2:13-14, which exhorts people to submit to civic authorities.

    I’m also compelled that the kind of organization described in Acts 2 looks more like socialism than capitalism.

    Reply
  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    I am reminded of a book I am reading called “Searching for God Knows What” the author made a good point that some Christians like to make their god fit in with their beliefs, almost as if God is created in their image instead of them created in His. Sometimes we forget how great and mighty and powerful our God is, and we use HIm, and His name to help us win an argument. We all need to spend more time in the word and in prayer to understand who our God is. We have to stop bringing Him down to our level, as if He was merely a elevated man.

    Reply
  3. Peter Marin Avatar
    Peter Marin

    How can we live in the tension from which we can constructively create a viable dialogue with those others who seem to live, work, play, and perceive their lives in opposition to the most cherished values, principles and expectations under a constitutional republic? While it might be uncomfortable for some, it seems unproductive to say that their responses are defined as ‘silly’ only then to have you point how their societal well-being is living ‘in denial’ based on those that are dead.

    Your admitting that you ‘just don’t get it’ reflects an enlightened attitude of why can’t we just all become more like you who is better defined within your context of a ‘pluralistic demoncratic society’

    Next I read that you wrote: ‘… shut up and let the govenment do what you aren’t willing to do” as an option for those who feel anger about the political process for challenging the current steps being taken by our leaders. How did that help create a place for reasoned and thoughtful dialogue?

    Perhaps your own anger is based on having observed through your media filters (where you do more than 80% of your work online) a duty or responsilibility used to force others to follow your social agenda. Maybe a ground-swell of cultural objections to your plans are tapping into your belief system. Are real Christian people always willing to help others in need according to your governmentally induced agenda? If others should object and not wanting to do follow such governmental programs, then does such disagreement with your ‘helpful’ agenda thereby automatically make them into a compromised Christian?

    Therefore, how have you been justifying our govenment changes as very much needed in order to step into your perceived ‘helpfulness’ gap? Why have you accused fellow Christians as not loving, not caring or not being hospitable? If discrimination = treatment based on category rather than individual merit, then are you discriminating against those who fail your helpfulness-test of what’s really a Christian who is feeling violated by this agenda?

    Learning to recognize, respect and gracefully honor opposing voices to your own is what’s needed to fill this gap and that isn’t what you’ve done. In fact, it appears as though you have used your blog-rant to expand it so as to wrap the Good News of the Gospel around it. Did that make you feel safer from the anger of those who disagree with you? Why is this happening to you, Adam?

    “A boundary is the simplest, cleanest form of anger that exists.” Please honor and respect my own boundary limits as an American citizen especially as I seek to have a basic connection to important feelings of a safe and healthy Nation. How have you created an explicit discussion of such agenda-plans from the government? How helpful were you when you expressed your rigid resistance against other Christians? I view your blog as a public failure to open up a constructive, meaningful conversation by using guilt, put-down and disrepect.

    Perhaps the anger expressed is a growing feeling of broken boundaries between the many topics you have so glibbly painted as “… yesterday it was social security, today it is health care, tomorrow it will be something else” and a government that appears as though it holds complicit those who question the way in which such changes have been made. I refuse your labels of not loving my neighbor as it generalizes so as to categorize my beliefs and tangible efforts as an ‘US vs. THEM’ confrontation. The very thing you seem to find an obstacle to your agenda.

    Creating safe and healthy boundaries not only apply to bloggers, but cultural groups within our Nation. I read, “Healthy boundaries let you know who you are as an individual and which needs, feelings and thoughts are yours.” When established boundaries and subsequent interactions violate those safety places, then a person might feel an overwhelming sense of unwelcomed anxiety, fear and shifts in one’s well-being. Your adherance to the hierarchial dominance in favor of our current administration provides lots of unwanted boundary violations by forging ahead to accept its many financial unfunded mandates with the overt intent to obligate our generation as well as our children’s.

    I believe you can do better than this.

    Reply
  4. adam mclane Avatar
    adam mclane

    Peter- as always, love your comments. I think you’re interpreting my words as anger. I’m not angry… but I am a bit tired of a lack of discussion from within the Christian community. Most commentary is simply repeating the same thing over and over again. Republicans hate everything Democrats say, and visa versa. (Exhibited again as Republicans are against Obama’s decision to allow drilling… a core thing that McCain/Palin ran on. “Drill baby drill.”) Instead of pointing out anything useful, the losing side just cries. Right now, it’s the Republicans crying. Two years ago it was the Democrats crying. That’s not useful tension or dialogue… its ideologues.

    With the health care debate we saw the same sad story. Angry? No. Tired of the same failing ways? Yep.

    Reply
  5. Peter Marin Avatar
    Peter Marin

    I also am tired of the lack of discussion especially within the Christian community. Granted, my Church experiences in comparison are much more limited than yours. I would go so far as to offer my experiences are probably atypical to whatever degree or level of normal you might wish to define. I admit my heart is a living witness filled with inherent contradictions representing a dynamic struggle between the lower nature (1st Adam) as well as my salvation in the LORD (Last Adam). I respect your creative search for finding common-ground to off-set your hard-fought battles against adult complacency, Christian complaints, and a host of meaningless, repeating political statements coming from both sides of the aisle. Obviously, I missed this as your comments seemed to give an ultimatim against those who disagree with policy practicies. You were not labeling the anger and frustration of Americans who oppose the current administration. Instead, you were focused on the bottleneck of ‘ideologues’ that are a very poor substitute to a healthy exchange in dialogue. I apologize for taking your comments out of context to your intended meaning. Thank you for helping me to better understand and clarify this for me.

    Reply

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