SQUARE NONE: Pious Public Silence Is Dereliction of Duty (Unless You're Amish)

The nature of modern democracy is such that everyone who has an idea of the good society is expected (indeed, required) to enter the political arena to fight for it. The secularist attempt to exclude religion from this arena is an outrageous violation of the very nature of the democracy that secularists claim to cherish. Christians active in the public square have learned never to lose sight of the truth of the gospel even as they must present that truth in ways that are accessible even to unbelievers.

Those Christians who, for whatever reason, choose to remain aloof from these struggles surrender their rights (indeed, their obligations) as citizens, a renunciation that can be defended only on radical theological grounds that few of the renouncers seem to understand, something like the classical Anabaptist position that the world is irredeemably evil and so the godly must simply withdraw. It is a theology that has its place in Christian history but that very few Christians have in fact ever embraced.

Those who today remain aloof from the public square are not likely to adopt the way of life of the Amish. More commonly, they have simply found a way of fitting into society more comfortably, of minimizing the tension between themselves and an often hostile world.

But those who seek such purity often do not seem to understand the logic of their position, or how radical it is—the action of "dropping out," the claim that being a citizen is incompatible with being a Christian.

Hmm. Tell that to Noah. Or Lot. Or Daniel. Or John the Baptist. Or Paul. Etc.

There are times when God's followers can participate in civil society, politics, and government. And there are times to leave and not look back on the destruction one's neighbors and fellow citizens bring on themselves.

Gone are the days when preachers(!) were welcomed as members of Congress, and political speeches and documents were strewn with appeals to God's guidance and blessings.

When Christians are shouted down - even on forums such as FreeRepublic with the oft-repeated "Beliefs belong in church!" silliness - for bringing the wisdom of God to political discussions, they begin to realize the state of their society. Their withdrawal - whether deliberate or unconscious - and the loss of their wisdom, prudence, and love is part of God's punishment.

(Re-read Abraham's prayer to God regarding His intent to destroy Sodom.)

Lear, I don’t think yer authorized to turn the govt over to the lefties. We will not stand down.

Not even in hardcore left Connecticut.

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