Gary discusses celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell, Robin Wright, and Ryan Gosling who have decided to move away from the United States for political reasons.
Jesus told His early disciples that they would be “brought before governors and kings for His sake” (Matt. 10:18), and they were as the book of Acts makes clear. The apostle Paul declared, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). When Paul was brought before the civil officials of Rome, he was obligated, for he was under compulsion by God, to preach the gospel. King Agrippa was confronted with the claims of Jesus Christ and responded by saying, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Paul responds by saying, “I pray to God that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains” (v. 29).
It is not enough to have “conservative” rulers who implement a pragmatic approach to governing. Christians should be working for Christian leaders whose lives are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ and who seek to make the Word of God “in terms of its civil principles” applicational to civil government.
Civil governments have the responsibility to punish evil doers and promote the good. The task of civil governments at all levels is to exercise their limited but necessary authority in their jurisdictions and settle disputes between conflicting jurisdictions. When disputes and/or crimes are committed, the civil magistrates at all levels of governance must act swiftly and justly. The standard of judgment is the Word of God, “for it [the God-ordained authority] is a minister of God to you for good” (Rom. 13:4). Notice that Paul declares that the civil magistrate is required to be minister to you for “good.” Paul has a biblical moral order in mind when he speaks about the operation of those in a civil capacity.
In the Old Testament, priests and judges who were experts in the law of God instructed the king on how he should apply the details of the law to various civil issues (Deut. 17:8–12, 18–20). Unfortunately, the church no longer sees its calling as prophetic. Of course, there are those in the civil sphere who despise the absolutes of God’s Word and anyone who would hold them accountable.
Restoring the Foundation of Civilization
There are many Christians who will not participate in civilization-building efforts that include economics, journalism, politics, education, and science because they believe (or have been taught to believe) these areas of thought are outside the realm of what constitutes a Christian worldview. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Buy NowGary discusses celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell, Robin Wright, and Ryan Gosling who have decided to move away from the United States for political reasons. Gary points out that not only are these people multimillionaires and able to do such things, what they are really doing is what is best for them, not for the underrepresented people that they claim to care about.