About a month ago I could not get enough of the political scene. I watched nearly every keynote speech from both the Democratic and Republican Conventions. And that is a big accomplishment for a guy who pretty much loathes politics.
With only two weeks left before the election, it is safe to say the loathing has come back with a vengeance. I watched the first of the four debates from beginning to end. The last two I have only had the time and energy to catch a few minutes here and there. Regardless, I am tired of all the talking, finger pointing, stupid commercials, and pretend sportsmanship from the candidates. If I had my way, I would move the election up to tomorrow just to get the whole thing behind us.
But two statements (one by each candidate) stood out from all the questions not being answered during last night's debate. They are designed to stress America's global significance, but actually reveal a great deal more about our nation's self-idolatry.
First, the President referred to America as "the only indispensable nation." Is America really absolutely necessary/needful/essential/imperative? I would say no. Are we important for what happens globally? Absolutely. But that does not make us indispensable. History is filled examples of such nations, and each eventually fades to the background or out of the picture altogether (do Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Rome, or Greece sound familiar?).
From a biblical perspective, only one nation stands as the only the indispensable nation on earth. The Church is the only absolutely necessary "nation" on earth. This sounds arrogant, but it is actually a very humbling reality, because it has nothing to do the nature of the people included. God has ordained His Church to be the means by which the gospel message of Jesus Christ goes forth to the ends of the earth (Colossians 1). And He is the one who works in and through it by the power of His Spirit. While God could technically accomplish His goal without the Church, the entire plan of redemption involves the use of His people to bring Christ to the nations (Ephesians 1; 1 Peter 2). The Church is the means by which all the earth will be filled with the glory of God. America cannot and will never serve this purpose. It is completely and entirely of this world. The Church, as both physical and spiritual, can and will. It is the bride of Christ, bought with His blood, that will one day be reunited with her Groom.
After the President's remarks, the Governor called America "the hope of the earth." Is America really the earth's hope for greater things? Again, I would say no. Has America done many good things over the course of her young history? Absolutely. But doing good is not synonymous with hope. Because history also tells us that for all the good America has done, they have also been guilty more than a fair share of damage.
Again from a biblical perspective, there is only one hope for the earth. And thankfully it is not a flawed nation governed by flawed men and women. It is the perfect Son of God. It is Jesus Christ. Christ is the hope for the pain, suffering, and loss dominating this world. Christ is the hope for true and lasting peace (Revelation 21). Christ is the hope for overcoming sin and death through His own life, death, and resurrection (Colossians 1). No nation, individual, or government system can fill the role Christ already fills. They will ultimately fail again and again.
All this serves to say, politics and systems of government must never be viewed as the solution to the problems of this world. They are effective means to appeasing some of the problems, but they will never do away with them altogether. This does not mean abstaining from politics and government. They have been ordained by God to administer justice and govern. They can be forces of good in a broken world. But they can never promise what Christ promises for the present and future.
