I love R C Sproul. I respect him for his diligence, learning and commitment over many long years. He is a keystone in modern Reformed Theology, and whilst I don't subscribe to everything he says I still go to him as a reliable resource when I have questions. That is why it was so disappointing to read his small book on the church and the state.
I have been wrestling through the issues surrounding the modern divided economy, the gross inequality in our present, twisted version of capitalism, and trying to approach the starting of a new business that is equitable, communal and Christ-like, as much as a business can be. It has also been election time in the UK. Whilst I have always voted as a matter of principle (except when I have been too busy, or simply forgot!) I have become ever more disgusted and detached from the electoral process and the hobbling, crippled political elite it seems to support and enable.
So I went to RC to get a perspective on how I am to act in light of scripture as a citizen of the society I am 'passing through' on the way to my homeland, the Kingdom of God.
Now I have already 'Logos'-ed the heck out of the topic, seeing what scripture says first hand and looking thoroughly at the history of the Church, protestant, Western, Eastern and African, to see what we have done in the past, the good bad and ugly of it. I may get round to writing something about this at another date. For now though I just want to chew over what Sproul said on this complex and essential topic.
Sproul starts off with some excellent ground work, outlining important concepts about not confusing geographical nationhood with Christianity: we have a greater loyalty to Christ's Kingdom, and no other temporal earthly kingdom can truly hold itself up as the shining, spotless paradigm of virtue that His coming Kingdom will truly be. America, more than any other country in the last 70 odd years, has confused this line in dangerous, and provoking ways more than any other, placing itself as "the city on the hill" and "the light of the nations" in several presidential posturings.
This was all good to hear. He did not, however, seem to take his own advice about confusing national ideology with Christian thought. Not only does he suggest that anything vauguly socialist, such as the re-distributioon of wealth (which he lables as theft) should be excluded from the political sphere, but, of all the many problems facing the world system and America as the leading representative of this, suggests that abortion (a truly horrific problem of mass genocide of the unborn for primarily economic reseons) and high taxation of the rich are on the same level of centrality and importance.
I was flabergasted. Being British I guess I don't understand how conflated modern, neo-classical economic thinking has been conflated with republican voting and therefore Christianity.
Why not address the system of soft-money donations that ammount to the same as legal bribery? Or the state socialism for the rich that gives food stamps to the working poor, thereby sponsoring low wages and high profits for global mega-conglomerate corporations? Or the unjust scales used in the punishment of crimes, such as black drug related crimes as compared with corporate larceny that can ruin the lives of thousands? or the lack of oversight of the financial sector, that sees a market ethic (that is to say a Darwinian cronyism) penetrating all walks of life? Or the state support of transatlantic and international trade agreements that put corporations (a-moral 'people' in their own legal right) above sovreign nations? or the growth of monopolies (something God hates- see Malachi)? Or any or the issues which face our modern, failing system? Corruption? national and personal debt? The waging of wars against foreign powers against the will of the electorate for the protection of individual and corporate wealth?
No. Apparently it is taking some of the ridiculously huge profits made (largely but not exclusively) through the perpetuation of these same things and putting it back into the hands of the same people who have been robbed, oppressed and discriminated against, institutionally, under both the Republican and Democratic party's watches.
Is Christianity in America still so hung up on Communism, and so desperate to conserve the (largely illusiory) golden past as a quasi-Christian (actually Deist/pagan) nation that it is blind to it's own iniquities?
If so it could be that they will miss what God is trying to show them, and miss the repentance He is calling all Western power to. We have had wealth and power and we have used it predominantly to preserve our own place in the sun. Now we are suffering the heat stroke, sun burn, skin cancer that is the consequence of our immoral use of the trust God gave us.
So R.C. I hope you bring out a ammended version that tackles all the above issues.
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