If I may take a moment to speak politically for a few moments. Sunday is the scheduled election in Iraq. We should all be praying for a safe election for the people of Iraq, and pray for a stable future for the country.
That being said, let us not get too caught up in the moment. President Bush would have us think that freedom is on the march. But let us not confuse democracy and freedom. As the movie Patriot states, "Why would I trade one tyrant 3,000 miles away for the 3,000 tyrants 1 mile away?" Democracy is not a synonym for freedom. One brief look at America should tell you that fact. There are many ‘freedoms’ that we do not enjoy. The government requires we pay into their retirement program, the government requires that no religion, or more specifically Christianity, be taught in government schools. They limit how I give my money to political candidates, they tell us what a ‘hate’ crime is and what it is not. Other countries that have constitutions and democracy like Canada and France are even better examples. Canada has banned ‘hate speech’ or any speaking out against homosexuality. France has banned religious symbols worn by children at schools. No crosses, no stars of David, no head dresses, nothing. All in the name of democracy, constitutions and freedom.
True freedom is not brought with the sword or even the Abrams Tank or the Apache helicopter. It is brought only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the truth of Jesus, Iraq will be in the same state it was prior to the war. Enslaved to sin, with rulers enslaved to sin, in a culture that loves only sin. Sure, it will be better politically, and it is always good to have madmen removed from power, but it is not the same as freedom.
So let us pray and watch the elections in Iraq, but remember that the true battle for freedom is not over. The spiritual battle is being fought by the church, by our Christian brothers and sisters who proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ in Iraq. True freedom can only be brought by preaching, by witnessing, and by the power of God.
So many of you Reformed types I find to be fuzz-brained politically ("Vote Constitution Party!" "Bush doesn't understand/won't do anything about [insert pet theological/social issue peeve] thus we're better off with a liberal rather than fooling ourselves that the Republicans understand what's most important!" or just full-blown liberal garbage). When I first stumbled across your blog I was pleasantly surprised that you didn't seem to suffer from this. This latest post makes me question that initial assessment somewhat... /c
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to make claims for one party or another here. I really am not even attacking the President. The Iraq war was good, it was needed. But, I do think that we as Christians cannot get caught up in the rhetoric. The Iraq election is not freedom. Freedom is not democracy. Democracy without Christianity turns into the French Revolution. Freedom comes only from the gospel. Will the Iraq election pave the way for Christian churches, I hope and pray so. I just wanted to remind everyone that freedom comes from Jesus Christ not military force or a ballot box.
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