October 25, 2024
Faith and Politics
The past two Sundays we explored and discussed some general themes in the relationship between the Christian Faith and the political systems Christians find themselves within. It is a particularly pressing topic given the way faith in general, and the Christian faith in particular, are being presented in this election season. The Covenant provided a very helpful resource, which we drew upon for our two sessions. Here is the Covenant site.
The three particular resources we used are Biblical Justice, David French (scroll down to “How We Got Here”), and One Model. I hope they are helpful for you, whether they are new to you or not.
Biblical Justice: (youtube video link) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14THPoc4-4
How We Got Here: (video link) https://redeemingbabel.org/the-after-party/ (Scroll Down to “How We Got Here“)
One Model: (youtube video link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Upj0sQnJvg
One of the things we explored in our time together was that at the time our country was founded, ours would be the first Western government without a State Church. England had a State Church with a toleration for our Christian and non-Christian, religions, but we chose to have none. To make this clear the First Amendment begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” We take such freedoms for granted. Not so the first reformers.
Though, Luther was one of many people pushing for reforms within the Catholic Church in his day, he was the one who crossed the line, according to Rome, and was removed from the church. So Luther began his own movement, supported and protected by Prince Frederick of Wittenberg. Luther did not seek to be free from the state—or the past. In fact, Luther sought to restore what has been described the “five solas” of the Church, lost in the church of his day. These were sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). If these seem commonsensical to us it is because the Reformers and the generations that followed them have been very successful in preserving these priorities of the Christian faith.
In these rather fraught days leading up to the election, this Sunday we pause to celebrate the restoration of those elements of the faith we hold dear to us. And grounded in these five principles, we have a foundation to a faith that can withstand tumultuous days of upheaval and uncertainty, from 1517 to today and beyond. I hope to see you this Reformation Sunday.
Semper reformata—always reforming,
~ Pastor Todd