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Pastoral letter from the Anglican Diocese of Seychelles for Lent 2020 |27 February 2020

Pastoral letter from the Anglican Diocese of Seychelles for Lent 2020

A Healthy Nation: Church and Politics

 

Dear beloved in Christ Jesus, yesterday, Ash Wednesday marked the start of observation of Lent the most solemn time of the Christian year. The season is traditionally marked by self-examination, fasting and preparation for Easter.

It is a time when Christians reflect on the biblical account of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). Last year’s Lenten letter was about “A healthy family.” This year will also be the year of the presidential election, we shall journey together with the theme: “A Healthy Nation: Church and Politics.”

The season is very appropriate for us as a family; as a diocese and as a nation to stop, pause and self-examine ourselves as a body. Are we growing in peace? How are we dealing with issues of addiction in our family? Are we concerned with the state of health of the members of our family? Are we, as a family being proactive concerning the ills affecting our children at schools?

Should bishops, priests and congregations seek to transcend politics or is that an impossible or even illegitimate goal? Is there a difference between being political and being partisan? I invite you, people of God to this reflection during this Lenten season.

 

What is the relation between church and politics?

The relationship between church and politics is very simple: as you can't separate your body parts so you cannot separate church and politics. Religion and faith are your heart while politics is the visible part of body. Religion is the highest human consciousness, politics is a servant of people.

In the past years, the Anglican Church of Seychelles has lost at least one regular church attendee because “we were too political”, the person said. At least one other left because we were not political enough. Some members wished we were out on the streets in force, wearing our church T-shirts, holding placards and shouting slogans at every protest. Others wished the church would tone it down from the pulpit and just preach about how to be a good person. I take some solace in the adage that if you’re making people mad, you must be doing something right.

The church’s involvement in the Seychelles with politics and culture has always been a subject of debate. Some believe that the church should totally refrain from politics, practising faith quietly and being a gospel influence in predominantly social circles. Others believe that the church should infiltrate politics and culture in an attempt to “Christianise” the society as much as possible.

In an attempt to answer this timeless question, we must look at what the Bible teaches concerning the church and politics.

Working in and with the government, my dearly beloved, is a vocation as much as it is working in the restaurant or entertainment business, which a believer is free to participate in. In whatever occupation Christians engage in, they are to do it to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

A Christian makes righteous decisions in the political realm because it is God’s will that all government institutions act in accordance with God’s righteous standard. Romans 13:1-4 teaches that Christians must submit to the government because God has ordained it to punish wrongdoing, reward virtuous deeds, and enact justice on behalf of victims.

A government cannot enforce this properly if their definition of what is right and wrong is twisted, which is what we are experiencing in many nations around the world. This is why Christians who are engaged in politics should use their God-given position or legal privilege to help enact civil laws that reflect God’s standard of justice for the government. These laws should be designed to deter criminals from stealing, murdering, giving false testimony, and at the same time the laws are meant to defend the poor, the weak, and the marginalised against unjust treatment. Practical ways that the clergy and lay people in the church can make a difference in politics is to vote for laws that uphold righteousness and deflect sin in society, such as banning abortion, sex slavery, pornography, racism, and to support ethical laws or programmes that would encourage the family institution, public safety, and equity.

It must be said that the job of the church is not to become a sort of governing institution that seeks to overtake the government and force conversions on non/unbelievers. Unprofitable things have happened in history when governments use religious identification to justify war or conquering other people groups. Jesus never forced thegospel onto unbelievers, although He warned of the eternal consequences of rejecting His offer of salvation (Matt. 7:23; 25:46; John 3:16-18).

However, this does not mean that Christians should totally eject faith out of the workplace.

Opponents of Christianity expect this of Christians when they advocate “separation of church and state.” The truth is: There can never really be a separation of one’s moral beliefs from the affairs of the state, because much of political affairs are intertwined with moral and ethical issues. There is no neutral ground. Both the word of God and the world’s philosophy have presuppositions regarding how life is to be conducted morally, which is why the Christian must be grounded in the truth of Scripture and to allow that to guide his or her actions in the workplace.

A Christian must not only exemplify Christian character, but to also work for laws or causes that support righteousness and truth. He must do everything in his power to also preserve the freedom of Christians to organise, worship, and proclaim the gospel to others. He should not be complacent about people in government or laws that persecute Christians and restrict Great Commission activities.

The church’s involvement in politics must always start with the desire to see people in the field come to know Christ. There is a clear difference in honouring God with our practices in politics and lording it over the public with threats and compulsion. The Bible teaches us that it is not laws that will change the hearts of the people, but the word of God through the gospel (Rom. 7:1-9).

That is why the church should be involved in politics. As in any other occupation, Christian politicians have the opportunity to evangelise unbelieving colleagues with the hope that they might come to salvation in Christ. Only when the hearts of people are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and the word of God implanted in them, can we see changes in society.

 

Should saints participate in cultural dialogue or retreat entirely?

A similar principle can be applied to Christians in the cultural debate. Should saints participate in cultural dialogue or retreat entirely?

This is also a matter of discernment for the Christian. There are instances when Christians are better off not being involved in certain forums because their efforts are similar to casting pearls before pigs (Matt. 7:6). This includes internet forums like response columns or web chat dialogue. However, there are other cases in which dialogue is extremely profitable. This includes television interviews, radio, publications, and public lectures. In such cases there is potential for a large non-Christian audience to hear the Bible’s stance on given issues, and the Christian has the opportunity to be salt and light in front of them.

The church’s role in politics does not have easy, clear cut applications. The issue always comes back to the question of how much should faith be mixed with politics, or how much should faith shape politics?

The Bible teaches that the world will never have a perfect government until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. Neither will the world have a perfect culture of faith, righteousness, and unity until then. There will never be peace in a godless world. The focus of the church until the second advent of Christ is to be faithful to the Great Commission – which is evangelising the lost and discipline people (Matt. 28:18-20).

That is the key behind a Christian’s involvement with politics. That is what it means for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).

This means that Christians are to do their work with the utmost integrity, leading rightly as bosses and submitting humbly as employees (Eph. 6:5; 1 Pet. 2:18).

At the same time, Christians must never compromise their faith and values, especially if the government forces or pressurises them to make decisions that would cause them to stumble into sin (Acts 5:29). Political work often times involves making choices that have moral undertones to them. In such cases, Christians must always do what is right to honour the Lord, even if it should incur the disfavour of the public. How a Christian goes about pursuing the right course of action takes discernment, especially when working with a group of unbelievers who are not open to the Christian worldview.

The message of the gospel is that by grace through faith sinners can be reconciled with God (Ephesians 2:7-8). This message transforms individuals and enables them to lead godly lives. Mandated by Scripture (Matthew 28:19-20), Christians are charged to share the good news and disciple others in faith.

The gospel is a holistic message with implications for all areas of life, including how Christians engage the political process. Here are four reasons Christians should care about politics:

1. The Christian worldview speaks to all areas of life

A frequently raised objection against Christian engagement with politics is that anything besides explicit preaching and teaching of the Bible is a distraction from the mission of the church. However, this is a limited understanding of the kingdom of God and contrary to examples in Scripture.

The Christian worldview provides a comprehensive understanding of reality. It speaks to all areas of life, including political engagement. In fact, the Bible speaks about civil government and provides examples of faithful engagement.

● In the Old Testament, Joseph and Daniel served in civil government, exerting influence to further the flourishing of their nations.

● In the New Testament, Jesus engaged in holistic ministry, caring for the spiritual and physical needs of people. Feeding the hungry and healing diseases were an outworking and extension of the reconciliatory message of the gospel.

● Paul also advocates this approach: “As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone” (Galatians 6:10). And: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Engaging in “good works” should include participating in the political process because of the legitimate and significant role of government. The decisions made by government have a substantial impact on people and the way we interact with them. A Christian worldview should include a political theology that recognises every area of life must be included in the “good works” of believers, especially politics, an area with significant real-life implications for people.

2. Politics are unavoidable

As “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11), it can be tempting for Christians to adopt a mindset that earthly governing systems are insignificant to the task of furthering the gospel. But ask a pastor or a priest in an underground church or a missionary attempting to access a closed country if politics are really insignificant. Religious liberty, passports and visas are not unnecessary luxuries but are often vital for pastors and missionaries seeking to preach and teach the gospel.

Augustine’s City of God offers guidance on this point. Believers are citizens of the “City of God,” but on this side of eternity, we also belong to the “City of Man” and therefore must be good citizens of both cities. There are biblical examples of how membership in the earthly city can be leveraged for furthering the reach of the heavenly. Paul’s appeal to his Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37, 22:25) is a model of this.

In an American context, engaging these dual cities takes on added significance because of the words prefacing the Constitution: “We the people.” In the United States, ultimate national sovereignty is entrusted to the people. James Madison explained that the “consent of the people” is the “pure original fountain of all legitimate authority.” This reality makes politics unavoidable for American citizens who control their political future.

Because politics have real-world implications for Christian evangelism, missions and preaching the gospel, Christians ought to engage the political process by leveraging their rightful authority, advocating for laws and policies that contribute to human flourishing.

3. We need to love our neighbour

When questioned by religious authorities on the law, Jesus explained that loving God with heart, soul and mind was the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). He added that second in priority was: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

Followers of Christ are called to love and serve their neighbours (Matthew 28:19-20). When asked about the qualifications of “neighbour,” Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), indicating that irrespective of race, background, social status or occupation, neighbourly love is owed.

In a very real sense, politics is one of the most important areas in which Christians demonstrate love to neighbour. In fact, how can Christians claim to care about others and not engage the arena that most profoundly shapes basic rights and freedoms? Caring for the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick and lonely is important to Jesus and should be to His followers as well. Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

Fulfilling the biblical mandate to love neighbour and care for the “least of these” should be a priority for every believer. Again, a holistic approach is essential. Loving neighbour includes volunteering at a homeless shelter, as well as influencing laws that encourage human flourishing. Good government and laws are not negligible factors in the prosperity and freedom of a society.

For example, the majority of North Koreans are held in economic bondage by corrupt political forces, whereas in South Korea, citizens are given liberty and a system that encourages prosperity. The people of North Korea need more than food pantries and improved hospitals; they need political leadership and policies that recognise human rights. Advocating for these changes in totalitarian countries is crucial for loving our neighbours in oppressed areas.

Obedience to the golden rule includes seeking laws that protect unborn children, strengthen marriages and families, advocate for the vulnerable, and provide opportunity for flourishing. Politics is a means of effecting great change and must be engaged by Christians who love their neighbour.

4. Government restrains evil and promotes good

Government derives its authority from God to promote good and restrain evil. This mandate is expressly stated in Romans 13:1-7. Elsewhere, Paul urges that prayers be made “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Paul understood the need for Christian participation in government.

Government plays a role in the work of God’s kingdom on earth. Good government encourages an environment conducive for people living peaceably, whereas bad government fosters unrest and instability. Because of sin, the legitimate institution of government has, at times, been used illegitimately throughout history. However, numerous examples persist of Christians reasserting their influence and redeeming government to promote good and restrain evil.

In How Christianity Changed the World, Alvin Schmidt documents Christian influence in government. Examples include outlawing infanticide, child abandonment and gladiatorial games in ancient Rome, ending the practice of human sacrifice among European cultures, banning paedophilia and polygamy, and prohibiting the burning of widows in India. William Wilberforce, a committed Christian, was the force behind the successful effort to abolish the slave trade in England. In the United States, two-thirds of abolitionists were Christian pastors. In the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr., a Christian pastor, helped led the civil rights movement against racial segregation and discrimination.

Carl Henry rightfully stated that Christians should “work through civil authority for the advancement of justice and human good” to provide “critical illumination, personal example, and vocational leadership.” This has been the historic witness of Christians concerned about government promoting good and restraining evil.

Jeremiah 29:7 says: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Referring to Babylon, the prophet recognised that secular government served a legitimate purpose in God’s plan for Israel. This is still true. Today, good governments promote literacy, advance just laws, provide religious liberty and allow churches to preach and Preach and teach.

Good government can serve as a conduit for the furthering of the gospel and human flourishing.

Christian witness in the public square contributes transcendent values about moral and ethical issues. Christian withdrawal opens a moral vacuum susceptible to influences that pressure government to move outside the purview designated by God. Politics affects government, shapes society and influences culture. Because of what the Bible teaches and the inevitability of its effect on our culture, Christians must care about politics for the betterment of our Seychellois society. God bless our Church and our Nation.

Have a blessed Lenten season 2020.

Together for His glory,

 

 

The Most Revd James R. Wong Yin Song

Your fellow pilgrim on our earthly journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

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