Difficult Days Ahead for the Church?

My remarks will be brief, since this is not a political blog, and I am not a political prognosticator. The American people and process have spoken. But a few remarks based on the election results, things I think of as undeniable facts for the Church, though you are free to offer any rebuttals.

1. The strained relationship between the Catholic Church in the Democratic party will continue and the strain will likely grow. The reasons for this are that the Democratic Party is increasingly aligning itself with positions that are in direct conflict with Catholic teaching. More of this in the following points.

2. Largely unrestricted abortion will continue unabated, as will funding for organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the chief provider of abortion in this country. Possible Supreme Court nominations will also feature pro-choice jurists. Likewise many Circuit and other Federal District Court judges will continue to be appointed who favor largely unrestricted abortion.

3. The homosexual agenda will continue to grow and receive increasing legal recognition and protection. This includes not only gay “marriage” but also, other issues in the Gay agenda such as adoption, and the general insistence that the Gay lifestyle be promoted in schools and other public settings. This will require Church opposition and generally embroil us in many public disputes. This may have continued even with a Romney win, but there will be fewer political hurdles for such agendas and the pace will be quicker.

4. The HHS mandate moves forward, untouched. Our religious liberty is in greater jeopardy. We’ll have to meet the administration in court. And while the legal basis for our grievance seems strong, recent experience in the courts has demonstrated that nothing is certain. Civil disobedience may be in our future.

Are you a Christian? Why do you wish evil upon people?

From a Baptist site:

Proverbs 24:17

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth.” This deals with our attitudes toward enemies: we are not to take delight in any evil that befalls any, for it is only the grace of God that prevents it from coming upon us. “Not only are we not to exult in a more severe calamity, but not even in a lighter one of an enemy. The notion is false that the Old Testament does not prescribe love of enemies,” [Faussett]. The Christian is to overcome evil with good, (Rom. 12:18-21). Exulting over the problems of an enemy generally stems from a self-righteous spirit. David set a good example in this when he mourned over Saul’s death, though Saul had often mistreated him, (2 Sam. 1:17ff). By contrast, See Obadiah 12.

Proverbs 24:23

“These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.” Here are more wise maxims, these showing the other side of the matter. “As subjects must do their duty, and be obedient to magistrates, so magistrates must do their duty in administering justice to their subjects. They must always weigh the merits of a cause, and not be swayed by any regard, one way or the other, to the parties concerned,” [M. Henry]. Note carefully the application that is made of having respect of persons: it is not good in matters of judgment, and this is consistently the application that is made in the Bible when God is said to be no respecter of persons. We all have the right, and exercise it, to respect persons in the choice of friends, mates, etc., and God does also. In redemption He always has respect of persons, (Gen. 4:4; Ex. 2:25). Election is the sovereign choice of some persons and the leaving of others in their self-chosen state of sin.

Proverbs 24:29

“Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” This is the golden rule in reverse. It is revenge’s law of malice and hate. Revenge does not belong to us, but to the Lord, (Prov. 20:22; Lev. 19:18; Deut. 32:35; Rom. 12:19). “If there be occasion to bring an action or information against thy neighbor, let it not be from a spirit of revenge. Even a righteous cause becomes unrighteous when it is prosecuted with malice,” [M. Henry]. It is common for men to want “to get even” when someone has done them wrong, or when they believe someone has. But even if there truly has been a wrong done, to get even by doing evil to them would require one’s stepping down to his level. To return good for evil, which God requires, is to keep on a much higher level, and is to be like God.

The rest of the article -- since this site does not need to be excerpted.

5. Extreme debt seems likely to pile up. Well this may not be a specific issue the Catholic Church has spoken to, it remains a fact that we spend money we do not have, and this has moral implications. Little change in a very divided Congress, means there will be likely little progress in arresting a runaway debt. This will become an increasing moral problem that the Church will likely have to address at some level. This too draws us into the morass of debates about spending priorities etc. and may divide us as a Church between fiscal conservatives and those who emphasize the Social Doctrine.

Thus, the next years ahead, will likely draw the Church into increasing conflict with the political scene in general, and the Democratic Party specifically.

And while it is not the instinct to the Church to be drawn into one side of the political debate, moral issues are increasingly demanding from us an unambiguous stance, one which draws us into increasing conflict with the Democratic Party on issues which we consider non-negotiable. At the same time, issues that we may share with the Democratic Party, are less doctrinal or certain for us. We face difficult days ahead, and difficult decisions about strategy and how to engage a party in power that is increasingly at odds with our most central tenants.

The Central question for us is, How will the Church be able to articulate her positions, increasingly at odds with the platform of the Democratic party and be able to resist the (unfair) charge that we are merely the Republican Party at prayer. There are difficult days ahead for the Church.

Let us pray for great courage and prudence.

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