Tag: political theology

So That Justice May Prevail

“Why, after all, do we have kings, rulers, magistrates and judges? It is so that men do not devour each other like cats and dogs; it is so that justice may prevail, so that the strongest do not get their own way, so that the poor and lowly are not trodden down and eaten up. That is why the order of justice has been set up. It cannot be denied that sometimes those charged with that responsibility do not always do their duty: they may oppress the good and protect the wicked. Nevertheless, to have some form of government is always in our interests. Supposing there was much serious evil, as is often the case—would to God we saw no such thing close at hand! And supposing there were tyrants, crooked individuals, leaders who were steeped in wickedness, who perverted religion and whose greed knew no bounds. Even so it is better to have a bad government than to have none at all. For if none existed, alas, what would become of us? It would be better if we disappeared into a bottomless pit!”

—John Calvin, trans. Robert White, Sermons on Titus (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2015), 231. Calvin said this while preaching on Titus 2:15-3:2.

Thousands of Time Machines

“Picture thousands, even tens of thousands, of time machines suddenly showing up all across the land. The nation gasps. News cameras crowd around them. Government officials and police forces quickly engage these strangers as they climb out of their time machines. It feels like a science-fiction movie about an alien invasion. Yet the people say they are from the future. They represent a coming kingdom, they explain. Interestingly, they speak English, dress like us, and otherwise seem pretty normal.

That said, they admit they want to change the way we live. It almost sounds like, well, what’s the word—colonization? For instance, they want to persuade everyone to join them and give primary allegiance to their king. “But no need to worry,” they contest. “We have no intentions of overthrowing the government. In fact, we will encourage people to obey the present government.” What they mean, though, is that they want people to obey the government for the sake of their king. That sounds a little risky. They also explain that each time machine will hold its own weekly meeting, where they will teach everyone who joins to live according to their king’s standards of justice and righteousness. As a result, yes, they expect some of their members will oppose some of our businesses and industries (though not by taking up arms). And they expect some of their members will work to change some of our laws (but mainly by working through the rules of the system). They conclude by telling us to think of their time-machine gatherings as embassies from the future that we are all hurtling toward, and that they are trying to give us a leg up on that future now.

Goodness gracious—what do we make of these strange people? Are they a political threat or not? Some of us feel like they aren’t. After all, they promise not to take up arms against the government. Others of us feel like they clearly are. They want people to identify with their king and to change the way people live.

Perhaps this illustration sounds far-fetched. But it’s exactly what first-century Palestine experienced when the Christians showed up.”

—Jonathan Leeman, How the Nations Rage (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2018), 136-137.