Election 2008
Christian as an Adjective

Both Presidential candidates profess to be Christians. This points out the problem with the adjective “Christian.” What exactly does it mean in the realm of politics? Can a politician be a Christian politician if he wants to raise taxes to a confiscatory level? Or, how about one who believes global warming requires drastic action that empowers international tribunals to regulate energy consumption in the US? How about one who is against the death penalty, or turn it around and say one who is for the death penalty?

For “conservative” [another questionable adjective!] we easily draw the line on abortion, homosexual marriage, the usual shooting fish in a barrel subjects. But, in the real world of political action it is much harder to draw lines. Is a judge who enforces no-fault divorce a Christian? Can a politician who wants a high or low minimum wage a Christian? Does a Christian politician promote more off shore drilling for oil?

These social issues do not easily translate into a test of Christian belief. Why? Because except for moral behavior based on Biblical warrant, these types of decisions are based on individual conscience informed by Christian principles. If the Bible teaches on a matter with sufficiency and clarity it alone binds the conscience of the believer. If not, then the Christian has liberty to decide what is the right course of action. And, the clarity thing is, well, not clear within the church. My RP friends believe in exclusive psalmody in worship; my Baptist friends believe in believer baptism; my dispensational friends believe in pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture of the saints. Are they not Christian friends?

There are two forces at work here that complicate matters. The first is our extreme egalitarian democratization that allows us to believe we have a better idea than anyone else. We believe each and every one of us is able and entitled to discern the good, the true and the beautiful just because we breathe and live in the USA. The other is the failure of the visible church to display unity over what Biblical belief binds the consciences of the followers of Christ. The church in its fractured state knows not what it believes and, trying to accommodate to the world, is making up what it believes as it goes. If we cannot understand Biblical Christianity in the church how can Christian be applied as an adjective to those operating in the world…especially our politicians who represent Caesar not the church?