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Higher Things
13 e 20 sid gs In in fo Th In er ce gh ren OM Hi nfe FR Co
A TOPICAL ISSUE:
W I N T E R
CHURCH AND STATE
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Seek Serve
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For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
luke 19:10
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Become a missionary. 1 week, 2 months, 1 year, a career.
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Contents T A B L E O F
Higher Things is pleased to offer once again an issue of the magazine that is oriented around a single topic: Church and State. With bitter and divisive elections just past, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade which legalized elective abortion, “Obamacare,” gay marriage, and so many other issues, what is a Christian to believe? How are Christ’s holy people to think and act? Do we stay out of it all? Do we get engaged in politics? We are citizens of God’s kingdom and of our earthly nations. How do the two relate? The articles in this issue of Higher Things will help you answer those questions while doing what Higher Things always does, pointing you to Christ. We live as Christians, trusting in Jesus, as well as being citizens of our countries, living out our callings in love and service to those around us. Thanks again to our awesome Editor, Katie Micilcavage, both for the topic idea as well as the hard work of putting together another great issue of Higher Things Magazine! – Rev. Mark Buetow, Media Services Executive, Higher Things
4 The Only Christian Nation
By Rev. Mark Buetow So are we a “Christian” nation? Are we a “secular” nation? Well, maybe there’s another choice. Rev. Buetow explains how we can Scripturally view America by understanding the two kingdoms.
6 What If My Guy Lost?
By Rev. George F. Borghardt No doubt about it: The results of the November 6th election managed to throw many people for a loop. Fear not! Rev. Borghardt brings his pastoral words of comfort and wisdom to bear and reminds us that the great news is God is still good and God is still in control.
8 Do Religion and Politics Mix?
By Rev. William Cwirla Normally religion and politics are taboo topics in our conversations. There are those who go further and believe those areas should never overlap in our daily living. Rev. Cwirla demonstrates how to manage and balance these two areas through the filter of Luther’s two kingdom theology.
10 Christian Activism?
By Maggie Karner Is there a place for activism in the life of the Christian? That’s a resounding YES! Mrs. Karner carefully explains how Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms compels us that involvement in social activism is not just recommended, it’s vital as we live as Christians in, yet not of this world.
12 But It’s Not Fair!
By Sandra Ostapowich We live in a society that clamors around the concept of equal rights. Yet in the scheme of things and if we are truly honest with ourselves, Jesus got the short end of the stick in that game when He took on flesh and died for us. Be encouraged in your vocations at church, at home or anywhere, as Ms. Ostapowich reminds us of the reality of equal rights for the Christian.
14 The Church and State and God’s Gifts
By Rev. Donavon Riley Rev. Riley cautions us against taking Scripture passages that were meant for the Old Testament nation of Israel and applying them to any other nation or time. Learn how such passages, specifically Psalm 85, apply to His people, the Church, no matter where or when they may be. God’s gift of the Gospel has been for His people throughout the ages.
22 Muhlenberg: How One Pastor Kept Politics out of the Pulpit
By Rick Ritchie Take a tour through the words of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg with Mr. Ritchie as your guide. You’ll soon see what a gifted pastor Muhlenberg was as he carefully navigated the dicey waters of the political climate of his time.
24 Islam: Mohammed and the Sword
By Rev. David Ramirez What makes Islam’s use of sharia law so diametrically opposed to Scripture? There is no Jesus there. Rev. Ramirez skillfully contrasts Islam’s twisting together of faith and government to God’s plan for church and state.
Regular Features
20 Christ on Campus Salvation and All That Cool Stuff
By Magdalena Teske Don’t public officials talk about God all the time? Sure they often do, but that doesn’t mean that they are necessarily spokespeople for God. Magdalena shows through her experience in a college course that this indeed not the case because they usually lack one very critical message: Our greatest blessing is the gift of salvation in Christ.
28 Catechism Three Orders
By Rev. William M. Cwirla What’s God plan for your life? It’s no mystery, according to Rev. Cwirla, who takes us once again into the heart of another solid catechism study and simplifies what life tries to make so very complicated.
30 Bible Study
“Only One Christian Nation” Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies that links up with Rev. Buetow’s article on P. 4.
Correction: Author Barbara Helmkamp, Ph.D. wishes to issue the following technical correction to her article, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Part 2 (Fall 2012): The second sentence of the 7th paragraph should read: “First, it predicts too much matter and energy for the universe as a whole.”
Front Cover: Ecce Homo [Behold the Man] by Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506) tempera on canvas 54 × 72 cm (21.3 × 28.3 in) Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, France
HigherThings
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Volume 12/Number 4/Winter 2012 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Katie Micilcavage Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Copy Editors
Lu Fischer Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors
Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. John Drosendahl Rev. Sam Schuldheisz Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson IT Staff
Stan Lemon Jon Kohlmeier Conference Coordinator
Sandra Ostapowich ___________
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Rev. William Cwirla Vice-President
Rev. Brent Kuhlman Treasurer
Chris Loemker Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Rev. Jonathan Fisk Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Chris Rosebrough ___________
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Rev. George Borghardt Business Executive
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Rev. Mark Buetow Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2012. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings. org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/ magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
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What Happens When Your Guy Loses? By Rev. George F. Borghardt
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I voted for Mitt Romney. I didn’t like all of his policies, but the more I listened to him, the more I thought that he was the right man for the job. I even donated to his presidential campaign—something that I had never done before.
I pored over every article I could find. I yelled at my TV during the debates like they were sporting events. I obsessed over the news shows. I started DVRing them. I know, really? Yeah, I was that guy. As we got closer to Election Day, I couldn’t sleep. I wanted so much for Mitt Romney to win. I prayed for him. Prayed for our country. I prayed for everything but the Lord’s will to be done. We elect our leaders in America. It’s one of the things that makes our country great. We decide. We choose. We select every part of our government—from the city councilman to the president of the whole United States of America. And so, I voted early. I would have voted often, if that were possible. I didn’t because that would have been wrong. Then, election night was finally upon us and I was glued to the TV as the returns came in. And I was just stunned. My guy, my prayers, lost. Our Lord gives us our leaders. He appoints them. He’s the One who puts them in their places as His servants. Sometimes He gives us what we want and what we would choose for ourselves. Other times, He evaluates us justly and places authorities over us to carry out His judgment. The entire government, every leader— from the sheriff in our community to our congressman and our president—He gives to us as a gift. And because it’s a gift, that means that He’s going to work it all out for maximum Gospel-ness for us and those around us.
Our guy wins and it’s a gift. Our guy doesn’t and it’s a gift, too. How can it not be? The Father sent His Son to be crucified by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for our sins and the sins of all creation. This is not some concession speech by someone who is trying to comfort himself in defeat, nor am I writing these things begrudgingly like a young child forced to eat his Brussels sprouts. No, this is the rock-certain confession that God is good to us in all things. Good in victory. Good in defeat. Good when our guy wins. Good when he loses. Christ took the defeat of the Cross and used it to save us. He must work this out for our good and the good of our country. We are given to receive these things from our Father as a gift. Pray for our country, our leaders, and for President Obama. Be good citizens and pay your taxes. For no leader is our leader, no president is our president, no senator our senator apart from the Father’s putting them there. Our guy loses in His love and mercy. Our guy wins in that same goodness. That’s the good news! The Father who didn’t spare His own Son in doing good for us certainly will work out all things for our good. He is working all of this out for the good of His people. You’ll see. I will, too. Rev. George F. Borghardt is the senior pastor at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois, and serves as the Deputy and Conference Executives of Higher Things. His email address is revborghardt@higherthings.org.
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By Maggie Karner
Photo courtesy The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/Frank Kohn
I vividly remember my first time in the voting booth.
Even to this day I still get a little choked up with patriotism as I wait in line to vote every Election Day. Like me, most Christians understand the blessing of our representative form of government and exercise their God-given responsibility as citizens to vote. But many Christians feel there should be a clear separation between their secular life and their Christian life. They were told never to discuss the controversial topics of religion or politics at the dinner table and, if one was socially considerate, never to tackle the two topics together. They see passages such as John 17:16 and Romans 12:2, which tell us that Christians are in this world, but not of this world, as a signal that Christians, and likewise the Church, need to butt out of the public arena. In light of these passages, what role, if any, should the Church and individuals play in the political arena?
Dr. Robert Benne, author and Director of the Roanoke College Center for Religion and Society, argues in his book Good and Bad Ways to Think About Religion and Politics, that our founding fathers determined that the free exercise of religion was our “first freedom” because they recognized that true and active religious practice would shape our culture with good morals and virtuous citizens. In fact, this “free exercise” has been a catalyst for Christian activism throughout American history; religiously motivated people and churches fueled the fight for the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and our contemporary pro-life movement. In today’s society, Christians are faced with serious issues that require our utmost attention— and sometimes our activism. Unfortunately, our government has created legislation that threatens the church’s ability to preach the Gospel. Consider the following: 1) The repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” puts our military chaplains in difficult positions. 2) The U.S. Department of Justice is refusing to uphold DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act, a U.S. federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman). 3) Religious organizations and employers are being forced to comply with a U.S. Health and Human Services mandate on supplying abortifacient contraceptives to employees or face a steep fine if they refuse. If the church doesn’t speak out on these issues today, we may not have the ability to do so tomorrow. Martin Luther brought a unique clarity to this discussion which was just as volatile a topic in his world as it is today. As both a theologian and a student of the law, Luther was uniquely qualified to understand and explain God’s providential purpose for both the secular and the religious functions of our society through his doctrine of the two kingdoms (or realms). Luther explained that God works through the kingdom of the left (or civic and government functions) to maintain civil order and a just society so that the kingdom of the right (the body of Christ and His church) can operate more effectively in a free society where the freedom to proclaim the Gospel is maintained. Likewise, when the Church is given the freedom to demonstrate Christian compassion toward our neighbor (mercy work), it supports and promotes a just and effective social society.
This teaching stands in sharp contrast to other Christian groups who either shun civic work altogether or believe that their purpose is to “Christianize” our government and political system. To the contrary, Luther says that we should not confuse the two kingdoms and that each kingdom has been ordained by God for a specific purpose on earth. So can a Lutheran Christian be active in both kingdoms? “Absolutely,” says Rev. Bart Day, Executive Director of LCMS Office of National Mission,“as long as we recognize and understand within which kingdom we are working.” He notes that the Scriptures speak clearly on moral issues, which fall under the left-hand kingdom of the law. Civil society and the government should help put parameters on morality in a civil society. However, in a sinful world our society often fails to do so. Abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage are examples. The church encounters these questions frequently and must have the freedom to speak on them within the church and society. Pastor Day explains that when politics shape and form or change the moral fiber and ethos of the society in which the church lives, then the church has a clear responsibility to speak out. In fact, Luther would advocate for Christians to be very involved in the moral discussions found within the civic realm. “Though we be active in the battle,” Luther said, “if we are not fighting where the battle is the hottest, we are traitors to the cause.” He understood that Christians must exercise bold leadership in bringing about a just and compassionate order to society. Luther recognized that in such a moral and just society, the church is best able to provide mercy and care for our neighbor and enjoy the freedom to preach the saving and forgiving Gospel of the forgiveness of sins for Jesus’ sake. To be sure, both of these can be done when the culture is hostile to Christ’s church, but it is a great joy and blessing when the church can do so in peace. Maggie Karner is the Director of Life and Health Ministries at the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Her work with the LCMS involves directing the church body’s strategy for international and national health and pro-life projects.She can be reached at maggie.karner@lcms.org
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