Church and State

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. -- Martin Luther King, Jr. The Strength to Love, 1963

The church, meaning Christians, should never be a tool of, nor be held captive by, either the state or any political ideology. Too many think the debate among Christians is whether they should side with conservatives in preserving traditional values, or liberals and show compassion to those in need. This is a false debate. The church must maintain a prophetic stance toward both. Christ's kingdom is not of this world. We shouldn't stand aloof, but critique politics, as politics is often a false religion, promoting the causes of false messiahs.

Politics by any other name

One characteristic of the nature of contemporary politics in America is provided by John Derbyshire in the title of one of the chapters of his book, We Are Doomed - Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism:

Politics: Show Business for Ugly People.

Who can argue with it?