What the Christian church can learn from politics

 I am not a person who follows every detail of politics. I don’t always know all the issues or all the players, but I do my best to keep up. I would probably have been quite oblivious if I was not watching and disturbed by the events of the US election and its subsequent ramifications in the past months. Particularly startling was what happened on January 06 in Washington. The unnecessary and evil invasion upon the US capitol, the heart of their government, was ominous. The cause of the violence is even more bothersome. The chilling power of a leader inciting people to choose lethal force and vicious aggression to solve a political dispute over the fairness of an election was so dire, it left many reeling.

In the weeks following, the impeachment of Donald Trump and subsequent trial of his alleged insurrection in the Senate filled our news feeds. Over the weekend, I read President Joe Biden’s reflections on the outcome, and his words struck a chord with me.  “This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. While the vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge is not in dispute.” He praised the courage of those who made efforts to protect the integrity of the US democracy.  “Democracy must always be defended. We must be ever vigilant. Violence and extremism have no place in America. And each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”

Democracy, a system of government meant to protect equality and social values of truth and integrity where power is vested in the people is fragile. It is imperfect. It is fashioned and shaped by those who use it – whether for its intended purpose or the opposite. For democracy to prevail, it must always be defended. Each member has a responsibility to ‘defend the truth and defeat the lies.’ Is there a lesson for the church here? 

The Christian church is a body of people who base their creed and, subsequently, their life and values on the teaching of the Christian Bible.  Though denominations differ in Biblical interpretation and liturgical traditions, what unites us (I hope) is our belief in a Creator God whose nature is love, mercy, and justice for all.  It is the character of God that forms the truth of Christian faith and practice. There is no evil with God. There is no hypocrisy with God. There is no power abuse with God. With God, there is equality and grace for all humankind. The manifestation of this was given in the incarnation of Jesus. His life, teaching, and sacrificial death and resurrection illuminate how we are to live.  In the gospel narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, Jesus instructs and models for us what harmony with our Creator and with each other looks like.

This week, I am reminded that, like democracy, the church is fragile. It is imperfect because it is shaped by all who own it, including those who do not always live out its purest form and intended purpose. The recent posthumous sex scandal of Ravi Zacharius is a grievous example. When this happens, the church is profoundly fractured and flawed. It is acutely disappointing, especially if the substance of the charge is undisputed.  This does not represent God’s nature or intention and we cannot hide such failure.   We must lament and feel genuine remorse for the victims affected.

As we face such shortcomings, individually or corporately, we can however resolve to preserve what the church was meant to be. We can remain unshaken in our faith that God created the church to be an image and demonstration of His love, compassion and goodness. The life and teaching of Jesus is not just a creed for a particular people group to recite or memorize.  When followed, it brings transformation!  Despite our failures, there is countless evidence of this. The church must remain vigilant. As Christians, and especially as leaders, we must never abuse our positions. Our ‘authority’ is given for the good of others.  As members of the church, when our daily choices and influence resemble Christ, we will defend truth and defeat lies. This does not happen automatically. It means we ‘make every effort’ to protect Christian integrity. We own our sacred responsibilities. Remember, we cannot control the actions of others AND we are always accountable for our own.  

In the Bible, our faith and commitment to Christ is described as “a treasure in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4). The treasure is truth. The jar is us.  We are fragile and often marred, but the truth is a pearl, an unsoiled gem of eternal value worth protecting. The way we guard this treasure is to keep returning to its original design.  Jesus told Peter that the way the church would prevail in its truest form, is when it is built on the cornerstone of His life.  Read the Passion Translation of these verses and hear Jesus speaking:  “This truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly,^[i] and the power of death^[j] will not be able to overpower it!” (Matthew 16:18)

I guess political analogies are okay after all. 😊

Joined in hope

As times of uncertainty, disconnection and isolation remain, I find myself clinging to what connects us – HOPE.  Hope has lingered among us for the past 12-14 months like a prize within our reach at the end of a race but we are still running toward the finish line. Hope for an end to this ever-raging pandemic. Hope for a return to being physically closer to family and friends. Hope for a rescued economy. Hope for less death and more healing. Hope for justice – like a broader and more fair distribution of a vaccine.

Daily Morris and I hear from Salvation Army leaders across the Caribbean through a What’s App group.  Covid cases in Antigua are multiplying and Barbados is in national shutdown. French Guiana and Belize face similar dilemmas. In Jamaica, cases spike upward and the country confronts increased violence. We lament the high rate of murders since the beginning of 2021, including the sad manslaughter of five homeless men in Kingston.  On the other side of the island, a 51-year-old woman was shot and killed over a family dispute in the Agape Christian Fellowship church during a worship service.  So tragic.

This morning I sit in quietness as the day dawns. We get a text from the Divisional Commander in Haiti, deeply concerned by the political unrest in that country, pleading for prayer. Government leaders are refusing to abide by a democratic process – the right of humankind to vote for a party of their choice to lead their nation. The situation is complicated, and tensions are high.  Innocent lives adversely affected with an economy already severely compromised as the most impoverished nation in the Western hemisphere.  Now a President refusing to step down is causing more upheaval. Sounds familiar. Haiti now faces a looming crisis that will once again place the poor and most vulnerable at higher risk. Basic human needs not readily accessible for many. While the pandemic seethes on, so does other hardship.

All of this – and more – bring us to our knees and deepens our cry for HOPE.  Globally, we are joined by a longing for a world where things are ‘made right.’  So much is out of our control but we must not give up. We need each other now more than ever. Through love and support and connectivity, we join in each other’s realities. We pray for each other. We encourage one another. We share strategies and we listen deeply. We use technology to stay together.  We look for beauty and wholeness even while we lament over what is sad, ugly or unjust. Hope requires patience – not our best quality in an instantaneous world.  I contend we need it as we keep looking to see the possibilities we long for, and while we wait, let’s be alert to how we can serve others and help ease our neighbour’s misery. 

At a recent virtual meeting with our Territorial Executive (leaders across the Territory), they shared how the Commands remain focused on mission in a chaotic time. One leader told of a new initiative called “The Giggles Café,” a new effort to reach unemployed young women, providing a yearlong life-skills opportunity for females between 14-35. Creativity in mission and being others-focused stirs hope forward!

As we join in longing for better days, let’s pray (and act), holding two hands out to God.  Like a balance scale weighing the good and the grim, the fair and the unfair, the joy and the sorrow, the mourning and the dancing, let’s lean steadily into our common HOPE based on God’s promise to us. “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save us.” (Isaiah 59:1).  God is with us and will help us.  What we have now is not what always will be. So, “as we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25)

Lord, hear our hope.