I have always been a big fan of Sci-Fi Fantasy, and one of the central ideas that permeates much of this genre is the balance of good and evil. If the light fades, darkness grows, and it will continue to grow without the light pushing back. In religion there’s yin and yang; the idea that there’s a little light in the dark and a little dark in the light. In Zoroastrianism, the forces of good and evil are in a kind of dance, and there’s no guarantee that good will triumph over evil. Religion is supposed to be a force for good, but we know from history that this isn’t always true. The lure of worldly power is what Satan uses to tempt/test Jesus; it is enticing, the idea that we can make changes for the better if we play along with the powers that be.
I have watched as the Christian faith has struggled with the offer of power from those in political control. There have been numerous books written in the last 20 years pointing to this problem; two I am reading now are “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremists” by Tim Alberta and “American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel & Threatens the Church” by Andrew Whitehead. I recommend these to you, but there are many other really smart people addressing this danger.
This opposition to these threats to our country and my religion are not repudiations of either. The corruption of power and authority has always been here, waiting to bring faithful people in line. If we were tempted like Jesus was, the words would be similar: elect me and I will pick people to vote for what you want. Give me power and you can sit beside me. People of faith are as impatient as everyone else; when we see things moving slowly, we can, or might, take any advantage that helps make our side win. Even the words our side show how wrong this is. By doing that, we add to the division instead of promoting unity. We give a little of ourselves away every time we try to use God to our advantage against those who believe and think differently than we do. We pervert the message and side with the destructive powers and principalities. And as Lord Acton so famously said, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When people who say they believe in God contribute so a particular political ideology can win, they aid that ideology in its desire for tyranny and power. Instead of serving God, they are serving themselves and the powers that would destroy the Church and democracy.
Followers of Jesus need to remember that He was murdered by those in political power – the Roman Empire, not the poor or non-religious. Jesus was offered worldly power for a reason – so He would stop working to heal the world for God and bring people together. In Matthew 16, Jesus said, in response to Peter getting in His way “What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your life?” He also called Peter Satan. Jesus understood firsthand just how dangerous worldly power was. We should take Him at His word. If we put self above God, we will be corrupted.
Prayer – It is so tempting, God, to believe that getting in line with the powerful will aid Your kingdom. Show us the error of our ways and heal our greed and selfishness. Amen.
Today’s art is a statue of Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Nationalist.