Contributed by Wes Keller
John MacArthur is one of the finest Christian scholar/pastors of our time. He is a respected author and radio teacher. He was recently interviewed by Ben Shapiro, a political pundit, also respected and well-known. Shapiro, an orthodox Jew, explores the rationale behind Christians and Jews’ involvement in politics. Both MacArthur and Shapiro acknowledge the Old Testament as God’s revelation to mankind, but Shapiro, as a Jew, does not acknowledge the validity of the New Testament. It is a captivating interview. MacArthur includes a succinct explanation of Christianity’s core elements, to include the centrality of Jesus Christ and the authority of Scripture. They mutually agree modern politics actively deals with real, moral issues of concern to both Christians and Jews.
However, I believe MacArthur seems to distance himself, and by implication Christianity, from too much political civic responsibility by prioritizing the church’s primary goal over any particular involvement in political issues. His separation of submission to the US constitution and submission to Divine authority seems an oversimplification to me. He uses scriptures like Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, and Acts 4, in ways implying Christianity and Judaism should not be too aggressively involved in changing (maintaining?) original constitutional values. He believes a revolution (including the American Revolution) is not a Christian action (minute 3:25). He also commented on the danger of the church chasing issues and politics to the point we forget what the church is to be about. But isn’t this true in any element of Christian community? While these points are defensible, I cannot resist suggesting there are some qualifications. I would argue it is the church’s responsibility to continue what our founding fathers gave so much to start.
Bible authors were not addressing an authority structure where every citizen holds a portion of the national sovereignty, no distinction was made between America and all previous government authority structures. “We the People” describes the sovereign authority established by God, which is very different than royalty – the distinction America built to honor. Biblical principles of course apply, but application is certainly not simple when we all hold a portion of the responsibility for the veracity of our laws. MacArthur also states the founders “were not Christians, but Deists” (minute 8:19)!
In spite of the fact that I respect and appreciate John MacArthur and have no doubt he is God’s servant, I admit to some frustration and perhaps defensiveness regarding our level of civic duty. I am painfully aware of my own inadequacy, so I rather tentatively write this review. To explain, I am a Christian very similar to MacArthur, and just as he stated he was called to preach, I am confident I was led by the same authority (Jesus Christ) to be a politician. I believe his definition of politics to be simplistic and insufficient (minute 2:30). I had to process the same Scriptures he uses from the context of having sworn to defend and uphold the constitution (“...so help me God”). I was elected by my constituents to not be passive or submissive on governing decisions consistent with my conscience and those I represented. Many times, I had to deal with having non-negotiable views on issues where I was clearly in the minority. By definition in America, passive submission is not a viable option! I also swore the same to serve in the US Air Force. In both roles, any authority I had was because I was “under” a higher human authority who was presumed to be under God’s authority. Both of these roles are compatible with Christianity under the authority of Jesus Christ. In America, “We the People” are sovereigns of a nation that is “one nation under God”. Our motto is, “In God We Trust”.
In these roles I had to merge unspiritual activities with religious priorities. An excruciating daily calendar demanded utmost attention for the majority of each working day... day after day. I presume there are many Christians who, while perhaps not swearing an oath, are led to use their talents and initiatives to govern or impact government (political or not): Attorneys, reporters, radio talk show hosts, lobbyists, soldiers, policemen, social workers, school teachers, soldiers, policemen... I propose the perspective of these Christians who are part of human government had better not be overly passive! I admit to wondering if MacArthur (and too many others) have forgotten the utter uniqueness of America... “we the people” individually hold a portion of the total sovereign responsibility. I respectfully disagree with MacArthur and believe this responsibility must be inevitably fulfilled in the context of “politics”.
To finish reading this article please visit my blog at WesKeller.com/respectful-disagreement.
Ben Shapiro interviews John MacArthur, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-ofKxfYqGw.
