I've received a couple of
questions regarding this matter and basically I can sum up the questions in
this way...
Why are so many Evangelical and Reformed leaders so adamant about the
need for Christians to oppose the Homosexual agenda, not just theologically,
but in social and political terms as well? And why has this become so much more
intense over the question of marriage?
It's a complex question, but to
put it simply....for different reasons. Since that's not very helpful, we'll have to
look at some of the larger issues, or to put it differently, we have to look at
some basic or foundational issues and assumptions that are driving people to
think a certain way and thus respond a certain way. After examining this a bit,
we can weigh their considerations and then attempt to come up with an answer,
hopefully one that is Biblical and helpful.
For some of these men it's
because the Kingdom of God to them also includes the culture. This is the
foundation of Sacralism. The Kingdom includes the elements of culture and thus
by necessity the legal and political order.
So to determine if they're
correct, this question must be wrestled with...does the Kingdom of God include
any given culture? What is the nature of the Kingdom of God?
They will answer that the
Kingdom is meant to encompass culture and it is the task of the Church to work
toward cultural transformation...to engage the culture and redeem it.
And if the culture doesn't
reflect Biblical values then they think the Church is being defeated. They
believe it is the task of the Church to work toward making the culture reflect
what they believe to be Biblical values.
While on the surface it sounds
not only plausible but perhaps even obvious...it is actually a fatal error
based on several erroneous assumptions. I probably don't need to elaborate all
of them here.
Briefly, from my standpoint
some of the opposition stems from a wrong view of the Kingdom. I believe the
Kingdom is Redemptive, and Holy. Only the Redeemed are in Covenant with God,
and only that which is Holy will survive the Second Coming of Christ when this
world will be purged by fire and replaced/reformed with a New Heavens and New
Earth. Our cultural endeavours are not sanctified. Christ did not die for or
redeem certain political structures, art forms, musical modes, languages, or
architecture. These things aren't necessary evil in and of themselves, but they
are not actually part of, nor do they contribute to the Kingdom of God.
The Covenant theme running
throughout Scripture declares that God will be our God and we will be his
people. While Christ is indeed Lord over the world...Creator and Judge....he is
not 'their' God and they are not 'His' people.
Hence...Two Kingdoms. One Holy
and Redemptive, and One Common, providing a venue of restraint, delay, and
mercy until the time of Judgment comes.
Some Sacralists acknowledge
that a One Kingdom construct is problematic so they will say...yes, Two
Kingdoms, but the law being God's Law is eternal and thus the same for both.
One acknowledges the Law....and the other doesn't....and this situation must
change. So while they acknowledge Two Kingdoms....the very idea of two is a
problem. What the Church needs to work towards is making the two into One Holy
Kingdom.
This is to ignore the nature of
the Kingdom and the function of the Second or Common Kingdom. It doesn't exist
to be transformed. Again, it exists because God is both longsuffering and like
with the Canaanites, allowing judgment to fester.
The Second Kingdom is non-redemptive.
It is not Holy. It will not survive the 2nd coming of Christ when
this world is burned up. It and all it contains will not be present in the New
Heavens and New Earth.
The unbeliever does not by
virtue of being 'Western' contribute to the building of God's Kingdom. It's not
a Kingdom that Michelangelo, Bernini, Bach, Bohr, Friedman, or Wren can build.
If this issue isn't dealt with,
this fundamental question concerning the nature of the Kingdom...then no
progress can be made. It's pointless to argue with Dominionists over issues
like Gay Marriage. We're not dealing with the same assumptions. Until their
erroneous view of the Kingdom is corrected, they not only will not accept Two
Kingdom arguments, they clearly show that they're unable to even grasp what
you're saying.
John 3 is a passage we all know
so well, but the profundity of Christ's words is often overlooked....
Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God
This is but one of a myriad of
verses concerning the Kingdom that modern Dominionists have missed. They read
it, but have not worked out the implications. The fact that someone must have
the Holy Spirit working on their heart in order to merely 'see' or 'grasp' the
Kingdom tells us something very critical concerning the nature of this Kingdom.
It is Kingdom that is not of
this world, it is a Kingdom of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.
It is a Kingdom that men cannot say 'here it is' or 'there it is'...it is
within us. It is one that you must have eyes to see and ears to hear in order
to partake of it. It is the power of God at work in lives. It is entering into
a state of Justification, Sanctification, and Adoption whereby we call
God....Father. He is our God and we are His people.
The Kingdom of Dominionism is
the same type of world kingdom, imperial cultural and political structure the
Pharisees hoped for. They wanted a Messiah who would make a New Solomon-type
Roman Empire. The Dominionists essentially want the same thing...the very thing
repudiated by Christ and the writers of the New Testament. The very thing
warned against in the Apocalypse.
And as I've said elsewhere,
it's not just an issue that we can say...okay, we'll agree to disagree.
The implications of
Sacralism....defining the Kingdom in terms of culture and thus political
structures.... are not neutral. It's a cancer and I would argue destroys the
Church from within. It works this destruction in many ways and on many fronts.
One way....a way pertinent to
this whole discussion of homosexuality in our culture is to distract the Church
from its true task and mission...by erecting another gospel and engaging the
Church in political struggle that in the end binds the Church's hands....it
hinders the Body of Christ from being able to go about its true task which is
to make disciples of all nations.
PART 2
PART 2