The open
society is subject to infiltration and manipulation and that's exactly what
happened. As agents of the US Establishment, the Dulles Brothers worked to
overthrow him.
Castro and
Guevara realized that if they were going to hold on to power after ousting
Batista then they would have to forego the open society. It was the only way
they could maintain security.
Likewise
Turkey's Erdogan came to power riding a populist wave. He gave voice to rural
Turkey and the class of fairly conservative (but not Islamist) people moving
from the countryside and village into the cities and not liking the secular
culture they discovered. They wanted to promote traditional values and the
family.
And yet
Erdogan was forced to contend with the Deep State, the forces behind the
scenes, especially in the US-connected military that have worked to shape
Turkey and if necessary topple its government.
And so in
order to maintain power and the vision of the people which he championed he has
been compelled to move toward authoritarian frameworks. Was this the plan all
along? It's hard to say but sometimes I think people come into power and
realize a startling truth that rulers dare not whisper...
Democracy
doesn't work. It's largely a sham.
For years in
the United States people have talked about how democracy demands an educated
voting block or else it won't work. That's very true and yet I don't think
people realize just how true that is. And yet, I still think it's largely a
pipe dream. People are easily manipulated and all too often act and react based
on emotion. To weigh self-interest vs. the needs of society is a complex
ethical tangle that everyone will weigh and consider in a different and
ultimately subjective manners.
Also in
order to avoid the tyranny of the 51% the democracy must be secured by laws and
safeguards, principles which protect the 49%. And yet this doesn't always work
very well either.
For
Christians this is especially problematic because when the Social Contract
declares X or Y as something to be constitutionally secured that we think is
sinful... where does that leave us?
The New
Testament tells us to pay our taxes, and that was written in a context of tax
revenues being utilized to fund war, conquest and paganism. And yet because God
ordains the powers that be and some government, even if bad, is God's means of
restraint and better than no government at all... then we're told to pay them.
The sinful
use is on them. They will answer for it.
Because our
weapons are not carnal I don't believe it's our task to petition, file
lawsuits, promote rebellion or take up arms. We don't advance the Kingdom by
ganging together, getting 'our' people into power and beating down the other
side.
We bear
witness and speak out. Not political speech. We speak prophetically. That will
certainly upset people but we'll have a greater voice if they don't think that
we're speaking in terms of legislating and utilizing the force of government to
implement our ideas through coercive means.
To be honest
at this point given the history of Christianity in the American experience I'm
not sure what can be done. We have to emphasize the delineation between who we
are and the Church at large.
Primarily we
instruct the people in the Church. If we lose the antithesis within the Church
then within a generation or so it will all collapse. The world will enter and
take over. We're already in the late stages of this and we've seen it before.
Look at New England, Holland, South Africa, not to mention Imperial and Weimar
Germany, and that which came after. Sweeping generalizations to be sure, but
you either see it or you don't.
Believers
have to be taught and made to understand that we are exiles and strangers. We
are not Americans. Whether we're American, Chinese, Russian, Italian or Angolan
it doesn't matter. We are Christians living in Babylon. We live in America and
pay our taxes etc... but we're not on board with the American project. We just
want it to work to an extent that we can live our lives, worship and through
the Word of God build the Kingdom. We will be second-class citizens and we will
suffer. That's our calling. We don't want to be beaten and jailed, but we
already know the world will hate us and we will not succeed in their system.
The
world-affirming theology which reigns in the Church is a sure formula for
apostasy. The implications of Christ's words regarding God and mammon have not
been worked out and in fact the prevalent theological systems are unable to
understand his words for in doing so their systems would collapse.
With regard
to homosexual marriage and all the issues which surround it we need to be firm
and resolute in our voice. We need to teach people within the Church that
homosexuality is sinful. The separation of gender from physicality does not
represent a possible reality but is the result of sinful thinking. The core
issues here also touch on a very sensitive subject: the Church's wholesale
embrace of psychology.
We need not
be afraid to speak against homosexuality in public but at this point because of
the context and the damage done by the Christian Right, any time we do so it
will be perceived as political.
Are we
willing to suffer?
I don't
think the Church is. All I hear is talk of lawsuits, legal rollback and a
growing voice of militia-type militancy.
Let's start
with a kind of low-level suffering, social ostracization. Let's start with
being obedient to Christ even if that means a rejection of the system and being
able to flourish within it. Are we willing to be poor in the land of plenty in
order to maintain our integrity and be obedient to our Lord? Remember in this
system being poor is a moral issue. It means there's something wrong with you,
you are 'flawed' or deficient in some way. The idea of integrity having
consequences doesn't really enter mainstream thought. It's pretty foreign to
most people. Typical of the world they call white-black and black-white. I
would argue integrity in this society will in most cases lead to poverty while
they would say integrity almost universally leads to prosperity.
What's the
take of the mainstream Church on this point? That is of course a rhetorical
question.
If we
realize the land of plenty is really a land of theft, pillage and murder then
that ought to shape how we interact with it and whether we even worry about
living up to its standards. It certainly casts the whole question of 'rights'
in a rather absurd light.
How about
Christian photographers and cake makers get out of the wedding business? It
seems like a good time to do so. This is regardless of the fact that the whole
wedding industry is pretty sick and decadent, without Biblical warrant and I
have to say is a rather dubious way to make a living. At least it's not
something I believe can be done with a great deal of integrity and certainly
does nothing to contribute to the world. It largely just feeds the narcissism
and consumerism of our day and when put in a Christian context quickly strays
into extra-scriptural ritual and sacrilegious practice. The modern 'Christian'
take on weddings is still rooted in Catholicism and has little if nothing to do
with Scripture.
Hardly a
popular take or sentiment, it ought to be weighed and considered. I'm not
calling for a legalistic pronouncement on issues like this but I am disturbed
that no one ever stops and questions the premise of the idea. It's simply
socially normative and is thus assumed.
I would like
to see these challenges result in a wholesale awakening, a recasting and
reconsideration of these types of questions. Individuals will have to decide.
It's beyond the ability or authority of the Church to make definitive
proclamations in precise areas that are not clear, but the Church sure isn't
doing anything to challenge people in these areas.
World-affirming
theology insists that we as Christians have to bear witness in every sphere and
capture it. The idea of abandoning segments of society is deemed defeatist and
heretical.
I would
argue that a good portion if not most jobs, occupations and careers are already
closed to Christians. They are either prima facie unethical, or participate in
the vision of the system we oppose, or make demands of us that we (if we're
being faithful) cannot comply with.
To add a
couple more jobs to the list isn't really a big deal nor is it something we
should be surprised by. I'm more surprised at how well the Church just gets
along with the world. That's because for the most part the Western Church is the world.
If
Revelation 13 is applicable to today and I believe it is and can make a case
for it, the implications are interesting to say the least. What does it say
about the Church in the world? I'm not talking about the hyper-literalistic
reading of Dispensationalism with its visions of barcodes and microchips. I'm
speaking of the Mark as the opposite of God's Mark. We are marked as in Ezekiel's
vision or to put it differently we 'mark' his Word on our thoughts and actions,
our heads and hands. The world, the realm under control of Satan bears his mark.
The Mark of the Beast is the symbol of the lost of the world who are devotees
of the world system and its various idolatries. We are surrounded by people
bearing the mark. It's not some superstitious trick that sends us straight to
hell. It is the essence of what it means to be lost. In this world they will
flourish. We will be on the margins, barely surviving and at times all but cast
out of the mainstream. Is this not the case for Christians in the Middle Ages? Of
course I'm not speaking of the Church of Christendom. Like the unfaithful bride
of Revelation 17 she did rather well and by implication would also flourish in
the parallel vision of Revelation 13. The True and Faithful Church is a
rejected and suffering Church.
Should it be
the case today? Think about it.
Democracy is
a flawed and un-Christian system but it's better than some of the alternatives.
It affords the Social Pluralism the Church needs to flourish. The Church has
not taken advantage of this but has instead signed on with the American Babylon
creating an impossible labyrinth of theological concepts, historical
interpretations and ethics that have all but utterly destroyed the Church in
this country.
Unlike David
Barton I trace the American story, it's religious and historical context and
the way its history and society developed and I see it as a place where
Christians could live but I also see it as Satan's Masterpiece.
It's been
showing its true colours for a very long time... for those who have had eyes to
see it.
Perhaps even
the blind are beginning to feel the heat and see it for what it really is.
Devolved
Democracy leads to Authoritarianism. If it's 'secured' by checks and balances
then in time the majority and mainstream will feel the pressure. The majority
must give up some power and influence to compensate for the minority and keep
the system working. If it's unsecured the majority 'mob' will take over,
requiring a strong hand to rule or due to external threats and manipulations a
strong hand will have to rule in order to protect the social vision.
Ultimately it's
a failure as are all man-made systems. Some Christians are realizing this.
Others still insist on weaving together a theological narrative that combines
Christianity and Democracy.
Just look at
the rest of the world and see what happens. Read history. Read Roman history.
That's where we are headed. It will either collapse or more likely transform
into something else. The process might be quite ugly.
The Church
can focus on the political and later military fight. In doing so it ceases to
be the Church and becomes yet another hydra head lifting up its horn, a beast
garnering power.
Or it can
get busy and start trying to build the Church. America thinks of itself as a
Christian nation and yet anyone trying to live and think in Biblical terms will
quickly feel like it almost non-existent. We're surrounded by Churches but how
many even approach the teaching of Scripture or even care?
Some will be
offended at this and posit there are many sound churches in their area. I hope
they're right but instead I am more inclined to think their response indicates they
are part of the problem.
There are
some good churches left. I'm not suggesting the Church has been wiped out, but
even in those good churches there are deep problems and the future doesn't look
good. The seeker-type churches are packed full of people but it's not going to
last. It's a fad that's already reaching its limits.
The positive
that comes with social pressure and breakdown is that the Church will become
more manifest. It just might be a bit smaller than many imagined. The worldly
church, the compromised church will grow more extreme and bring down fire on
itself, not for the gospel but because it tried to take the reins of the
Babylon-beast.
This is the
church we're told repeatedly to come out from and to have nothing to do with
it.
Pray for the
Church and pray for the peace of Babylon. Appreciate democracy but don't buy
into or those who try to Christianize its frameworks.
