The Battle is NOT Political

I have been chided recently for bringing “political” issues into a faith-based arena. I have argued that my concerns are philosophical rather than political, although even I see the weakness of that line of reasoning. All political ideas are founded on one philosophy or another, so in reality, politics is a branch of philosophy. Indeed, all human thought and behavior is grounded in some particular way of seeing the world – a world-view – which is what philosophy means in this context.

Because all human activity is based in a philosophy, even our faith-based notions come from a foundation that depends upon philosophical attachment. A world-view, a philosophy that accepts the existence of a divine being will order the universe in accordance with its placement of the divine being. In a biblical world-view, the divine being is revealed as the Supreme Being, so all human activity in thought or deed must be judged by the Supreme, Yahweh God. Christian thinkers during the Enlightenment called theology “the queen of the sciences.” This nicely expresses the necessity that the study of God and the understanding of His ways must reign over all other human activities.

At this moment in history, our culture is being attacked on two fronts: the COVID 19 pandemic and the supposed battle for equal justice represented by groups like Black Lives Matter. (For more on the truth about BLM see "Why I Won't Support Black Lives Matter") On each front, people from both the right and the left (politically) are being accused of “politicizing” the struggle. As I have just demonstrated, everything humans do is based on a philosophical framework, politics no less than anything else. Politicizing an issue is like “making” the Pope Catholic. If by “politicizing” one means bringing the pandemic or the racial struggle into the realm of government, the term may have some meaning. However, the human government’s activities are no less tied to a philosophical base than anything else.

For this reason, a biblical thinker must view the government’s actions through the lens of Scripture, the revelation of God. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 13 that the institution of government is ordained by God. This does not mean that God necessarily approves of any given regime, rather He institutes order to reign in chaos. In the case of the struggle for equal justice (so-called), many of the participants are calling for the removal of government restraint or in essence, anarchy. This is contrary to the principle explained in Romans 13.

 On the other hand, government actions related to the pandemic are thought by some to be an overreach into matters that ought to be private. However, this too comes under the heading of the Romans 13 concept of reigning in chaos as it is within the government’s authority to protect the greater good even if it means restricting the freedom of the individual. Stopping the spread of COVID 19 must be a community effort, and if even a few members of the community ignore protective measures, the whole community may be harmed. I must admit though, forbidding church gathering does seem like a violation of the First Amendment and the idea that government does not have the right to tell us not to do what God commands.

My point here is to apply biblical thinking to these practical matters. This is essential if one is to maintain a biblical world-view. But there is a deeper issue that underlies every situation one may encounter. Paul instructs believers that the battle we face is not ultimately fought in the physical/practical realm. As he put it, “our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” As believers we seek to bring about the prayer Jesus taught us that, “[God’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our enemy will always be attempting to thwart that effort whether it is by physical disease or political disruption. But the battle is not political; it is always spiritual in the final analysis.