"Why Government Can't Save You: An Alternative to Political Activism" by John MacArthur

ISBN #0-8499-5555-6

I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago and it gave me much to think about. I highly recommend it to everyone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, but especially to those who have immersed themselves in political activism.

The main objective of the book is to confront the Believer with what Scripture says about the things that should take up most of our time. Along with this is a call to a zealousness for Christ rather than a zeal for causes. MacArthur says: "...well-meaning Christians have founded a number of evangelical activist organizations and put millions of dollars into them in an ill-conceived effort to counteract the secular undermining of American culture. They have used these groups...to lobby hard for a "Christian" political viewpoint and fight against the prevailing anti-Christian culture. Sadly, those believers have often displayed mean-spirited attitudes and utilized the same kinds of worldly tactics as their unbelieving opponents. The problem with this overall approach should be obvious-believers become antagonistic toward the very lost people God has called them to love and reach with the gospel." [emphasis mine]

I have personally observed what MacArthur describes. At my place of employment there was a controversy over some material and what made me the saddest was to see the manner in which those of the faith represented themselves. Things were said and done that led my non believing co-workers to ask me why Christians would behave in such a manner. I defended what I thought was worthy of defending and apologized for my fellow Believers where I felt it was appropriate to do so. And do you know what? At no time did my c0-workers have any doubt as to how I felt about the material in question. Sharing my faith did not require me to become political any more than it require me to compromise on my standards.

Anyhow, MacArthur does well in pointing out that Jesus and the early church lived in a time when the government was a tyrannical oppresive form...yet nowhere did Jesus or the early church fathers call for a revolution against such a government...on the contrary, they called upon Christians to submit to the authorities! To obey the laws of the land. Now then, before someone gets too upset...do we not have a right to protest or tell our government how we feel about its policies? Of course! That is not the issue here...the issue is HOW we do so. Do we do it while submitting to their authority in respect? Let me close with an example that I've been giving much thought to.

Everyone in the Treasure Valley well remembers the controversy over the removal of the Ten
Commandments monument in Boise i'm sure. There were protests and there were people who locked arms to attempt to prevent the removal of the monument by the authorities. Think about this...was it necessary to break the law in order to communicate to the authorities how we felt about this? Imagine how greater the impact would have been on our community if those worthy Believers had instead gone on their knees to the side of the monument and bowed in audible prayer...prayed for the salvation of the people in authority, prayed for those who had demanded the removal of the monument, prayed for the blessings of God upon the city, prayed for a civic change of heart, and prayed God to forgive all those involved...all the while also asking blessings upon the workers who were removing the monument. What kind of positive impact do you think this would have made? What would the world have seen? Christians obeying the governing authorities while at the same time protesting their policies! And you know what? God did not suffer a setback with the removal of the monument. God's game plan did not suffer! So let us stop pretending that He needs our help and go about the task of witnessing to our friends and family, our co-workers and neighbors...doing the work that He has called us to do. Because THAT is what will change our society in the end!

Amen?

Oh yeah...read the book! :)