As we approach the celebration of
Independence Day, American Christians, who celebrate not only our political
freedoms in this country, but also the freedom we have in Christ, should
continue to ask what the role of church is in society.
What does it mean for Christians to be
in the world, but not of the world? How
do we remain faithful to our Christian confession and identity, but also engage
the culture around us? These are
important questions for us to consider, and they have been questions of
considerable debate among Christians since the time of the early church.
There are some Christians who view the
relationship the church should have with the culture around it as one of
separation, isolation, and abandonment.
Inherent in this approach is an understanding of the world as evil and
culture as the tool of evil. The world
is a very evil place, full of evil ideas, and thus Christians should separate
themselves, isolate themselves, and, to some extent, abandon the culture.
A second approach is one in which
Christians confront culture with power and judgment. Those who take this approach seek to use
power, especially political power, to force what they believe to be Christian
ideals onto the culture. Indeed, these
types of groups would like to force Christianity itself on to culture. In America, these individuals and groups
equate Christian ideals with American values, and, to a great extent, it is the
latter that perhaps influences the former.
A third way that Christians have
defined this relationship to culture is to embrace culture without any thought
for the inherent biblical tension that lies between the Christian gospel and the
culture. This view is a weak, ‘namby pamby”
mentality that places hope solely in the togetherness of humanity. However, it
fails to recognize sin and evil in our world, and it fails to see that culture
has its inherent problems.
But is this all there is? Or, is there another approach; one through
which Christians do not separate themselves from the world, do not seek to have
power over the world, and do not cower down to the point of having no prophetic
voice in the world?
In Jeremiah 29:1-7 we find a letter
from the prophet Jeremiah written to the exiles in Babylon. As is well known among scholars and lay
people alike, the Babylonian Exile had a tumultuous effect on the people of
Judah. This deportation from their homeland,
with the last deportation taking place in 586 B.C.E., coupled with the
destruction of the temple that same year, brought a sense of despair and
hopeless.
It is to these exiles that Jeremiah writes
his pastoral letter found in Jeremiah 29.
His reasons for doing so seem to be to counter the idea that was being
propagated by others that this current ordeal would be short-lived. In their prophetic utterances, the exile
would be over soon and God would return them to their land.
Jeremiah writes, however, to oppose
this understanding of God’s purposes.
This exile from their land, Jeremiah tells them, will not be
short-lived, and he instructs them to build, plant, marry, and multiply. In other words, he calls on them to do the
things they would normally do.
Yet, these are not instructions given
to temporary residents of a city.
Refugees don’t do these kinds of activities as if life was normal. But these are instructions given by someone
who understands that this exile was going to last for an extended period of time.
There is, however, something that
Jeremiah says in his letter that may have confused and angered even his most
loyal followers. Jeremiah also instructs
the captives to “Seek the welfare of the city” (29:7).
The English word welfare, found in the NRSV, translates the Hebrew word shalom, a familiar word even to those of
us who may not read or speak Hebrew. This
term carries with it a richness of ideas, such as peace, prosperity, well
being, and wholeness. And, if we
understand the use of shalom here to
mean something along these lines, then perhaps we might also capture its
meaning by using the expression the common good.
In this sense, Jeremiah not only commanded
the exiles to settle down in Babylon and to build, plant, marry and multiply,
he also called them to do more than simply wait out the exile in isolation and
separation or in judgment and intolerance.
Rather, he called on them to seek the common good, not only for
themselves, but also for their captors.
In many respects, the Christian
tradition has utilized the historic exile of Judah as a metaphorical exile of
God’s people in the world. Indeed, as
Peter states in one of his letters, Christians are aliens and strangers in this
land we call the world (1 Peter 2:11).
The assumption is that this earth is not our home, and the hope that we
maintain, based on the biblical idea of a future existence with God, lingers in
our hearts and minds. But until that distant
future becomes a reality, we exist here in the now of this world, of this
society, and of this culture.
We can take the position of some who
practice isolation, separation, and abandonment of culture. Or, we can relate to this culture with force
and power through intolerance, judgment and coercion. And we may even choose to shrink from our
call to be God’s people in the world by quieting our prophet voice. But none of these are authentic biblical
responses.
The most faithful relationship we can
have to our country and culture is the do what we can to seek the common good
for all. That, of course, is not an easy
task, but it seems to be our clarion call from God, particularly as that call
is revealed in the teachings of Jesus that command us to love others, to be
peacemakers, to work for justice, and to bear witness to the God who is on the
side of the oppressed. Seeking the
common good, or seeking the shalom of
the city, or in the case of American Christians, our country, is possibly the
most authentic way to be God’s people in our culture.
So, as we celebrate Independence Day by being
thankful for our freedom as Americans and as Christians, let us be reminded
that we have a responsibility to both God and our fellow Americans to seek the welfare
of all.
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