July 6
Luke
20:25
On
July 6th, 1776, a Philadelphia newspaper published the first copy of
the Declaration of Independence for the public.
Since the Revolutionary War had been going on for over a year the
Declaration might have seemed anti-climactic to some. Still, most probably realized it was the
boldest step yet for the rebels to take.
Until that point, colonists could have argued they were just fighting to
have the same rights as British citizens back home. After July 4th, that argument
might seem a little suspect.
In any
case, I want to take a little time this morning to discuss some aspects of
citizenship we as Christians need to think about. That’s appropriate since no matter how much
we might look forward to our heavenly home, right now this is home. The full meaning of Jesus’ directive to “Give
to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” has been debated for
centuries. Good Christians differ on
what it means. Yet, at the very least,
Jesus is saying that his followers must occasionally think about what it means
to be citizens. And because the
character of nations vary, we have to think about what it means to be a citizen
at a particular time and in a particular place.
Before
I move on, let me clarify something. I’m
aware that not everyone listening to me or reading this sermon on my blog is an
American citizen. But that doesn’t mean
what I am about to say has no relevance to you.
You see, Baptists have always wrestled with the question of how to live
as citizens—no matter what land they call home.
With
that in mind, let me offer an observation I think applies to our role as
citizens regardless of what passport we may carry. I think it’s important to remember that any
attempt to wed the church and state is going to turn out badly. Again and again, history has shown such
marriages to be disasters. Both the
state and the church suffer.
In
modern England, many people have no faith in the government and because the
church was so long tied to the government, they have no respect for the church
either. In the so-called Western world,
the United States has the most religiously active population; a far larger
percentage of Americans are in church on any given Sunday morning than in any
nation in Europe. Yet, all of those
European nations have had or still have a state church. The US has never had a state church.
The
questions I am asking this morning—though put in “American” terms—are intended
to get us to thinking about being Christian citizens. So, if you will, try to imagine yourself back
in 1776, on July 6th.
1.
On July 6th, 1776, did the signers of the Declaration realize
they were opening the door for one of the greatest changes in modern church
history?
Anyone
over the age of twenty, who has been raised in the American school system,
probably has heard that the pilgrims came here for religious freedom. That’s very true. The pilgrims came to New England to so they
could have freedom to worship as their consciences dictated. The older textbooks sometimes contained
copies of paintings depicting the pilgrims, dressed in their severe finery,
walking to church, the men armed to protect them from the “savages.” They were exercising their religious freedom,
modeling “the city on the hill.” Of course, it’s also true they had no intention
of extending that same freedom to others.
In
1651, Baptist minister Obadiah Holmes was publically whipped in Boston for his
beliefs. To all intents and purposes,
Congregationalism was the “state religion” of Massachusetts. Baptists represented an upstart group not
quite fifty years old.
Following,
the Revolution and the adoption of the Constitution, with its First Amendment
guarantee of religious freedom, the playing field was level for the first time
in history.
The
writers of the Declaration may not have seen that far into the future but this
new way of doing church would change so much.
Churches couldn’t depend on the state to roust people out of bed and
into church on Sunday mornings. Baptists
and Methodists were a minority in July 1776; they would become the largest of
the Protestant groups in America.
Individuals
who were spiritually hungry were not forced to go to churches that did not
satisfy their hunger. They could seek
out churches that touched their hearts.
Because
America had no House of Lords where bishops or other church leaders sat to
shape government policy, churches had to depend on other ways to make an
impact. In particular, they depended
upon moral persuasion and prayer.
On
Friday we watched a broadcast of the Capital Fourth. It’s a tradition for the orchestra to play Tchaikovsky’s
1812 Overture. It thought it was interesting that a Russian
piece was regularly used to celebrate the US Independence Day. But it was the choir’s singing that made me
do some research to find out more.
As you
know, the Overture was written to
remember the Russian victory over Napoleon’s forces. Here’s the background. In June 1812, the French invaded and began
marching toward Moscow. Napoleon’s
better-equipped army far outnumbered the Russian forces. The czar and the Orthodox patriarch appealed
to the Russian people to pray. And they
did. In what seemed a miracle, the
Russian winter stopped the French just outside Moscow. Unable to stand the bitter winter, Napoleon
was forced to retreat. The Russians pursued and routed his army.
Anyway,
as the choir sang, I wondered what they were singing. The choir’s words represent the prayers of
the Russian people. Here’s one
translation of the words:
Mighty Lord, preserve us from jeopardy.
Take Thee now our faith and loud crying in penitence.
Grant victory o'er our treacherous and cruel enemies
And to
our land bring peace.
At the
time, many Russians believe the victory was the result of God’s intervention.
In the
America’s early days, Christians believed prayer could change things. Prayer did.
2.
On July 6th, 1776, did the signers of the Declaration
envision a time when Americans would fail to cherish the opportunities we have
to participate in our nation’s life?
As far
as I can recall, my parents were lifelong Democrats. They took this position because they had
lived through the Great Depression and felt they owed a debt to Franklin
Roosevelt. (Yes, I know historians and
economists debate the value of the New Deal but that’s for historians and
economists to debate.) My point is, my
parents were lifelong Democrats. Yet, I
can remember them voting in only one election.
In 1952, they voted for Dwight Eisenhower. Yes, I know he was a Republican but, like
many at the time, they believed Stevenson was “too smart” to be President.
My
parents never voted because they ultimately believed “all politicians were
dishonest.” At the time, a lot of people
held that cynical view. Then, in the
1980s, Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy mounted a campaign to get
conservative Christians back to the polls, implicitly promising America could
be “a Christian nation” again.[1] I don’t think that’s happened. As a consequence, some Christians have
decided to stay away from the polls again.
That’s
a mistake. Let me make something
clear: the widely held notion that the
number of Americans voting is decreasing seems to be something of a myth. The percentage has remained between 65 and
70% for several years. That still means
nearly a third of eligible voters don’t vote but that’s not as bad as it might
be. But if Christians bow out, they will
be giving up any voice in making a difference.
Some
nations, like Australia, make voting mandatory.
You may be fined if you don’t vote.
I hope
we never make voting mandatory. Too many
Americans would enter the booth and blindly pull levers just out of spite. Maybe there are some things we can do to
encourage greater voting turn out—beyond having more appealing candidates, I
mean. Longer voting hours, more
effective absentee voting are just some examples. If these efforts are administered in a fair,
bi-partisan way, I don’t see any problem.
I’m still not convinced people should be able to vote online but maybe
that’s because I can’t always put an appointment on my i-Phone calendar
successfully.
I
would hope that every American, especially Christians, would see the amazing
privilege they have in participating in the life of their nation.
Paul
never had an opportunity to vote but I’m pretty sure he would have, even if he
had to vote absentee while he was on those mission trips.
Voting
is a gift which many Christians around the world can only dream about. When Christians neglect their privilege and
responsibility to vote, they are showing contempt for that gift.
3. On July
6th, 1776, did the signers of the Declaration imagine a time when
civility would be forgotten in political debate?
The
truth is, of course, it was forgotten pretty quickly. Editorials described Lincoln as a bumpkin and
editorial cartoons often portrayed him as an ape. In fact, the anti-Jefferson propaganda was so
effective that when he was elected president, many residents of New England hid
their Bibles because they feared he would order them confiscated.
We
need to give careful consideration to how we respond to situations that
challenge our Christian world-view.
American
Christians who want to make an impact on their culture can’t forget the call to
be civil to those who may disagree with us on crucial issues like abortion. How we speak our opposition can determine how
well we are influence our opponents.
We
very much need to keep in mind that Christians may disagree on political issues
without being disagreeable.
I
believe some political issues are so closely linked to the clear moral mandates
found in the Bible that Christians ought to be united in taking the side which
supports the biblical principle. At the
same time, there are issues on which Christians may disagree without compromising
their commitment to the Bible. For
example, Christians might easily disagree about how best solution to the
problem of immigration.
When
Christians discuss their disagreements they must avoid taking positions which
suggest they have abandoned their commitment to Christ.
4. On July
6th, 1776, did the signers of the Declaration imagine a time when
the churches would allow faith in political power to replace faith in the
gospel?
The
extent to which the founders believed in the positive influence of the
Christian messag—though they were by no means evangelicals—is seen in several
ways. The land on which our church is
built was once part of a land grant. This
grant, given in 1796, gave a large portion of what is now central Ohio to
veterans of the Revolution and to the Moravian Brethren to help them in
their efforts in “propagating the Gospel to the heathen.” Thomas
Jefferson, again no evangelical, favored the efforts to bring Christianity to
the Cherokee because he believed it would benefit them and lead to more
harmonious relations with their neighbors.
In
recent years, some church leaders—who are evangelicals—have so focused on the
need for Christians to acquire political power that they seem to have forgotten
the wondrous, life-changing message of the gospel. This confusion was to pronounced the late
Charles Colson once warned his fellow Christians: “The Kingdom of God will not arrive on Air
Force One.”
Never
forget that the gospel remains the greatest change-agent available to us. C. S. Lewis once said that winning our
neighbor to Christ is the greatest act of patriotism a person could perform.
Support
the sharing of the gospel. Share the
gospel yourself. Pray that the church
which has the stewardship of the gospel might know real spiritual awakening. That’s one of the finest ways to have our
prayer for God to bless America or any nation to be answered.
Conclusion:
I hope
you realize this is not really a sermon about the Fourth of July; not a message
about America; not even a talk on patriotism.
My
word to you is: Seize the opportunities God has given us. Realize that whatever
passport we may carry our demeanor as citizens is an important part of our
witness. Be commitment to advance God’s Kingdom wherever you may call home.
[1] Kennedy and Falwell put forward the image of
a former America that really never was.
The notion that America was born
as a “Christian nation” is contradicted by national policy and official
pronouncement.
