Can The Church Do What Government Can’t? (Or Won’t)

Last night I watched the major cable news channels’ coverage of the deal to address the budget crisis within the United States of America. The President and the Speaker of the House both announced that a deal had been struck to keep the government from defaulting. This deal for many critics is too little and too late in terms of action. There is still a long way to go in terms of a longterm solution. Add to this that the dysfunctional division and extreme ideological politics of the two major parties continue to be a problem. Right now the Tea Party and the Congressional Black Caucus are two groups that could throw a monkey wrench in the whole process of a real solution. To try avoiding major cuts in expenses in the budget and the raising of taxes on the most wealthy of Americans is hard to understand. An ugly situation is going to take ugly answers that include major compromises. Looking at all this political division and dysfunction led me to some thoughts about the church. My thoughts began with questions.

Is this the right time for the church to do what government can’t? Is there a need for a reconciling church like never before? Here are the thoughts at the core of these questions. One, there is a need for Christian evangelicals and mainliners to do what Democrats and Republicans can’t or won’t. Evangelical and mainliners need to come together and forge a national faith-based agenda for life and community transformation. This agenda must remind our country that first and foremost that church is about life transformation. It also must show a connection between life transformation and community development. The community development portion of the agenda must have measurable outcomes addressing issues that are concerns in Scripture such as the poor, the lost, the stranger, and the marginalized. The church could become a major Kingdom force in America like never before thru such a move. Second, the increase of multi-ethnic and missional churches must become a top priority of every major Christian denomination as well as evangelistic organizations. The political division in this country is connected to historic racial and class divisions. The church has no credibility if it continues to be the most segregated institution in the nation.

There is a great window of opportunity for the church as both the government and economic institutions live in crisis and dysfunction. This move would also be the solution to the crisis that the church of the United States of America is currently in.

3 Comments

• 
  Bill August 27, 2011 at 10:54 pm

  I’ve read this entry three times now. I can’t quite figure out the point.

  Are you saying Christians should instill themselves more into politics and the government?

  Or are you saying the Church should become a model of how the current US government should work?
• 
  efremsmith August 29, 2011 at 9:22 am

  Bill,

  Thanks for your response. Here are a few things I was trying to bring out in the post. One, The two major political parties attack each other instead of self-critiquing themselves. Christian denominations should stop attacking each other over doctrine and find common issues rooted in Scripture to unite around and advance the Kingdom of God for life and social transformation.

  Two, the two major political parties are divided and have no agenda for reconciliation for the sake of the American people. The mainline church and evangelicals can’t afford to be divided this way. If we’re going to advance the kingdom of God in an ever-increasing multi-ethnic and multicultural reality, we must strive for a unified church rooted in Scripture.

  Third, we cannot afford any longer to separate evangelism from biblical justice.
• 
  Bill September 2, 2011 at 1:04 am

  Ok. First two points, totally understand what you’re saying.

  The third point, not so much. Can you elaborate for the dense like me?