October 27, 2016 | End Of The Republic

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
[1 Timothy 2:1-2 HCSB]
Angst
Here we sit on the edge of November 2016, and I have never witnessed so much anger and confusion regarding an election. [Older and wiser friends tell me that 1968 was similar, but my pre-school mind was then happily absorbed with horned toads, crawdads, and other denizens of the creek behind our house.] A young adult wrote us at church, perfectly capturing the sentiment of millions of Americans:
 I am trying to figure out what I want to do and only feel lost. I know God has it all figured out but I feel like I am wandering around in a dark hallway looking for an open door that does not exist.
Empire
I think it very likely that the cause of much of this unsettled emotion wells up from a subconscious understanding that the American Republic may well be dead. It appears to be morphing into an American Empire, much as occurred in Rome 2000 years ago. One cannot be certain, as there is no set dividing line for such transitions. Historians are not even in agreement regarding the moment that Rome became an empire. [The waters are muddied by the fact that Octavian/Augustus – clearly an emperor – would only let himself be called “Princeps” (first citizen) and never “Emperor.”] Yet Rome did become imperial, and the ever-increasing power of the American executive branch, which now executes, legislates and judges, appears headed straight toward the Roman purple.
Reading the letters of late Republican/early Empire Romans, one hears dismay that remarkably mirrors the Facebook postings of today. Most of our rants are merely echoes of what Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote in his De re publica:
For nothing on earth is more agreeable to God, the Supreme Governor of the universe, than the assemblies and societies of men united together by laws, which are called States. [Book VI, 13]
Now, as then, there is great grief caused by the death of the republic of states and the rise of an all-powerful central government. Some first century thinkers, like the Apostle Peter, were prescient enough to see that an all-powerful empire would be especially severe on Christians. Similar persecution is very probable in America as our presidents become emperors. In his Christian Manifesto, Francis Schaeffer noted the reason for such state oppression:
No truly authoritarian government can tolerate those who have real absolute by which to judge its arbitrary absolutes and who speak out and act upon that absolute.
In summary, Christian, I won’t tell you how to vote but can tell why you are so upset. You surely realize that either candidate who has a chance of winning this election will continue the growing tendency of US Presidents to rule as an emperor. In fact, both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump are decidedly emperor-like in their demeanor and strategies.
How then should we live?
I asked some astute pastor friends that question, and found their answers to be brilliant:
  1. First and foremost, remember that Jesus’ return is imminent. The biblical authors clearly declare that Messiah will come and end this age. Even the proud Roman citizen Paul viewed the politics of his time in light of Christ’s return. [See 1 Thessalonians 5.]
  2. Thus, in the clash of kingdoms, look beyond this earth. The answer is never in human states, but God’s in eternal kingdom. [See Hebrews 13.] Such was Augustine’s point in writing The City of God – a book penned while the Empire also died, replaced by chaos.
  3. Speaking of the death of the Roman Empire, remember that as horrible as the end of the republic was, the expiration of the empire was worse. In many ways, including human life expectancy, the world was thrown into a recession that would take 1500 years to overcome. Thus, it is important that Christians remain engaged citizens of this world, caring for their country and the people around them. [For more on this, I recommend Michael Grant’s brilliant The Fall of the Roman Empire. It deals with the idea that Christian withdrawal harmed the empire.]
  4. Be salt and light no matter what. [See Matthew 5.] An increasingly dark and tasteless world needs you.
  5. Know what and why you believe so you can bless those who persecute you, making a defense for the hope in you. [See especially 1 Peter 3.]
  6. Remember that even as we submit to authority (as detailed in Romans 13, etc.), we do not violate God’s words. Much of the German church followed Hitler, telling themselves they were obeying scripture. Sadly, those churches never recovered. Better to be as Daniel and his friends, standing up to the emperor when commanded to violate scripture. As Calvin wrote:
We are subject to the men who rule over us, but subject only in the Lord. If they command anything against Him let us not pay the least regard to it, nor be moved by all the dignity which they possess as magistrates- a dignity to which no injury is done when it is subordinated to the special and truly supreme power of God.
          – John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
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