Thursday Theological Thinking

We met my in-laws for lunch on Sunday. As we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, I didn't see their car and remarked on it to Tim that, even though we were a tad late, we seemed to have gotten there ahead of them. He shook his head and pointed to the car from Tennessee parked in the handicapped space right by the door. And indeed, it was their car. My spirits sank and I just began chanting to myself, "Bite your tongue. Bite your tongue. Bite your tongue." all the while memorizing the plate number in case I decided that I really do need to make an anonymous call to the county about a registration violation.

I can hear you thinking, "Well, Beth, that's fascinating and perhaps a tad irritating, but what does it have to do with Thursday Theological Thinking?" Actually, it has a lot to do with it, though I think the majority of Christians today (well, Christians in America at least - I can't hazard a guess for the global community of Christians as I am woefully uninformed on the state of the church around the world) have bought into the idea of "separation of church and state" so completely that the idea of good citizenship as a statement for Christ is an utterly foreign concept. We focus on the fact that our citizenship is in heaven and decide that means little for our citizenship here on earth. I don't think we can be any farther from the truth.

Christians have an obligation to be good citizens. We have an obligation to be involved in choosing the leadership of our nation and influencing them to uphold Biblical standards. Does this mean you have to belong to a particular political party? No. But it does mean that you should be registered to vote and you should exercise that right whenever it's afforded you. You should evaluate candidates on a Biblical scale - by looking at the issues that Jesus looked at and that the Bible addresses and seeing where these candidates stand on essentials. You should be an informed voter.

We have an obligation to pay the taxes levied on us. In Matthew 22, the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was right to pay taxes. Jesus doesn't qualify His answer; He doesn't say, "Well, consider the tax and if you feel that it's just, then go ahead and pay it, but if you feel it's exorbitant and you can find a way around it, go ahead, it's not really cheating that way." He says to "give to Ceasar that which is Ceasar's".

We have an obligation to avoid the appearance of evil in all things - including those of a civic nature. If you have a handicapped mirror hanger for days when your particular affliction is acting up and you enter a parking lot that is virtually deserted and it's not one of the days when your affliction is acting up, and there's a spot that's just across from the door and only adds 20 feet or so to the walk that the handicapped space provides, you don't park in the handicapped space "just because you can". That way, when you leave the restaurant, three clearly able bodied individuals, and head for the car parked in the handicapped spot you don't leave a bad taste in people's mouth.

We shouldn't compartmentalize our Christianity, it needs to flow out into every area, every aspect of our daily life - including that part of our life that intersects with the state. In fact, Christian citizenship needs to spur us into more action than we might otherwise undertake. We need to make a public stand to promote the formation and passage of Biblical laws. We can't sit back and allow the culture to run the country - we are to be salt and light, not just in the church, not just with our family or in the neighborhood, but in the nation. We need to stand up and be counted, not just as citizens, but as Christian citizens.