It Is Time To Be Bold and Courageous

It Is Time To Be Bold and Courageous
Written by Scott Cooper
October 10, 2011

Those that got on boats to come to this great land, regardless of the century, did not do so for security – they did so for freedom.  Many of them did so for religious freedom.  Those that established this republic did not do so for security.  They established this republic for freedom.  Those who have fought and died for this republic these last 235 years did not do so for security – they did so to protect our freedoms.

Those that are protesting for the right to a job, the right to healthcare, the right to free education, the right, the right, the right…..  These folks are not fighting for what made our republic great – they are fighting for an ideology that has yet to succeed on any continent, in any country at any point in the history of the world.

Are we going to allow them to succeed?  We currently see this fight being fought in the streets of multiple cities in our republic, through national museums being closed/occupied in Washington, DC, and state capitals being occupied like we saw in Wisconsin this year.  More importantly, this is an ideological war that is being fought in the electoral process which begins long before election-day.  It begins in the identification of leaders – the training of leaders and the financial and sweat equity support of leaders who will choose to represent you at School Board, City Council’s, County Supervisor’s, and a whole host of constitutional offices. 

The left has a belief that no office is to small.  They have strategically infiltrated every level of our government and every avenue of our society, while many of us were completely disengaged from this process, living our lives.  We had the freedom to live our lives, the freedom to be disengaged and the freedom to ignore this process.  Today, we continue to be free to live our lives, the freedom to be disengaged and the freedom to ignore this process.  That being said, we are rapidly approaching the time where we will no longer have that freedom to simply ignore and continue to enjoy freedom – our republic will be lost.

Unfortunately, there are many in the faith community who believe that our focus should not be on temporal government at all, but solely on the Great Commission as laid out in Matthew 28:19 + 20.  To those, I have two thoughts: 

First, why should we make it a choice, and not be engaged in both?  I do not understand why it should be a choice, yet I hear within the Christian Community voices that say focus on civil governance is misplaced and we should exclusively be focused on winning souls.  I think that is a false choice, and ultimately when I study our culture, I think we are losing both efforts.  I choose to be engaged in both.

Second, the often quoted verse “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” makes a nice plaque to hang on a wall or be placed on a bumper sticker – but how is that verse quantified?  Two thoughts:  First, it is quantified by those we have with us on the other side of the veil, who have arrived there at least in part due to our influence.  Second, it is quantified by how we influence culture and the civil arena.  This verse, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is at the end of the biography of Joshua – a temporal leader who God had anointed to lead – in civil governance.  That is the end of his life.  The beginning of the book should also be a focus, where God charged him to go in and claim the promised-land. 

Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.  This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

God has granted us, the American church the opportunity to be strong and courageous.  He has granted us an unprecedented opportunity in history to be engaged in the process by which we select our leadership, and place men and women of character who will heed the admonition given to Joshua into positions of authority.  This unprecedented opportunity is at all levels, but especially local – not just high office.  By and large we have abdicated that God granted responsibility.  Studies show that roughly 50 % of evangelicals are registered to vote, and that only 2/3’s of those registered actually turn out to vote. 

These statistics show a lack of strength and courage.  Indeed, if our country is lost to a minority held worldview, I believe that these statistics indicate that we will be able to lay the blame of our demise at the feet of the American church. 

I reflect on the German church in the 1930’s, who in exchange for a savior, in exchange for comfort and in exchange for security allowed outrageous atrocities to take place.  I am not suggesting that such atrocities are in the works at this point in history – I am not – I am simply using a modern day example of how people of faith so disengaged from civil governance that they were allowed to be co-opted by a minority held view of the world.

Let us be bold and courageous.  Let us engage in the process of civil governance and influence not only civil governance, but our culture and ultimately win the right to share with others the great commission.  We must be engaged in both.  We must be engaged at all levels.  Finally, if we are not engaged yet, the time to get engaged is now – and use your sphere of influence to get other non-participants engaged.  In the end, the results are in God’s hands.  Our duty is not the result, but to be faithful in our action.