Most churches loath getting involved in politics – and not only because it jeopardizes their tax-exempt status. They understandably prefer to focus their efforts on matters of the soul rather than of the body. Consequently, according to Arizona Christian University, only about half of all Christians vote. But what about when government malfeasance begins to hinder our service to God? Are we still serving God if we remain politically disengaged then?
Our Lord demands more than our worship. He has directed us to serve as his servants on earth. His first order to Adam and Eve was to “be fruitful and multiply.” That command is known as the “Creation Mandate.”
To succeed at our mandate, requires us to prosper. Starving in the darkness does little to facilitate being fruitful and multiplying. Hence, the traditional Jewish prayers for longevity and prosperity.
Our founding fathers understood that to serve the soul, one must also maintain the body. They accordingly designed the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever known. Our government is a constitutional republic, created consistent with God’s commandments to honor the Almighty, the family, and the individual. Its ability to deliver sustenance is unparalleled in human history.
But now our engine of prosperity is faltering under the weight of debt, moral relativism, corruption, and false idols. The government that was intended to make us successful at our Creation Mandate, is instead
- Spending us into destitution,
- Asserting that faith has no place in governance,
- Insisting that morality is something defined by men,
- Designating observant Christians, “domestic threats,”
- Prohibiting religious gathering, because of a virus,
- Disrupting family cohesion with sexual grooming and welfare,
- Paying for the termination of the unborn, and calling it “healthcare,” and
- Discouraging childbearing, for “climate justice.”
And it’s all being done in our names.
Predictably, as hope, faith, and prosperity have waned, so has our birthrate. The population of most countries with a Judeo/Christian heritage is now in decline. In the United States, our birthrate is under 1.6 babies per woman – well below what is considered sustainable. We are failing at our mandate to “be fruitful and multiply.”
As servants of the Lord, do we have a duty to reverse the trend, or have we been excused from the Creation Mandate and cleared for civilizational suicide?
I don’t believe God has changed his mind about how he wants us to spend our time on Earth. I believe he wishes us to achieve our mandate, because he has gifted us the tools to do so. We just need to choose to use rather than waste them.
Working as instruments of God, our founders codified our Father’s gifts (i.e. tools) in the Constitution that we need to remain fruitful:
- Freedom of religion to maintain focus on our duty to serve God.
- Freedom of assembly, so that we may gain strength as a community.
- Freedom of speech, so that we may debate the issues.
- Freedom from unlawful search and seizure, so that we may nourish our children.
- A right to vote, so that we may collectively make decisions.
- The power to alter the Constitution (Article V, especially the second clause), for when our other gifts are insufficient.
How will God judge us, if we fail to use all means at our disposal to serve Him? His Son answered that question for us.
Jesus told his disciples the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). A master preparing for a long absence from his estate entrusted his servants with talents (pieces of gold) to manage. Upon his return, two of his servants had used their talents to profit. The master gave them great praise for being fruitful.
But the third servant had buried his talent to protect it. Failing to be productive with his talent earned him scorn from the master who said, “You wicked and slothful servant!” The master took his talent from him, and gave it to the servant who had earned the most. Jesus concluded the parable with a promise and a warning:
For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If we pray for the prosperity necessary for our mandate, but fail to debate, vote, or engage in the political process to achieve it, aren’t we just burying our talents?
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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