"It's telling that the United States Declaration of Independence tells us we have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Scripture promises death to self, slavery to Christ, and pursuit of God's glory."

A former student of mine e-mailed me fairly recently and asked an insightful question about the relationship of world powers and the Kingdom of God. What follows is my basic reply:

First, one can't have a "this is that" mentality when considering the Old Testament theocracy and how the people of God are to define their political identity and influence in secular government like in the US.  Our situation should be closer in comparing the Church in the 1st century and its place within the Roman Empire, not in comparing the USA to Israel or seeing the USA as “God’s people”.  Although the Empire was not democratic, the Church (in a myriad of congregations) did function under Roman law as well as under despotic rulers.  The political stance of the NT church has been summarized by N. T. Wright, Ben Witherington and many other good scholars as faithfulness to a central conviction: JESUS is Lord and Caesar is NOT.  This is a clear designation and a foundational basic, a “rule of thumb” for Kingdom citizen residing in the world as "resident aliens" as Peter says in his first epistle.  The distinction between Kingdom and Country must be well identified and robustly kept, each in his place. This is exactly what Barth writes for the Confessing Church within Germany in the 1934 Declaration of Barmen.  Recently, some evangelicals in the USA have expressed in a variety of ways that our country “is like” the Israel of the Old Testament, “God’s country”, or the nation as the citadel of hope or light for the rest of the world.  I just read an editorial last week and the national columnist referred to Donald Trump as the “savior” of our nation.  This expression is not the first to be used for a national “hero”—this was a very prominent adulation regarding Adolf Hitler as he accrued power step by step in 1930’s Germany.  Kingdom citizens must be persistent witnesses in our country to our only King and speak up (and engage in acts of civil resistance) every time anyone is a pretender to a throne or a title that is God's alone.
            

Assuredly, Christians can in a variety of ways have a voice within the culture. But, unlike Luther in his "Two Kingdoms" doctrine, Christians cannot equally serve both.  Jesus makes it clear that one cannot have "two masters". And, unlike the early Anabaptists Christians should not to withdraw from the culture and fail in our witness to be "salt and light", to be IN, but not OF this world. God’s truth and God's grace are delineated in God's word and Scripture alone frames (defines and limits) our witness.  One concern today is that several prominent and popular TV evangelicals and lesser known folks in right-wing pulpits, are functioning more like the medieval Roman Catholic hierarchy who wanted no real distinction between the medieval church and the Empire. Today, there are a lot of “tea drinkers” and the like embracing this as ideal who would be horrified by the comparison.  Historically, the Reformed faith (and to some extent the mature Calvin) did work to "keep the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world distinct with the "capital K" in its role of supremacy. Christians can, without uncompromising the Gospel's implications in for the Church, work for the good of the nation within this framework, but we should do so without expectations of personal or political empowerment. It is this latter emphasis which gets tricky in a democracy in which the "majority rules".

         

 What I think this means for Kingdom citizens, is that in the USA we can support equal rights for all sinners (Christian and non-Christian, those obedient or disobedient to God's word, etc.) in issues like that of equal housing, equal employment pay, equal opportunity for education, work, corrective punishment and health care.  However this support of secular "rights" does not dictate to the Church  who can lead, serve, or commune, etc. as members of the Body of Christ in communities defined by the word of God.  The Church is not the culture. The Kingdom of God does have its expectations made very clear in Scripture.  The lost son had to leave the pigsty even though the Father ran to meet him, greet him and welcome him home.  This we can and should do. But, when the Church wants to say, "Well, the pigsty really isn't too bad, let's accommodate...", we have left any home to which we can welcome anyone.  Jesus didn't chase the rich young rule down and make him an easier offer. A good student of mine summarized this nicely:  It's telling that the Declaration of Independence tells us we have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Scripture promises death to self, slavery to Christ, and pursuit of God's glory."

            

When the followers of Jesus vote as citizens of the USA, it is capital "K" Kingdom values, not political ideology that must guide our vote.  Congregations and denominations needs to insist that they will not pay for abortion insurance for employees of our institutions, will require leaders who acknowledge in both belief and behavior biblical ethics and the like.  And, of course, Christians have to be willing to pay the price for any counter-cultural stance that is taken. It may cost Christian universities and colleges millions in federal loans if the government gains the right to dictate who we can hire or refuse to hire based on Christian ethics and Scripture's authority.  Are we willing to die (literally) to be faithful?  I would hope so! Remember, the cost of discipleship has always been steep. Jesus outlined and underscored this cost very clearly at Caesarea Philippi.  Nothing has changed about what it means. When denominations or congregations, pastors or laity have been unfaithful to God's word due to some quest for cultural empowerment,  it is the Gospel that is compromised, and its witness is either lost or so corrupted it sounds and looks just like the world.  It makes no difference if all of this is couched in noble motives and religious language.

            

The Kingdom of Jesus is a treasure hidden in a field...yeast in a loaf...the few in the narrow way according to the New Testament.  We should vote as Kingdom believers, and at the same time put NO HOPE in the outcome of the election, win or lose. Jeremiah admonishes God's people to be good citizens of whatever country in which we find ourselves.  The prophet encouraged those faithful to YHWH, to pray for the welfare of the place in which we find ourselves. At the same time realize we must recognize clearly that this world is not our home. Jesus emphasized this homelessness in his teaching, especially when his disciples inquired about earthy position and power.  The body of Christ must wait faithfully for the one place where "righteousness is at home", for the new heaven and the new earth (2 Peter 3).  This promise of eschatological glory encourages disciples of the crucified, risen and ascended Savior to watch and wait and to place our only hope in the King of all kings. It is Jesus alone who bears the Name above all names. We bend the knee ONLY to the One before whom all knees will bend in that day of days. And no matter the cost, we confess in this world and the next that Jesus is Lord yesterday, today and forever.