My Take: The state must remain secular, but open to influence
In his letter to the editor of April 4, Josh Bishop is right to say we want Christ in the public square. If he’s implying that the state should be promoting Christ, he’d be wrong. The state must remain secular, neutral, as far as religion is concerned, but open to influence by a robust Christian presence in the public square. Everybody should know what Christians stand for because their voice is so prominent there.
When the church demands that the state fulfill its proper role of seeing to justice — equal treatment under the law, provision of equal opportunity for success in life — it’s being true to its prophetic calling to speak up publicly in the name of the Lord. A good example of church being faithful is the quiet, non-violent but insistent civil rights movement of the middle of the last century, led by Christian pastors. They believed that the church ought to be, not the master or the servant of the state, but its conscience.
We ought to go further and say that the church ought to also be the conscience of business and every other facet of society. It should be pointing out instances of exploitation and manipulation and urging that steps be taken, privately and publicly, to protect people from injury. Why shouldn’t the church be speaking up about what social media is doing to us? Why shouldn’t it be warning about the dangers of AI, and encouraging regulation to control it? And how can it avoid addressing carbon emissions and the threat of climate change?
As for abortion, church can do better than simply condemning it and demanding it be made illegal. In fact, that’s not helpful at all. It does more harm than good to the cause of Christ, by the rancor it generates. Even as society is made to understand that Christians disapprove of the practice in general, it should also understand it’s not about imposing its religious view on others. Much more in line with compassion, for both female and fetus, is seeking to understand why women have abortions, and the promotion of steps to reduce demand for them. This would also be consistent with Christians’ commitment to preserve both life and liberty.
So it seems we need more of Christ in the public square — but as he is, not how he’s being portrayed by Christian nationalists. The state should be neutral; but the public square should be an arena in which different voices compete for influence and Christians have an advantage because of their goodness. Lacking political power to impose their views on others — and rightly so — all they can do is persuade by letting people see what the apostle Paul wants Christians to clothe themselves with: “compassion, honesty, humility, gentleness, magnanimity” (Colossians 3:12, David Bentley Hart’s literal translation) — what Christ himself was clothed with. If they were united in doing that, I like to think one of the ways God would honor their faithfulness would be by blessing the country with shalom.
Wishful thinking? The church would appeal to many, including some in positions of governmental power, who would try to implement what it was calling for. Thankfully, their efforts would be blessed with some success. But there would also be backlash. The church, and a progressive state that tried to enact the justice church was demanding, would also invite hostility from those in power who benefit from injustice — including, I’m sad to say, elements inside the church. When even church is divided, how can it ever be the force against chaos we want? In any event, the Bible does not offer hope that church will ever prevail in the world. The chaos we deplore is destined to be with us, I’m afraid, until Christ comes again — but side by side with a powerful voice that speaks to love and truth and peace, as well as to forgiveness and grace. It’s not, as Mr. Bishop says, Christ or chaos in the public square, Christ or Satan, but both.
As Mr. Bishop writes, “Our only hope is to return to Jesus Christ in repentance, faith, and obedience. Christ is Lord. All authority in heaven and earth and Ottawa County has been given to him. It’s time we start acting like it.” Amen!
— Leon Schaddelee is a resident of Zeeland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: The state must remain secular, but open to influence
