Sunday, March 4, 2012

Separation of State and Church - Using The Bible in Biblical Ways


The discussion about the separation of church and state is at least as old as the United States itself. Here is a fresh look at an old pie.

The Bible is not meant to be a constitution!

The beauty of the Bible is that it is not meant to be implemented in nations or states (neither on national nor regional/local levels), but it was written to BELIEVERS.
The Bible is not a handbook on how to run a nation, but it is a guide for people who want to lead a life that pleases God, and on how to organize and lead the people of God.
Any use beyond that was never intended, and has caused more harm than good throughout history, as it mostly causes rebellion - rebellion against Christians, and, way worse, against God. 

The Bible is ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE!

If we understand that, the Bible can be applied from Christians individually as well as from churches corporately, completely independent from what kind of social, political, economical, cultural, legal system it finds itself in - throughout all time, and beyond all geographical borders. That's actually the only way the Bible makes sense, and there is really no reason why a Bible like this should be opposed by any government, while - from a viewpoint of mere common sense and pure logic - it is completely understandable that a Bible that is perceived as calling for an overthrow of established governments and social structures is seen as a threat and thus banned and/or its distribution hindered.  

The dangers

I hope that we all see the danger of forcing our values on the entire society we happen to live in. Some Muslims are trying to do exactly that by applying "Sharia" law, according to the Quran (or "Koran", the holy book of Islam). Most Reformers (and surely the Roman Catholic Church) did the same mistake with the Bible in the 16th century: Calvin, the Anabaptists, and Luther himself, too. The results are, unfortunately, history: millions of people burned on the stake (by Catholics), and thousands drowned or killed in other, seemingly more humane ways (by Protestants).

History and reason ignored

Some speakers and/or movements seem to consider it to be a good thing that e.g. the Quran tells Muslims what to do in every aspect of their lives, and want the church in similar fashion to influence all sectors of society. The Jesuits (an order of the Roman Catholic Church) have been doing this for centuries and have pretty much immunized most nations for the true gospel by doing so. Modern day "Dominionism" and concepts like YWAMs "7 Mind Molders" aren't that new a deal after all, it's just a new coat of paint on the stale old diversion the enemy wants the true church of Christ to embark on, namely trying to make non-believers behave like believers. There has never been a "Biblical" or a "Christian" constitution anywhere, neither will there ever be, just as there has never been nor ever will be a "Biblical" or a "Christian" car/phone/camera/etc. Constitutions, cars and cameras are not unbiblical, and certainly some constitutions and some (especially German) cars are better than others, but let's not try to use our PC's manual to run our country, and yes, please keep the constitution out of our kitchens, too.

Good example, anyone?

If we are looking for a good example for the separation of Church and State, I suggest that we don't really have to look any farther than the very country I reside in: Thailand. The debate is a non-issue here. Christians aren't trying to have Creationism (nor a sadly chickened-down version called "Intelligent Design") being taught in public schools, but they teach their children in their homes and Sunday Schools that God created the earth in 6 days. Not 6 wishy-washy "periods" or "eras", but yes, 6 DAYS.
Christians aren't trying to stop their neighbors or governors from sacrificing to or bowing before idols, but they teach their children and everybody who wants to listen not to do so.
Christians aren't trying to outlaw homosexual marriages or people becoming Buddhist monks, but they are teaching their children and everybody who wants to listen not to do so.
The state, on the other hand, does not try to convince Christians that the concept of the trinity is weird and therefore a council of church leaders would have to get together to come up with a better idea. Granted, no president, prime minister or chancellor of any western nation that I am aware of tries to influence the church in this way nowadays. So, what is currently muddying the waters, in my opinion, is not really a state trying to interfere with the affairs of the church, but a church that is trying to interfere in the affairs of the state! And, while the goal of missions certainly can not be to make other countries more "American", maybe it would do good to the American church (and consequently to other nations in which American missionaries and American-dominated mission organizations remain very influential on the respective body of believers) if the American church becomes a little bit more "Thai" - at least as far as the here dealt-with topic is concerned. Because and please don't get me wrong: there are still many areas in which the American church remains a shining light and a great blessing to the church all over the world, e.g. in regards to giving, sending, providing vision and setting strategic goals.
By the way: I have preached the gospel in public schools in Thailand, and I don't know of anybody who has been arrested for doing likewise.
So, what are we waiting/looking/praying for?

Book vs. Relationship

I, for my part though, am glad that the Bible does not dictate my every move, but rather helps me to develop a closer relationship with the creator of all things. And it's Him whom we missionaries should try to bring into the lives of people, not a book of rules. Again, much more is left to be said, but just so much for now...



Promise - Problem - Provision ("Triple P" or "พ.ป.จ."))

Here is a little nugget of playing with acronyms that the Lord taught me some years ago. It works in English as well as in Thai! (PS: If you find strange letters in this post, make sure your browser's encoding option is set to "Thai")

The acronym "พ.ร.บ." (read "Pho Raw Baw") is probably the most widely used acronym in the Thai language. It stands for "พระราชบัญญัติ" (read "phra raat cha ban yat"), and refers to Royal Decrees/Acts, e.g. paying annual fees for car or motorcycle registration and mandatory insurances. Practically every household in Thailand has to pay various พ.ร.บ.'s throughout the year, and thus many small and large businesses offer a service to pay พ.ร.บ. fees at their shop/branch, so that the payee does not have to go to the actual government office. As this saves the payee lots of time, as well as transportation costs,  "พ.ร.บ." signs are a common sight throughout the entire nation. Interestingly, these signs are so common that many Thai people don't even know what "Pho Raw Baw" actually stands for!

Okay, so as we have established the cultural background, let's have a look at "Triple P"/"พ.ป.จ." (read "Poh Baw Djo") - what does it stand for? Does it have anything to do with the ever name-changing internet service here in Thailand (at some point it was, and maybe currently is, "Triple T"), or with Thailand's biggest gas-station chain, PTT (in Thai: "ป.ต.ท.", read "Baw Daw Taw")? NO! "Triple P" stands for "Promise, Problem, Provision" and the Thai equivalent "พ.ป.จ." stands for "พระสัญญา ปัญหา การจัดเตรียม"!

What I mean by this is the simple truth that whenever we receive (or become aware of) a Promise (ระสัญญา) from God, we will face some Problems (ปัญหา). Problems can come in a huge variety of ways, including physically, emotionally, financially, relationally, etc. Practically, that means that we will have to overcome some obstacles before we receive the Provision (การจัดเตรียม) from the one who gave us the promise (พระสัญญา) in the first place! If we flunk out and give up rather than holding on to the promise and persevere, we will not receive anything! But way too often, I am afraid, we just shut down even at the very first sign of opposition and conclude, that the promise was not meant for us. Dear brothers and sisters, let us continue to encourage one-another not to give up, but to hold on and persevere!  Wait, Persevere? I guess I should completely revamp this little article and call it "Quadruple P"!? Uh, well, ohm, let's leave it as it is for now :)
First published on my web site www.isaiah5210.org (summer 2011)


Saturday, March 3, 2012

Darkness and Light

It is one of the great mysteries, that, in spite of their completely different destinies, there are so many parallels between the Kingdom of Light (=Kingdom of God) and the kingdom of darkness, which is superficially regarded the kingdom of men, but ultimately the kingdom of Satan. Satan mostly does not simply oppose the Kingdom of God, but tries to imitate it, because that is the main way how he can deceive people. 
But there are, of course, also great differences between these two kingdoms, and it's relatively easy to determine which of the two you are a part of: One of the characteristics of "darkness" is that the people who are in it have no idea what's going on, often panic and constantly worry about tomorrow, while the members of God's Kingdom know where they are headed and - even though they will most likely also be effected by economical, political and all kinds of other problems in society in one way or another - are not worried about the headlines of the day, because in the light you can see:

"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,
and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts!!" (2. Peter 1:19)

So, examine yourself: where are you? In darkness or in the light?   

Monday, January 23, 2012

Is the US a Christian Nation?


Summary of the video:
The main point here is that America has never been a "Christian Nation", but a nation of predominantly Christian citizens! I agree that this is a huge difference, and that calling the US a "Christian Nation" would be just as wrong as calling the US a "White Nation". The population of the US at the time of independence was certainly made up of mostly Caucasians, but even then there were other races present, e.g. "Blacks" and (North American) Indians. Similarly, several religions were practised right from the start (even among the Founding Fathers themselves), how much more now!
My Commentary: See the article on State and Church


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

How I Experienced The Fall Of The Wall in 1989

What a year it had already been: I had become a follower of Jesus Christ on February 10, traveled to Bulgaria, Hungary and East Germany as they were still a part of the communist, Russian-controlled “Warsaw Pact”, one of the two sides that had dominated the so called “Cold War” ever since my home country had lost the Second World War in 1945. I had made friends with university students and officials in Bulgaria as I led a team of tennis players of my university who participated in sport tournaments there. I had participated in an evangelistic outreach to Hungary that had been organized by Campus Crusade for Christ mainly to reach out to people from East Germany. I had smuggled Christian tapes and literature into East Berlin to a young man whom we had met in Hungary. And, in spite of me studying Political Science, and having had the opportunity to talk to many people behind the “Iron Curtain” who clearly expressed to me that they didn’t support the communist system, I was convinced that East and West Germany would always remain two separate nations. But man, was I mistaken!
As a third year student of Political Science it was my habit to watch one of the main news broadcasts on West-German TV at 7 p.m. every day. But on November 9th, 1989, this turned out to be everything else but routine. In a press conference of the East German government that was broadcast live on East German TV it had just been announced that all border crossings between East (communist) and West (democratic) Germany would be opened, effective immediately. As this announcement was reported in the Western news, me and my father looked at each other in disbelieve and asked each other whether we really heard what we thought we heard: The East German government was about to open all border checkpoints along the border that for 40 years had separated East and West Berlin and the two German nations? The 1,378 Kilometer (856 Miles) long border had been turned into a death zone with wall, barbed wire, mines, and observation towers manned with soldiers instructed to shoot at everybody who tried to cross from East to West. It was practically impossible for people from the East to flee or even only visit their relatives in the West. Between 1949 and 1989, at least 872 people paid with their lives as they were trying to cross this border. And now, with a simple announcement and in a single day, this wall should become a part of the past? Me and my father were not the only ones who were wondering about that. So was everybody – everybody in West Germany, including the government, and everybody in East Germany, including all the border guards, and apparently even the government’s spokesman who made the announcement! 
Well, the rest is history. 
As soon as I had started to consider the implications of this announcement, I hopped on my bicycle and rushed across town to an evangelistic event that was held in a Baptist church in my home town, Braunschweig. As expected, I met many of my Christian friends there, most of all had no clue yet about what was going on. “Braunschweig is only 32 km (20 miles) away from the border”, I explained. “Hundreds of thousands of people from East Germany are going to flood into our city tomorrow, we have to do something!”  So we asked the evangelist and some church staff whether they could give us some tracts to hand out. We hastily made a big banner, declaring in big letters (in German): “There is more than democracy: JESUS CHRIST!”
I slept only a couple hours that night and as I stepped out of our house, I was not disappointed: As our house was only about 100 meters (300 ft) away from one of the main routes from East Germany to Braunschweig’s city center, I could smell the exhaust fumes of thousands of East German “Trabants”, the only car that East Germans had been able to buy in their country. The sad truth was that parents had to order a Trabant soon after birth of a child, if they wanted their child to get a car when he/she turned 18 years old. The car was almost entirely free of any engineering, that had made cars made in West Germany so popular all around the world. A Trabant, or “Trabbi” as they were lovingly called, boasted a simple 2-stroke engine, and thus it wasn’t hard to pick up the different smell of the exhaust fumes right away. I was pumped! Hundreds of thousands had indeed come! What an opportunity… many West Germans used it to sell goods to the visitors that had not been available in East Germany, like bananas and coffee. As in all communist countries, the government in East Germany had fixed prices for all goods, and everything from bread to cars and steel was produced by state owned organizations. Thus the people were not used to compare prices or quality of things they were buying, and many West Germans overcharged their unsuspecting new customers… But that was not our task. As there had been only very few believers in East Germany and most people believed what their atheistic regime had taught them, we simply wanted to let everybody know right away that there is indeed more than political and economical freedom. With our banner, the small group of us set us up right outside city hall, were all visitors from the East stopped by to pick up 100 Deutsch Mark (about 40 US-Dollars) “Welcome money”. The West German government, itself totally taken by surprise by the speed of the events, had not changed a policy that entitled every visitor from East Germany to this amount. Normally there were only a few thousand people per year allowed to visit the West, e.g. for family affairs. But now, with millions flooding into the communities near the border, many towns ran out of money quickly…
News of bankrupt communities made the rounds just as quickly as news about new border crossings that were opened throughout the day, in order to ease the load of the few major crossings that were totally overwhelmed by the multitudes of cars and people. Along the roads from and to these border crossings, people lined up to cheer the visitors coming in to the West, and waving at those who after their first visit returned to their homes in the East. 
My father knew some families in East Germany, that had helped him when he had become very sick at the end of the Second World War. Fleeing from the advancing Russian army in Eastern Prussia (today in Poland), he almost died of typhoid. My father never forgot to show his gratitude to the families of those who had helped him, and had kept in touch by mail, visits and sending Christmas gifts most years. To our great delight one of this families used their new freedom to visit my father. I lived with my dad at that time, but my parents had separated about a year before. When this family drove back to the border on the evening of this historic day (Nov. 10, 1989), I jumped on the co-driver’s seat of their Trabant and enjoyed just as much as our visitors the hundreds of people that had lined up along the route. It was an unforgettable experience, absolutely awesome! 
Well, I don’t know how effective our spontaneous banner-outreach in front of city hall was. Only the Lord knows, and maybe someday we will hear of people being impacted by it. I am confident that the Lord led us to do this, and I am sure thankful that He gave us the opportunity and the means to honor Him in this way. The window of opportunity to reach people in East Germany with the gospel of Jesus Christ was open only a short time. People were hungry for anything that came from the West for a time. “Anything” means just that: bananas, coffee, deodorants, insurances and health care, heating systems and water tanks, shopping windows and smooth roads, political parties, lawyers and religion, too. Of course not only the right guys used the opportunity, but so did the Mormons, the Jehova’s Witnesses, New Agers and what not. It was so much fun to drive over to East Germany with a small group of friends in a station wagon filled with a few thousand evangelistic books a few days after the wall had fallen. We handed them to people along the road, placed them in phone booths and had them literally torn out of our hands after we had sung a few worship songs in the inner city of Magdeburg, outside of the main cathedral there. It was great to see big parts of the body of Christ coming and working together to seize the time. Not to support or fight against political parties (or health care schemes), but to do what only we Christians can do: Proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ; that he died according to the scriptures, rose again on the third day and was seen by many. He is the Lord, and he will survive every movement who tries to deny him or explain him away, even the last and most fierce one… Let’s shout aloud to the nations and declare it everywhere: OUR GOD REIGNS!!!


Saturday, September 17, 2011

Prophetic Word regarding Iraq

This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.”
Jeremiah 17:5-6
Although this verse does not speak about any specific situation in history, I felt the Lord pointing me to this verse several months before the US invaded Iraq. I thought it very interesting that it talks about a “bush” (Bush??) in the waste land. Anybody (!) who trusts in “flesh” (i.e. man’s strength) will eventually end up like this. The U.S. has made military its strength, in spite of all talk of “trusting in God” and God blessing America. However, God is not obligated to bless anybody who does not trust in him. On the contrary:
God is opposed to anybody who does not trust in Him but in the strength of man (see also Luke 4:6).
Unfortunately, I think this does not only describe the non-Christian parts of the society in the U.S. government, but big parts of the church as well. May the Lord have mercy on us, that we would be found trusting in Him and in Him only (see Luke 18:8). May we take warning from the fact that on 9/11 the very symbols of what modern Western society trusts in were attacked: banking, finance, trade/economy and the headquarters of the mightiest military of our time…
The U.S. campaign in Iraq is a disaster, and I believe it will not get any better, because the U.S. is still underestimating the importance of religion for the Muslim people.
Eventually, this all works into the hands of the establishment of a one-world religion, as the entire conflict that overshadows the beginning of the 21st century only proves to the secular world that a coming together of all major religions is needed to keep the peace.
Interestingly, on April 6th, 2006 the basilica of St. Francis in Assisi in Italy was reopened, after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1998. It is the very place where pope John Paul II. had called a meeting of religious leaders from all major faiths (except evangelicals, of course) in 1986 to promote this idea. Is it really just coincidence that the place was destroyed by an earthquake, or could it be that God simply does not like this entire movement? The leaders actually reconvened in the same place in 2002, demonstrating that the movement is still alive and well (more than ever before, actually).
This prophecy from Jeremiah 17:5-6 certainly could be applied to many other conflicts throughout history. But that makes it even less understandable that, as it seems, neither political leaders nor church leaders  have not learned much from history…
(First posted on this web site a long time ago)