What the Left has Right
One thing that political conservatism and Reformed theology have in common is a shared perspective on what it means to both conserve and incorporate the past. Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda is the banner of the Reformation. “The Church reformed, always reforming” sounds . . . well . . . reformational and conservative; but unless the terms are defined, it is simply a phrase that is open to interpretation. The Church reformed and always reforming . . . to what pattern? While the word etymologically means to make into a new shape it is most often implied that the newer shape is a better one. But folks will think differently as to just exactly what is the better shape. Reforming into the progressive ideal? Reforming to the way things were in ancient Greece?
And here is where the mistake often takes place. On paper, most reformers would know to say that the necessary reforming of the Church is only and always to the Biblical standard. Yes. That’s correct. What ends up happening, however, is that the reforming is often done to the shape of the Reformation. And the Reformation is considered a thing which implicitly is exempt from reformation since . . . well . . . it is the reformation. Here enters the cliché of the Calvinist with the Genevan touch. Everything he touches turns into a debate about the Reformation. Everything era that was ever wrong in the world was wrong because it was not the Reformation.
I love the Reformation. I gladly plead guilty to being not only a fan but a devotee of the work of God during this time. Undoubtedly, this movement was one of God’s greatest gifts to the Church. But I wasn’t raised in the OPC. I didn’t grow up going to reformed summer camps. I wasn’t catechized. I didn’t go to RTS. My experience with reformed culture, for most of my life, has been that it functions like a wisenheimer magnet. It is a church culture of systems and it attracts systems guys. If you can get the system down, you can be considered a master. Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Select, Start. You’re untouchable.
We are presently watching systems collapse all around us. For what it’s worth, Barna has said that 1/3 of all those who left church during COVID won’t be back. Another 1/3 may be in flux. Some churches are restructuring in such a way that they plan on never leaving the online platform. Others may be going to jail. The endless unrest promises no easy way out of this thing. The Left is constantly assuring us that there is no going back. We shouldn’t scoff at this. It need not be true the way in which they mean it. But I do pray it’s true that we are not going back. I pray the United States becomes a disciple of Jesus to such a degree that its brightest Gospel moments thus far pale in comparison to those that lay ahead.
Remember, the Scottish Covenanters thought that America’s Christian foundation was something profoundly flawed since, in its inception, it made provision for human slavery and it did not acknowledge Christ as its truest and highest King. The thought of our nation acknowledging Christ as King, at present, seems impossible and yet, it’s happening all around us. Poland has legally declared Jesus Christ to be its king. The reasons and the methods may be flawed, but is this not the Church’s future? What does Psalm 2 mean if not that the Church calls the state to repentance and faith? Ought we assume that this will never happen? That seems rather faithless.
Many churches avoid proclaiming Psalm 2 because it is political; others because it is the Old Testament. Something like O’Donavan’s political theology may be helpful here. What does it mean for us to proclaim that God is King? Even Kanye West, who may not have the backing of NAPARC, said that his naming the album Jesus is King was simply to force all the world to have to say it with their own lips. That’s not only the kind of optimism that can only come from a new convert or someone with the heart of a child, but it is, most assuredly, a step in the right direction.
We know that any number of people from any number of political persuasions see the present hour as one of great shock and awe potential. Everyone wants to be the one who puts the city back together after the earthquake. In Maine, whenever a derelict barn catches on fire, it’s not uncommon to see the neighbors chucking tires and old satellite dishes or other backyard debris into the flames. No use in wasting a good fire. Everyone sees the tail-wag-dog hat trick that has taken place in this #BLM/#LGBT/#COVID-19 sweep as being a small window of opportunity. Get as much done before the dog wakes up. The UN hasn’t balked at this. The Secretary General has encouraged the world to think about COVID as a necessary precursor to societal reformation. Would to God that Christians were half as cunning.
The Church in America needs reform. Are we thinking about it? Do we know which end is up? Our nation needs reform. If the moment comes for us to chuck stuff on the fire, do we know what we should be throwing and what should be in the safe? Are Christians in the US holding their breath and simply waiting for things to go back to normal . . . so that we can drive the youth group to the next Newsboys concert and put all this silliness behind us? It’s not that Christians need to prepare to go on the defensive; they need to learn the cultural implications of the word prevail in Matthew 16:18. Who’s on defense?
Why say it differently if St. Francis has already said it?
One of the greatest injustices we do to our young people is to ask them to be conservative. Christianity today is not conservative, but revolutionary. To be conservative today is to miss the whole point, for conservatism means standing in the flow of the status quo, and the status quo no longer belongs to us. Today we are a minority. If we want to be fair, we must teach the young to be revolutionaries, revolutionaries against the status quo.
- Francis Schaeffer
