Monday, October 27, 2008

Comments on Tony Campolo's "craker jack" ideas

"Mixing Christianity and politics is like mixing ice cream and manure--it's not the manure that's gonna get messed up!" - Tony Campolo


"Politics", per se, is simply the general term used by our culture, albeit usually with negative conotations, to describe the entire system whereby our government is "renewed" through the democratic process, having been set in place approximately 230 years ago. I think that Mr. Campolo sets up a false dichotomy by pitting Christianity against "politics". It is as if he is saying that as far as government is concerned, Christians should have a "hands off" approach. If his position is that Christians should not be involved in the governing process of any given people, he is espousing a non-biblical view of the world. Government is necessary because of the presence of evil in this world and exists to restrain evil and promote good. To the extent that any government carries out this mandate it exists as a true and biblical government, regardless of whether or not it is totalitarian, democratic, aristocratic, monarchic, etc. To imply that Christians should not be involved in government is to relegate the promotion of good and restraint of evil to those who have no consistent grounds to do either! Who better to hold the post of "chief governor" or president than a real Christian? If given the opportunity to do good, why would we avoid it? For example, I am a fire fighter. I can promote to Captain and be in "government" over other men, weilding influence/power over them for good and for the restraint of evil, or, if I am unregenerate, the opposite. Would it be correct, or even good, for me to reason thusly: "I am a Christian. Christians should not be involved in government. Therefore, I will not promote to Captain. I will not place myself in a position to exert a positive influence upon others for their good." This logic would be unbiblical and is the logic of countless Christians who have abdicated their role and influence in our country, choosing instead to allow men of evil character to govern our country.
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