Guest Blogger: Emily Hollis

Well, it turns out that it is possible to find time in this crazy conference to sit down and formulate thoughts. But not for me. Please allow me to introduce to you my friend Emily Hollis who has graciously written out these thoughts with the primary intent of posting them on my little blog for you to read. Her thoughts are not only an excellent summary of what we have learned today, but an encouragement and exhortation to follow up and apply that knowledge.

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Hello all... I am Emily of the Hollis family, and Brian told me at the beginning of this Clash week of insanity that I was going to write a guest post; I just had to let him know when I was ready. Well, I am ready.

Today, the last three sessions of the day were on Government/Politics and how a Christian worldview is to approach them. I literally jumped in excitement when I heard this was going to be the case because, as some of you know (while I am not nearly as famous as Brian, I can say I am acquainted with some of you who faithfully read his blog), I am a political and historical nutcase- I even received the "Social Studies" award at graduation... that was just a nice way of putting "History Nerd" award. I am getting a little off track, but I feel that my passionate statements need to be prefaced by informing you that I am somewhat insane, proud of it, and probably about to expose that at even a deeper yet hopefully infinitely more valuable level.

Dr. Gregory Thornbury was the lecturer today, and let me just say, he was INCREDIBLE! He's a Dean of something very important at Union University and he is very, very, very smart. He brought to us in his last lecture on “Christianity and the Public Square” a number of things that Christians today wrongly assume as their role in politics. They either believe that they have no role in politics, or they believe that it is their duty as Christians to turn America into a Christian nation- into God's perfect kingdom on earth. They are sadly misled, however admirable their desires are. Dr. T (as I will call him for sake of weariness and the inability to type his name accurately) explained that it is our job as Christians to be the best citizens... Athenagoras in 177 AD said of the Christian church in the Roman empire that they were the best citizens- they were not adulterers, promiscuous, divorcing, etc.- but they obeyed the laws and helped the poor and sick. They were the perfect citizens. He asked us if that same thing could be said of the American Evangelical church of today... the obvious answer is no, it could not.

So what does that mean, and why does that matter? Well, our duty as Christians concerning politics is to render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to GOD what is GOD's... to explain that- we are to give our government the payment for our involvement in the commerce and activity in the economy and the services they provide for us, but we are to give God our glory and praise. In order to give God our glory and praise, we are obligated to protect His creation... to subdue it, and politics is a way of doing that. Not only are we to be nice to animals, not litter, and try to conserve water, we are also to protect the images of God, that is the people, of our country. We are obligated to give a gospel-centered argument for political reform.

An example of this zealous quest to apply biblical moral codes to the world without trying to perfect it into God's kingdom on earth, would be William Wilberforce. He was the driving force behind the abolition of the slave trade and eventually slavery altogether in England. He used his God-given gifts of incredible oration and his gospel-centered convictions to correct a social injustice and evil. He did so, however, not hiding his foundation of biblical truth. He preached the gospel while reforming a political structure. He realized that moralizing His nation would not make it a perfect Christian nation, but it was his duty to protect the creation of his God and show his love to others (i.e. common grace) by assuring their safety and freedom. A similar example is Ake Green- a Swedish pastor turned media deemed political activist... he spoke out against homosexuality and sexual promiscuity in Sweden during a Sunday morning message and ended up using that same message to defend himself in the Supreme Court of Sweden!

What is the common thread in these three examples? Well, neither the early Christians, Wilberforce or Green attempted to "take back America for Christ." They simply tried to stop or reverse the crippling effect of a cultural or societal problem that the world was blind to. And they did so by showing a societal evil, offering a gospel centered alternative, and offering the redemptive grace of God through the blood of Jesus.

So why did I get so excited about that? Well, one, because any opportunity for me to be able to argue for something political makes me unable to contain myself, but more so (at least I hope it is more so) I finally have figured out how my desire to see change and help effect change can correctly, effectively, and humbly be used for good in my world. God gave me a love for politics and history and a love for debate... and by grace He has given me the ability to desire to see Him glorified and to spread His message of hope. Maybe I have found a way to use my gifts and desires to glorify Him, or maybe I have simply been convinced that politics are important, more so than I thought. And I hope this has caused you to think about how you view your effect on politics, societal morals, culture, etc. When someday you have an opportune moment to speak out against abortion, sexual promiscuity and homosexuality, and tyrannical governments, ask yourself these questions... What should I, as a Christian, say that no one else will? How can I use my gospel-centered moral conscience to effect a hurting world? Can I be the Ezekiel 22:30 "man in the gap" who is missing- the one who will stand up for the moral code necessary to hold together a nation that God has revealed to us in scripture? How can I respond in a way that will glorify God and show His love to a fallen and hurting nation?

I hope my thoughts were accurate, helpful, encouraging, and challenging. Thanks Brian for allowing me to share, and thanks everyone else for listening to me!