Michael,

I also came to DC with a goal of political involvement. I left DC feeling God's strong call to the ministry, for reasons similar to what you expressed.

One thing that I do reflect on with the upcoming change in government is the number of people who will be losing jobs, from both parties. We should be in prayer for everyone in DC who will be going through a job transition as a result of the election.

You wonder why more Christians don't act like God is in control. Well, it's because God's timing is not our timing and his ways are not our ways. Yet, we believe they should be. So, we seek to use the force of government to control others. It's certainly more efficient that praying, preaching and waiting, right? Just pass a law and there are no more abortions. Pass a law and drugs and alcohol go away. Right?

Not only did Revelation not fall out of your Bible, but is has another important message. Yes, King Jesus will reign forever. But, there's something else. It will look to us Christians like everything is going to hell until the point when we go to heaven. I hope and pray for many things, such as the salvation of people. But, the Bible tells me that most people aren't going to become Christian. I work toward it, but it doesn't surprise me when people reject God, and I certainly don't take that as a loss for God's greater plan, which cannot be thwarted.

Back in 2004, James Dobson wrote "Eleven Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage." His argument 11 stated that if gay marriage was not stopped, "The culture war will be over, and the world may soon become 'as it was in the days of Noah' (Matthew 24:37)." In a critique of that, I noted his argument sounded awfully close to saying if Christians just work hard enough politically, we can stop Jesus' prophecy from coming true. Now, I hope that's not what he meant. But, that is the de facto hope of many Christians. Revelation is still there, but, if we get enough political control, Revelation will always be a prophecy for a future time, because we prevented it for now.

http://www.brucesabin.com/dobson_is_wrong.html

Michael,
Thanks so much for your post; I believe that is a healthy reminder for all believers, especially those who are Reformed. I attached your post as a link on our church website
www.firstsoutherncottonwood.com
(actually, the church blog). Thanks, again!

Michael,
Well said!
Thank you for a dose of eternal perspective!

In the 1990's I moved to Washington D.C. to embark on a career in the legislative arena. God put it on the heart of the policy director whom I worked for to urge me to consider pastoral ministry instead.

So last year, a team of 20 gathered with me to plant Grace Church of Alexandria, just 15 minutes from Washington D.C. - www.graceofalexandria.org. Your former church, CHBC, was kind enough to grant us free meeting space our first few months.

As you did, I have found in Scripture that God has chosen to display "his manifold wisdom" first and foremost "through the church" (Eph. 3:10). This election season, every time when asked who I was voting for, I delighted in sharing about my confidence in the Lord Christ who is coming to make all things right!

I agree with a lot of this...and yet still, I'm catching a whiff of pietism in the Reformed blogosphere after this election. As a Baptist myself, I can say this is where I think the Reformed Baptists often end up being weaker than the Presbyterians. There's a lot of truth here, and yet are you not pretty close to saying, "The only thing that really matters is spiritual stuff"? That's typical American evangelical pietism, but it's a few steps away from the hearty Reformed view of things.

You say, "For me, that's why I became a pastor (though I am deeply grateful to God for believers who are called to careers in politics)."

I guess my question is: Really? Are you really "deeply grateful" for believers called to politics? And if so, why? Because it's hard to avoid the conclusion that, aside from this sop toward outside callings, the rest of your post is arguing that they're really wasting their time, for the most part. If they were really spiritual and really understood the Bible, they'd go into full-time Christian ministry. That's a message Baptist churches have sent their people for years, but Reformed folks ought to have a bigger view than that.

Yes, the Christian Coalition model gets it all wrong. Of course God's plan does not run first and foremost through the Capitol. But does it run through the Capitol AT ALL, or is God's plan just "spiritual"? I hope we'll be careful in rejecting Dobson-ism that we don't also sweep the William Wilberforces and the Abraham Kuypers and the William Bradfords out with it.

John,

Thanks for your thoughtful reflections.

I'll give you an example. I'm deeply grateful to God for Frank Wolf, a Christian man and my representative in the House. Though most of his policy positions are more conservative than I am, he has been faithful and tireless in opposing abortion and fighting for religious liberties around the world. I pray for him regularly.

I do think, however, that what Rep. Wolf does as a member of his local church is of more eternal importance than any bill he has enacted. So Christians in government (and every other vocation) are first and foremost Christians, ambassadors of King Jesus to the world to which they have been sent.

I don't think saying that the church is more important than the government means that I'm saying that being a pastor is more important than being a politician. Christian politicians are part of the church as well.

Warmly,

Mike

We must remember that it is the church which produces disciples like William Wilberforce, Abraham Kuypers, and Frank Wolf who then have an impact on goverment and the other institutions in our society. That is why Capitol Ministries focuses solely on helping the church evangelize and make disciples in the political arena.

Sometimes we vote people in to bring change because we are to lazy to bring about that change oursleves. On the other hand, the other candidate promised to put America First . . . where as Christ-followers we are instructed to love everyone as brothers. Our Kingdom is a lot bigger than an Empire. Our King is a lot bigger than a politician. Our Message is a lot better than any campaign slogan.

On another note, I loved the book on Personal Evangelism. The read was so timely in my life!

Mike,

I'm asking in all sincereity, how do you mean that what Frank Wolf "does as a member of his local church is of more eternal importance than any bill he has enacted"?

If Rep Wolf is able to influence religious liberties through his political work, how do we compare that value to something else? What are the criteria for such an evaluation?

Tim mentioned William Wilberforce. Would you say Wilberforce's local church work was more eternally influential than his fight to end slavery? I cannot say that, since I know not what he did in his local church. But, I think his political work clearly made an eternal difference for many.

What was more eternally important, Roger Williams's pastoral work or his political work? I am sure his pastoral work was tremendously important, but he has impacted all of our lives through his political work.

I think the key here is for each to do everything to the glory of God. Let the milkmaid milk to the glory of God. Let the politician lead to the glory of God. Let the pastor shepherd to the glory of God. You felt called to ministry, and you should therefore invest yourself in ministry. But only some are called to be pastor-teachers.

Hey Bruce,

I'm not sure what Wilberforce did in his local church either. Maybe he accomplished nothing.

What I mean to say (and may not have said clearly) is this:If freeing the slaves and gaining religious freedoms for persecuted Christians is a 9 out of 10 on the Cosmic Importance Scale, being part of Christ's redeemed people is a 10 out of 10.

Wilberforce was not first and foremost a politician. In terms of his eternal identity, he was a member of the community of the redeemed. Whether or not that actually played out in his personal commitments, I don't know. But if not, it should have.

I don't mean in any way to denigrate the importance of politics. The intention of my post is to elevate our perception of the importance of the church in God's plan.

m

Mike,

DA Carson in his recent book makes some excellent points. There are two extremes - Those Christians who think faithful evangelism and teaching the Bible is the only thing they should be concerned about. Or the other extreme - Christians who are engrossed in ministries of compassion or justice or engrossed in social conservative issue politics (abortion, gay marriage).

We do have good examples of how to hold the two things together. We have good examples of Christians who were instrumental in banning slavery, getting laws to outlaw child labor and reforming prison systems. There have been remarkable Christian men who were first and foremost gospel Christians, deeply involved in their local churches and disciplined in their own Bible reading and evangelism.

But these men also understood the value of wielding godly influence in the culture at large. It's not as simplistic, Mike, in putting something on 1 to 10 scale.

I hope you come to understand that some day and I hope more Christians come to understand that or we will become just good docetic Christians.