chris and becka warner

In the last post I threw out the idea that Christians shouldn’t be placing too much hope in the outcome of the presidential elections or the political process, but rather we should be like Jesus and bring transformation as the opportunity arises. Of course, this is hardly a new idea. In the last decade or so, there has been a huge surge of interest in the relationship between Jesus and politics. But it goes much deeper than that; people are talking about Jesus in new and exciting ways. Some of the basic assumptions of fundamentalism are being challenged as people are wrestling with the person of Christ and wondering if we’ve built structures and institutions that don’t line up with what He did and taught. A Christian “left” has emerged (There’s even talk of a split among American evangelicals). Social justice is becoming mainstream. Paradigms are shifting; from institution to community, from legalism to relationship, from judgment to acceptance, from doctrine to dialog, from withdrawal to engagement, from salvation to transformation, from consumerism to conscience, etc. Thus far, these movements have largely operated under the shadow of mainstream evangelicalism, but that is changing very quickly; to the point that these movements and various voices are beginning to influence and reshape Christianity in the West. My opinion is that this is a good process. Sure, there will be some division and negative reactions as the “old” ways are deconstructed, but my hope is that a more accurate (for lack of a better term) vision of Jesus, His Kingdom, and our part in it, will emerge. Of course, this won’t be a “new” vision-Jesus has always been the same. But there will be an awakening as Christianity is realigned to the person of Christ. One of these days I will get around to posting a good reading list for those of you who are interested in this type of stuff.

But now I want to throw out another idea that I’ve been wrestling with. Many of these paradigm shifts are moving toward a vision of Jesus that goes beyond our own culture and nation and they point to a vision of Jesus and his Kingdom that is available to all. Of course, as a missionary this is why I do what I do: because I believe that whatever Jesus has done for us, and whatever He is asking us to do with Him, it transcends political boundaries and even culture. In short, the gospel (this of course needs to be defined-but that’s another topic altogether) is for everyone-there is no one outside the love of the Father in Christ Jesus. That’s what the Great Commission is all about. But this raises a lot of questions about the way that Christianity, as a movement, should interact with political institutions. What happens when a group of Christians become too closely identified with the interests of their respective governments? Could it be that separation of church and state is vitally important for the integrity of both? Could it be that when we confuse Kingdom interests with national interests, we are in danger of diluting Christianity into a nationalistic religion? (I’ve mentioned this before, but Gregory Boyd has written a great book on this, called Myth of a Christian Nation.)

I tend to lean toward a strong separation of Church and State. I think there is a noticeable trend through history: every time the Church goes to bed with a government, it wakes up corrupt and compromised. Many Christians have vocally defined America as a “Christian” nation. My opinion is that the combination of this label and our nation’s foreign policies has closed many, many, more people’s hearts to the gospel than there are Christians in America. Why? Because the person of Christ is confused with America’s political agenda and Western culture. It’s just not fair to ask a Muslim to believe in a Jesus that comes wrapped in an American flag and Hollywood culture. The message of Christianity is fundamentally compromised anytime it becomes inseparable from a nation’s government.

So I lean toward a radical separation of Church and State, because this is more compatible with a vision of the Kingdom that is universal to all people at all times. But I admit this raises a whole new set of questions, many of which I don’t have answers. How should the church and state interact? How can believers serve in governments? How do we separate without withdrawing? How do we understand God’s authority in governments? How can we simultaneously be “Kingdom” citizens and “American” citizens? And so on.

I’m still thinking about these things. But let me present an argument for separation of church and state. Consider this:

-What is the number one priority for every government?

I could be wrong, but I’m going to say self preservation. A government must first exist before it can accomplish any other agenda, good or bad. For example, consider what John McCain said during his victory speech after the Florida primaries: Most importantly, I promise you again, I will always put America-her strength, her ideals, her future-before every other consideration. (emphasis mine) McCain is just stating the the priority of every president of every government in the world: put your government’s interests above everything else.

-What is the number one priority for a follower of Christ?

Well, I’m sure the theologians could argue about this, but I’m going to say it is to love-even to the point of self-sacrifice. Certainly that is the example that Jesus set for us. But maybe for the sake of clarity, we could just echo Jesus and say that the number one priority of a follower of Christ is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt. 22:37-39)

So we have two very different sets of priorities, which by their very nature must be opposed to each other at times. But let’s make this really practical and look at what Jesus did and taught, and what America, supposedly the most Christian nation on earth, has done.

First, consider these familiar words of Jesus and the apostles:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Mt. 5:9)

You have heard that is was said, and eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the left as well. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (Mt. 5:38-41)

You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Mt. 5:43-44)

Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt. 16:25)

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Do what is right in the eyes of everyone. As much as it depends on you, live at peace with all. (Rm. 12:17-18)

This is what we have heard from the beginning: we should love one another. Anyone who does not love remains in death. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for others. If anyone sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? We need to love with action and truth. (1 Jn. 11-18)

You get the idea. Love is the central theme of the life of Christ. Jesus taught and lived radical love-even unto death, and we should do the same. This is the very opposite of self-preservation, at the cost of others.

Now consider the following statistics, taken from Brian McLaren’s book Everything Must Change. While it is true that these statistics do not

totally define the United States as a nation, they do, at the very least, say a lot about our priorities.

1. Since 1940, the US alone has spent $5.48 trillion developing nuclear weapons.

2. The US spends $100 million per day “to keep its weapons poised and ready for use in a preemptive strike.”

3. 20% of our fiscal budget is for military.

4. Half of our US national debt is military-related ($2.9 of $5.6 trillion).

5. In 2003 the US military budget exceeded the next fifteen nations combined.

6. US spends 2 billion dollars per day on military.

7. If we invested 10% of our military budget in foreign aid and development, we alone could cover the basic needs of the world’s poor.

I don’t know about you, but I find those statistics to be seriously disturbing. I know it’s not really fair to simplify everything down to this simple comparison-certainly the United States has done some very good things too. In some aspects, our government is based on Christian ideals. But in many ways, it’s not-and it never will be, unless we are willing to throw self-preservation to the wind, lay down our arms, and embrace our enemies. I don’t think that’s going to happen. (But it is happening, all over the world, by people who are putting allegiance to Christ above allegiance to the power structures of this world. That’s what the Kingdom is all about.) Every Christian in America needs to at least consider that the Kingdom that Jesus represents is different from the national interests of the United States. Jesus is not an American. If we reduce Him to this level then Christianity is in danger of being perceived as little more than the nationalistic religion of an empire that thinks a lot of itself. And that is harmful not only to Christianity, but to every American as well. We need something greater than ourselves to believe in.

I’ve been following the presidential campaign, though not as obsessively as its been covered by the media. But it’s been interesting to see the different personalities, and for some reason this time around I’m really interested to see how it all turns out. I’m not sure who I would actually vote for at this stage, but it is still early, at least by my standards.

I guess I would consider myself to be an independent. Though I tend to be more conservative, I lean left on issues like foreign policy, the environment, and health care. It’s kind of an awkward position to be in; I don’t really identify with either Republicans or Democrats. Mostly it just disgusts me that in the past the Republican Party has “used” evangelicals to do some very un-Christ-like things, and that many evangelicals were foolish enough to go along for the ride solely because of two issues: abortion and homosexuality. Thankfully, I think those days are over; George W. put the nail in that coffin, at least for me and many others my age. I predict that the Republican party may look very different in five or ten years, once they realize that they have disenchanted a lot of young people.

But that’s not just a dig at the Republican party-I have no doubt that the Democrats would do the same if they could. Christians need to wake up and realize that if we are waiting for a government that will legislate the Kingdom of God-well, it isn’t going to happen. Governments can bring order and even legislate against evil, but they can’t legislate loving your neighbor, or give you the power to do so. Like I told my friends in war-torn Burundi, there’s a big difference between an absence of war, which is the best they could hope for the government to accomplish, and peace: the fullness of life, the forgiveness, acceptance, and reconciliation that can only come through Christ. The same is true for nearly every issue. A well-reformed health care system is important and (believe me) something to be very thankful for, but you can’t legislate compassion or wholeness of spirit. Immigration reform may be necessary, but the government is helpless in addressing the deeper issue of why we all can’t just get along.

Don’t get me wrong-I’m not saying that participating in the political process is pointless. But I am saying that we’re not limited to only this. As Christians we operate with a different sort of power, and our hope for change should lie in a different source. Incidentally, this fact is a lot easier to understand in countries where the general population has suffered greatly under a tyrannical government. But here in America, where we are enticed with the promise of democratic change, it’s a lot easier to forget this and put our hope solely in politics.

For example, it’s disheartening for me to see that we keep fighting what I consider to be superficial battles, like getting prayer back in public schools, displaying the ten commandments, preventing gay rights, and even abortion. Sure, it would be great if the grotesque practice of abortion was made illegal in America. But do we really believe that all the structures, the relationships, the boundaries-all the complex social issues that lie under the surface of every decision to have an abortion-that all these things will work out on their own, just by the signing of a bill? Of course not. If a law was passed today that made getting an abortion illegal, my guess is that the abortion rate would probably only drop slightly-because the deeper social issues cannot be resolved politically. As Christians we should already be bringing transformation in these areas; reaching out to the women in need, restoring families, modeling relationship, opening our homes to orphans, etc… Of course, this is happening to some degree. But my point is that we’ve made political success the standard of change, not Kingdom success. Another painful example: homosexuality and gay rights. Some leading evangelicals have decided to make this a political issue, but their attempts to bring political change have largely failed. However, in the process, what they have managed to do is send a message loud and clear to homosexuals: “Jesus doesn’t love you, and you’re not welcome in our churches.” How sad. I wonder if things would be different today if from the very beginning we started with the truth: “Jesus does love you, and I don’t have to understand you or even agree with you to show you the same love that He’s shown me.”

Change seems to be the buzzword of the presidential election. And I do hope that our new president will bring some positive change. But whatever change that may be, it’s going to be limited-not just because there will be empty promises and partisan bickering, but because politicians and political parties are fundamentally limited in what they can accomplish. Jesus, on the other hand, isn’t. If we do the things that Jesus did, we will see more than change; we’ll see transformation. Ghandi, who knew a thing or two about social movements and transformation, said it much better: “Be the change you want to see.”

I’ve never been one for making New Year’s resolutions. I understand the idea, and maybe it works for some people. But generally I just try and resolve to change when I become aware that I need to. If I waited until January 1, well, that could make for a rough year (especially for Becka!) But one thing I do every year around January is remind myself to do the following, which is more of a lifestyle choice than a resolution: when presented with a choice, always choose the option that will lead to a new experience.

In other words, be intentional about doing new things, going new places, meeting new people, etc. My personality is such that I’m not sure this comes naturally to me, but I still try. I have a goal of going to at least one new country every year. That may seem ridiculous, but hey, it’s not much of a stretch for what we do. For example, when we were working in Burundi, I got an offer to teach in Congo. I knew the bus ride would be hell, I would get hassled at the borders, it was going to cost me financially, and any number of things could go wrong. But I did it, because the positives out weighed the negatives: Becka and I had a unique experience together, I met some amazing people, I saw new places, thought new thoughts, got more experience teaching, etc- you get the idea. I’m a better person because of it, and this principle can be applied to so many of the choices we have in life. Sure, our choices are limited by money, obligations, relationships, practicalities, safety, etc. But everyone has some choice-even if it is as seemingly insignificant as taking a new route to work, trying out a new class, or buying a different brand of cereal. This is one of the major ways that we grow, through new experiences. Yet I’ve found if I’m not intentional about it, I’ll stick to what I’m comfortable with.

One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain, who said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” How true-but it’s not just true for geographical travel, it’s true for new experiences in general. You don’t have to have a hundred visa stamps for this to work; it could be as simple as checking out a new book at the library. I’ve heard it said that poverty is a lack of choices. There’s definitely some truth to that. I’ve traveled enough to know that being a middle class American has afforded me a range of choices that most people in this world don’t have. But I’ve also noticed that the vast majority of people don’t work with the choices they do have. I’ve seen it in every culture. I’ve met people who live next to the finest game parks in the world, filled with some of the most amazing animals in the world, which they could visit for next to nothing-but they’ve never gone. I’ve met villagers who have never visited the village just down the road, simply because they chose not to. I’ve met people who have lived in the shadows of beautiful mountains, but never climbed them. I’ve watched as a group of Americans, visiting Africa, sat in a circle and talked about their favorite TV shows while ten feet away a group of Africans carried on their own discussion. The two worlds chose to keep to themselves, and both were poorer because of it. I always go to the same restaurants and order the same thing. I’ve met Christians who live next door to Muslims but have never talked to them or even asked about their beliefs. There are people who could afford to go anywhere, but have never left their own state. Becka met a girl in California who had lived less than an hour from the ocean her entire life, but had never seen it. I could go on and on. The point is this: Yes, we all have limitations and obligations. But we all have some choices, even if they are seemingly insignificant or small. In other words, we can all choose to expand our worlds and grow through new experiences. In this sense, our worlds are as large or as small as we want them to be.

Bottom line: I’ve never regretted choosing to deviate from a routine to try something new. But I have plenty of regrets about missed opportunities-places I just drove by when I could have stopped, people I ignored, books I wanted to read and didn’t, mountains I left unclimbed. That’s why I’ve resolved to try and make the most of the opportunities that come my way.