An interesting parallel between federal officials and Christians developed after the high school murders in Colorado. Did you notice how federal officials blamed "the guns?" After showing us pictures of murdered children we were then told that, "Guns murder children! It's the guns fault! We need more gun control laws!"

Well, since 1973, political special interest groups have been telling the Church in America the same thing concerning the murder of babies in the womb. After showing us pictures of murdered babies we are then told that, "Abortion procedures murder babies! It's the abortion procedures fault! We need more abortion control laws!"

Caught-up in all this irrational sensationalism good-hearted Christians give these political special interest groups hundreds of millions of dollars to lobby for abortion procedure control regulation: In the 70's it was no abortion procedures except in the cases of "rape, incest, or the life of the mother." In the 80's, it was the Hyde Amendment. Also, various states began introducing "parental consent and notification abortion procedure controls." In the 90's it is the "Partial-birth abortion procedure ban." And a seemingly endless parade of regulatory controls on "the sale and distribution of abortifaicents." Of course, none of these abortion (procedure control) regulations actually obtain justice for the 4,500 babies that are murdered everyday by arresting and convicting the murderers.

Ignoring Justice

After watching well intentioned but misguided Christians feel good about themselves over frivolous regulations that ignore the administration of justice, who can question the Gentiles' warm fuzzy feelings over nonsensical regulations to stop the murder of postnatal children? Not Christians! By supporting incremental legislative initiatives that compromise the administration of justice, Christians have been doing the same thing concerning the murder of prenatal children for years.

Twenty years ago when Christians charged into the political arena, someone should have stood up and said, "If you are embarrassed about what the law of God says, then don't get involved in politics!" Today, that's the problem. Starting in the early 70's modern Christian political special interest groups, and their state affiliates, adopted a political strategy from the world called Incrementalism.

However, the incremental strategy adopted by these Christian political special interest groups does not represent "incrementalism" in its truest form. Trusting in the political power of their own hand, they also believed the only way to bring social change is to compromise their message to appeal to non-Christians. So from a Biblical perspective, this political strategy can only be identified as Compromising Incrementalism: The same activity that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for in Matthew 15: 6, "Thus have ye made the commandments of God of none effect by your tradition."

After nearly thirty years of failed legislative initiatives, a number of Christian leaders like Paul Weyrick, of the Free Congress Foundation, and syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, are finally offering some legitimate criticism against the Christian Right and its failed political strategy. Although I respect these men, I don't believe their criticism goes deep enough to strike at the heart of the problem. Both men are very adept in telling us what is broken, but they don't tell us how to fix it.

Where is the Salt?

Instead, they have given the impression, in recent books and articles, that because the "political process has failed us," it's all right for evangelical Christians involved in the political process to now "withdraw." Of course, such impressions appeal more to the larger number of Christians that have never been involved in the political process, who now use Weyrick's and Thomas' statements to justify their unconspicuousness - which is a Christian character flaw absent of any light or salt in the world.

First of all, the facts show that the "political process" has not failed us! What has failed us is advocating "transforming the culture through political power," or, "re-Christianizing America through politics." Salvation NEVER comes through politics. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and people do not get it any other way!

All through the New Testament, we see how the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, Stephen, James, Peter, and Paul became intertwined with the political process of the nation[s] as an unavoidable means of witnessing the Word of God to unbelievers and calling them to repentance of sin. I say it's "unavoidable" because when Christians publicly proclaim Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the midst of an unrepentant nation, they will "unavoidably" come into direct conflict with that nation's political process - just like Jesus promised (Luk.12: 8, 11-12).

So, from a first century Church perspective, the political process of every nation is seen as a tool to be used to allow Christians public access to unrepentant magistrates, to call them to repentance of sin and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them - which is the mark of true Christian activism.

Positive Influence?

What kind of positive legislative influence did Christians have in the first century? None! The "first century Church" was seen as a minority religion under the domination of a pagan empire, much like Biblical Christianity is seen in America today. Through the process of changing the hearts of men by preaching the Word of God, it took centuries for Christians to have meaningful social and political influence.

Church history tell us that when Christians began entering into the political process of civil law, the Church took it very seriously, much more seriously than Christians do today. In the year A.D. 692, from the "Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church," Canon LXXI of Quinisext, declared in part, "Those who are taught the civil law must not adopt the customs of the Gentiles." and, "Whoever devotes himself to the study of the law, uses the manner of the Gentiles..., shall be cut off."

Note that the Church here speaks of the ungodly as Gentiles. From a historical Church perspective, Christians saw themselves as the true Israel of God. As the true Israel of God, Christians held that no law is possible apart from God's Biblical law. To be Christian meant to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, and the Bible as their King's law-book.

Now with regard to both Biblical and early Church history, the political strategy of "Compromising Incrementalism," the trademark of the Christian Right, is clearly a strategy adopted from the world in an attempt to influence hell-bent governments without requiring repentance of sin, and the administration of justice. So would the early Church leaders consider the political strategy of the Christian Right as committing Heresy? Heresy is, "A deliberate denial of revealed truth coupled with the acceptance of error."

Rejecting the Word?

First, the "revealed truth" is that abortion is murder (Ex. 20:13 & 21:22-23). On the other hand, the Christian Right's public legislative proposals deny the "revealed truth by attempting to regulate specific abortion procedures, while other abortion procedures are readily used to commit murder. Furthermore, NOWHERE in God's precepts, statutes, or commandments does it suggest that it is all right for Christians to place regulatory controls on particular methods of murder while murderers continue to use other means of killing, and the rights of the innocent victims are totally denied! In fact, CURSES "come upon" and "overtake" nations that refuse to administer justice (Deut.28:15).

So at the very least, the Christian Right's political strategy is un-Biblical, which explains why the political strategy has failed - and why I suggest that instead on withdrawing form the political process, the Christian Right should bring its political strategy under obedience to the commandments of God. But, "if you are embarrassed about what the law of God says, then don't get involved in politics."

Notice what the Prophet Samuel said to King Saul when he refused to obey the "voice of the Lord." "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (I Samuel 15:22-23).

Why am I so excited about using the "political process" as a "tool" to bring the knowledge of sin to the sinner by preaching "Biblical law?" Because it provides "public access" to call sinners to repentance of sin through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost (Lk.12:1-12)! And it works (Rom.3:19-20).

Preaching the Word of God, "changes hearts and saves lives," because God gets the glory, not man.

Jim Rudd
Washington, D.C., Director
Christian Street Preachers Alliance
email: editor@covenantnews.com