Government of the people, by the people and for the people — that was Abraham Lincoln’s description of the democratic experiment called the United States of America. To the astonishment of those who believe in the divine right of kings or a ruling aristocracy, America’s experiment has worked amazingly well.
In this nation, individual citizens participate in the government in ways that amaze those living under other systems of government. Here individuals work to make laws as well as change laws. Here individuals influence how the government spends tax dollars. Here individuals impact the decisions made by government leaders. Here individuals choose their public officials. Here individuals publicly disagree with and even challenge government policies, personalities and parties. Democracy may not always be efficient but it is always effective.
Still an old axiom about democracy remains true. The government will be no better than its citizens demand, no worse than its citizens allow. That is why our nation, state and communities desperately need Christian citizens. Not a Sunday goes by that Baptists do not pray for our nation and its leaders, our state and its elected officials, as well as the needs of our communities. The list of moral challenges seems to grow longer every day. Our prayers seek the divine movement of God. We pray for God to make His people part of the answer. Who will proclaim that “[r]ighteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34) if not God’s people?
Jesus called His disciples the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” (Matt. 5:13–14). Both metaphors point to the transforming nature each makes as it penetrates its elements. In the same way, Christians are to change their culture and environment by becoming involved with them. Jesus challenged His followers to penetrate their communities and life circles, not hide from them.
As one writer said, “Faith is to find expression in works. Behavior is supposed to reflect belief. … Love is to be made specific in service.”
Current political life in Alabama furnishes an apt illustration of why Christian citizens are needed. The June 18 issue of The Alabama Baptist provided two pages giving the position of state legislators — both House and Senate members — on the issue of gambling. The information came from firsthand, documented sources. Thankfully no gambling bills passed the state Legislature during the last session. But do not be fooled. Gambling proponents boldly declare their intention to bring full casino gambling to Alabama. One gambling proponent said they (the gambling interests) are doing it in steps because to bring full casino gambling immediately would scare too many people.
In Alabama, citizens provide a majority voice against gambling in their local community only to have their city council approve gambling within 60 days of the vote. Officials who dare stand up to the gambling interests are harassed until they resign. Attorneys for the gambling interests write city and county ordinances as well as bills submitted to the state Legislature. The gambling dollars are big and so is the greed.
Does all of Alabama want to look like Walker County, where gambling dens have popped up at every crossroads and often in between? Does every city want to be like Argo, Ashville or Birmingham, where 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week gambling was just approved by local governing bodies? Do all of the state’s major cities want to end up with Las Vegas-type entertainment centers covering for wide-open casinos? If the answer to any or all of these questions is “no,” then the place to start is to personally become a Christian citizen. That is where good government begins.
The first thing a Christian citizen brings to the political process is a conscience shaped by biblical morality. The teachings of the gospel interact with contemporary issues. For example, gambling’s goal is to take something from another without exchanging something of equal or similar value. It is covetousness. It is the opposite of our Lord’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Gambling is a sin.
A Christian citizen seeks the common good and is not deterred by petty jealousy or party affiliation. A Christian citizen’s ultimate loyalty is to God, so one acts on convictions inspired by the Bible in ways shaped by the Holy Spirit. A Christian citizen deals in truth. The prophet Isaiah wrote that when truth stumbles in the street, there can be no hope for honesty or justice (Isa. 59:14). As Satan did in the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, evil promises what it cannot deliver. A Christian citizen is faithful, does not grow weary in doing good. A Christian citizen knows greed and other selfish motives keep evil pounding at the door of acceptability. A Christian citizen cultivates dialogue and accountability — matching words and works — for himself or herself and public officials.
Christian citizens in Alabama may want to review their state representative’s or senator’s position on gambling noted in the June 18 issue. If that position does not match one’s understanding of biblical teaching, then dialogue with the representative or senator may be appropriate. It is unfortunate that positions voiced to voters at home are not always the positions advanced during the legislative process.
Ultimately, if elected officials will not support positions informed by biblical teaching, then the Christian citizen must act influentially in behalf of those moral convictions. Again it is not party or personality to which the Christian citizen is loyal. Loyalty lies with a biblically informed, Holy Spirit-guided position and understanding. It is beyond this writer’s understanding that any Christian citizen in Alabama could vote for any public official who favors legalized gambling in any form.
Granted, approval by a governing body does not mean an individual has to engage in some act considered morally objectionable such as gambling. But approval by a governing body does impact the culture and environment surrounding that activity. A favorable vote does encourage the action. Christian citizens want government bodies to act in ways that encourage righteousness and discourage evil. And consider this: If Christian citizens are not responsible enough to use their God-given influence in behalf of Christian moral causes, then how can they complain when public officials or those outside the Church act in ways that betray the common good?
Alabama Baptists make up the largest Christian body in the state with more than 1 million total members and about 750,000 resident members. If this state does not have enough Christian citizens to stop evils such as legalized gambling, then we as Baptists may be mighty in number but not much in power.
Alabama desperately needs Christian citizens.
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