THE WAR AND THE CHURCH, by Archie P. Jones

It is obvious that we live, in the words of the old Chinese curse, in interesting times. Of course, living in a universe of warfare between the armies of Christ and those of Satan, the Christian always lives in interesting times. But some times are more interesting than others, and the present crisis of our civilization ensures and accents our interest in the political and economic events of our times.

Since God's word and law speak to all areas of life authoritatively, all areas of governmental policy are important to Christians, for God requires us to occupy, to have dominion for Him, under His word and law, in all areas of life (Luke 19:13; Gen. 1: 28, Matt. 25: 14-30). The destructive and threatening effects of decades of humanistic economics and foreign and military policy are by now becoming frighteningly evident to many Americans: these are already key issues of the '80s. Of less interest to the general public, even the "conservative" public, is a many-faceted battle which will inevitably occupy many Christians in the decade ahead, a battle which strikes right to the heart of the economic, military and foreign policy battles of the past and future. This battle is just emerging into the Christian consciousness, but it is foundational to battles in the other areas, for it is the functional heart of the continuing battle between Christ and Satan. It is the battle for the Church.

As Ethelbert Stauffer's great work, Christ and the Caesars (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, [1952] 1955), has shown, the fundamental issue in this enduring battle is both enduring and theological: Who is Lord?: Christ, or Caesar? To the pagan mind, Caesar, the state, as the highest locus of power (God being a priori excluded), must be lord. It follows that the word and law of the state, as the locus of authority and power, must be over all areas of man's activity. Whether the state is ruled by one, a few, or many is fundamentally irrelevant: the assumption is 'that the great god government must have final authority over all individuals and institutions in society. Since Plato and the Greeks in ancient times, pagan thinkers and rulers have sought control over religion; the famous pleas of Antigone have been heeded only by isolated intellectuals. Since Machiavelli in early modem times, modern pagans have sought to revive the claims of Caesars to rule over not only religion in general, but especially the Church. The goal is control and manipulation of the Church by the state as a means of social, economic, political, ideological and ultimately religious control.

With the ugly flowering of modern Humanism, this pagan design has become more openly stated. With the accession of Humanists to power it has been enacted, often by way of blood and terror.

In America, the triumph of Humanism has been slower than in Europe and, thanks to the attenuating but lingering influence of Christian assumptions and teachings on politics, milder. But Humanism in America has come into its own, governmentally, in proportion as Christians have retreated from culture and politics to the church, the family and the eschatological rooftop, denying the Lord's Dominion Charter (Gen. 1:28; Luke 19:13) and waiting for the Tribulation or the Rapture.

Facing minimal opposition, the Humanists have, true to their perverse form of dominion-urge, sought to occupy the Church for the great god Man. Through welfarism they have robbed the many and corrupted their morals. Through statist education they have indoctrinated our youth with Humanist dogmas and prepared them for the rise of the savior-state which now threatens to destroy the Church. Through philosophy and vein deceit they have perverted the scope and functioning of our constitutional government. Through welfarism, easy divorce laws, statist education, economic regulations, taxation, inflation, abortion and "planned parenthood" they have attacked the family, a second God-ordained institution. Through the ERA, "Women's Liberation", "Gay Liberation" and the "International Year of the Child" they have further undermined the family. Now they seek to redefine and reshape it along pagan pluralistic lines, via the White House Conference on Families.

The Church is the remaining biblical institution. The Humanists have not forgotten it, for it is the very heart of the Christian system of instruction and discipline. It has not been attacked sooner because the other two-thirds of the biblical-institutional system had to be undermined first. But now that the Humanists are moving they are attacking swiftly, on at least three fronts.

The most obvious movement has been against Christian schools at all levels. From the first, licensing and accreditation have been a fundamental ploy, and a false one. Of late, as in the infamous IRS activities of the last few years, the phony issue of racial and minority group composition has been utilized. Now the Humanists are making tactical use of zoning regulations and building codes to prevent churches from establishing Christian schools. And, of course, there is the perversely "creative" use of "discrimination on the basis of creed:" refuse to hire a homosexual to teach in your Christian school and you are guilty of this grievous "sin" before the state. These actions are being taken by state and local governments, as well as our pseudo-saviors in Washington. Humanists are closer than you think.

They are also moving against various traditional — and biblical — Church ministries. The claim of Texas to have authority to license Lester Roloff's runaway children's home is an important example. The issue here is the same as that in the case of Christian schools: Does the state have the right to license the Church and its ministries? On the assumption that it does, California — an important testing ground for humanistic programs and precedents — is now moving to license pastors to counsel members of their own congregations. On the same assumption, reports Dr. David Gibbs, of the Christian Law Association, two states are now claiming the right to license Sunday School teachers! What is the root of this Humanistic assumption?: the belief that Caesar, not Christ, is Lord.

The humanistic assault on church property and that on church policy are further related applications of this ungodly doctrine. The California government is now claiming the right to tax church property. Your Sunday School building. Your sanctuary. More accurately, God's buildings, in which you meet and worship. And the infamous decision of the Supreme Court in the "Worldwide Church of God" case is even more frightening. Precedent has now been established for governments to take control of the property and government of a church: to seize control of the church's resources, give them to a minority of the congregation, even though they are not members in good standing, oust the church's pastors and replace them with new teaching leaders chosen by the state!

The fundamental issue underlying all of this political controversy is theological: Who Is Lord? Christ, or Caesar, Christ, or the State? For the Bible-believing Christian, the answer is obvious, and so is the call to action.

These manifestations of the worship of the state, of the desire for total power and control, and of the hostility of Humanists to Christianity are not signs of the coming of the Tribulation, nor of the Rapture. Rather, they are evidences of the audacity of the Humanists and the apathy or ignorance of the Christians.

There are many signs of possibilities for victory in the battle "' for the Church by the armies of Christ. The theological and intellectual foundations have been laid in the works of a number of Christian scholars, philosophically, politically, economically, educationally, and doctrinally. Theologically conservative denominations are growing. The Christian Law Association is growing, and a Christian organization similar to the ACLU in function is being formed. Conservatism is growing in popularity among the populace, and with it a dedication to reversal of the direction of our governments growth and policies. Best yet, the Christian school movement is burgeoning beyond the ability of the statists to control, and is serving as a vehicle for involvement of Christian parents in the defense of their schools and their (God's) children. Best of all, the Christian school movement is acting as a catalyst to get Christians to re-think all things in terms of the only infallible standard of faith and practice: Holy Scripture.

We live in a time of crisis, but a time of crisis is also a time of opportunity. The peril is dire, but we have a God who answers prayer, a Holy Spirit who rules and overrules in the hearts and affairs of men and nations. And we have a Christ who gives us His law as the standard for man's actions (Matt. 5:17-19), who requires us to observe and teach all things that he has commanded us to do (Matt. 28: 19-20), who assures us that our labors for the Lord will not be in vain (I Cor. 15:58), and who proclaims that He will put down all rule, all authority and all power, ruling until he has put all His enemies under His feet (I Cor. 15:24-28). The Church and the victory are the Lord's; the opportunity and the duty are ours.

Taken from the ICE newsletter: Occupy! (Vol. II, No. 9)

P.O. Box 8000, Tyler, TX 75711

Donations are fully tax deductible; checks should be made out to Institute for Christian Economics.

Released for informational purposes to allow individual file transfer, Usenet, and non-commercial mail-list posting only. All other copyright privileges reserved.