Christianity was born in struggle against the powers of this world, which always have reacted with extreme hostility to the mildest expression of a belief in absolute truth. The very notion of truth shakes the artifice of lies upon which worldly power is built, so much so that a shoeless beggar riding a donkey presented a mortal threat to a vast empire. His struggle set an example for countless others to follow over centuries of persecution, until they ultimately won the heart of the West and built the most prosperous and just civilization the world has ever seen. Government was limited due to a recognition of the absolute truth that humans have inherent, God-given rights that no worldly power may encroach upon, and the mind of man was liberated to work wonders.
The heirs of that civilization have taken its blessings for granted and now seek to root out any expression of the beliefs that fathered it. Lest there be any doubt about this, consider that a Christian family is being persecuted by governmental authorities for exercising the right not to provide labor to others, in this instance baking a cake for a lesbian "wedding." It makes no difference that the customers were deprived of no rights; it makes no difference that the customers went on to find a better deal; it makes no difference that the family harmed their own material interests in passing up the extra business; it makes no difference that the family politely explained their reasons despite having no obligation to do so; and it makes no difference that the forced provision of labor amounts to slavery outlawed by the Thirteenth Amendment. The mere expression of a belief in an absolute truth that requires the family's obedience has provoked the powers of this world to lash out in response. Thoughts and deeds of this sort -- now matter how meek -- cannot be allowed to proliferate because they threaten the modern artifice of totalitarian control over our lives.
But this challenge is a good thing that will force Christians back to their roots. Christians ruled the roost for so long that they forgot what their faith is about. They dressed ostentatiously, attended church, and snoozed through sermons on the belief this would save their souls, yet the early Christians understood that such open and shallow displays of piety accomplish nothing toward salvation. With government at their throats again, they will have to choose whether to obey God or the world, since their civilization now has been lost. Many, probably most, will fail this test and blow away from the wheat like chaff. However, the wheat that remains will be strong, pure, and ready to feed civilization again.
Christianity is about obeying God's authority as taught by Jesus Christ. When the powers of this world declare war on that authority, every true Christian has a duty to stand firm and refuse to cooperate. No matter what the world might do in retaliation, it cannot prevail because a Christian's kingdom is not of this world. For a powerful expression of this sort of belief -- by a man who was Christian in spirit if not in name -- take a look at Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Gandhi:
No comments:
Post a Comment