I saw an interesting tweet this morning in response to a “Christian” conference advertisement. The conference was being held by a group that, unfortunately, has received a bit of press in the past. The group’s leader actually made a few decent observations and taught a few interesting perspectives back in the day, but time has taught us more. It turns out, he’s quite likely an abuser – of both people and of the Word of God. I’ll not give him any more press than that.
Now, for the tweet – the author’s observation rang true: This was to be “[A ‘Christian’ conference about ruling the world] from guys who are an extreme minority of Conservative Evangelicals, who are a minority of Evangelicals, who are a minority of American Protestants, who are a minority of American Christians, who are a minority of global Christians.”
Now, while I can’t be sure about Protestants being the minority of American Christians, the rest seems about right. And this is bothersome. And it’s because these guys have staked out an extreme view, and have publicized it, we’re subjected to their extreme minority perspective.
But a good part of what they’re doing is just smoke and not the actual fire. The fire is small and insignificant. A mere smolder. Dangerous, yes – even the smallest spark can set a forest ablaze – but still in reality, harmless.
The problem though is this: too many people are too willing to throw gasoline on that smoldering fire. Why? Because it’s human nature — not that people are naturally instigators, but that they are motivated by money. Much like the “military industrial complex” stoking the fires of global discord because it means big bucks to them and their stockholders, so is outrage an industry, fueled even more by the rise of social media. People are willing to amplify outrage because they literally get paid by the click. And the American public is far too willing to swallow whatever they’re fed. If it isn’t the group that responded so vehemently to the lies they were told last week, then it’s a whole new group ready to fall for a completely different set of lies. This is where Trump lives. Sure, he has his true believers who’ll eat up everything he says no matter what, but he still has to sucker enough people who can’t remember what he said just last week to keep it going.
It’s easy to think we’re doomed. Maybe we’re expecting too much if we think people will pull out of their idiocy any time soon (we’ve got human nature running rampant all over the place here). The 2024 presidential election could be what shows us in the end. If the “polls” are to be believed (although I don’t believe them), Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee. A man who has so clearly and blatantly lied and manipulated his way through the past several years (much longer, I’m sure). A man who admitted to a reporter that he could get away with sexually molesting women because he was a man of power. A man who is showing clear signs of cognitive decline, even as he and his supporters insist the current president’s mental health is in decline (it is). And yet his cult still worships him.
The thing is, Christians should expect this, as they should expect that their ranks will be heavily infiltrated by those who put their faith in their own abilities to “govern” (whatever that might look like). Look back at the aim of the aforementioned conference. They’re talking about “ruling the world.” This is lunacy. Christians know already who rules the world, and in the way of human governance and action, it isn’t God. A Christian’s place is to do God’s work in a fallen world until Christ comes again, not come up with schemes to take over. God’s work is not to perpetuate some ultimately insignificant national system of government.
Do we want a government that governs by Christian principles? We all should. Letting one’s actions be guided by integrity and a love for others are a good combination of qualities in a person (it’s what I look for when I vote). But “ruling the world” isn’t the end game for a Christian (such a goal falls far short of what God has already promised). Sadly, it’s when people think it is that the loud mouths get their say.