The modern evangelical church has become irrelevant.  She is silent in the midst of a new Revolution in America because she has become part of the system.  She is unable to apply the law of God to all areas of life.  She does not know how to think outside of the box. 

When I read articles written by modern American Christians on politics, I get a little nervous.  Usually, the dialogue is framed in terms of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?).  Would he be a Republican or a Democrat?  The conclusion is usually neither, and this makes most evangelicals happy.  Vote according to your conscience.  The discussion ends there.

What makes me uncomfortable is that most modern American theologians are not able to think outside the box that has been framed by the ideology of modern American democracy.  Pluralism is sacrosanct.  Roger Williams pulled a coup de tat in Rhode Island against the Puritans, and we are living with the consequences of that today. His system worked as long as America was a Christian culture, but those days are gone.

However, with the immigration of Muslims and the pro-Muslim (anti-Christian) protests of students at elite colleges and universities, evangelicals are beginning to get a little nervous.  They think Trump will be their savior. Yet, under the dogma of the freedom of religion, there is nothing they can do about what is happening in America.  The majority rules in a democracy, and if pro-Muslim sentiment becomes a majority in American in 50 years, then America will be another country conquered by Muhammad. We are following in the steps of Europe.

Most American Christians are either so controlled by rapture-fever or personal sanctification that they can’t think in terms of the status of a nation in 50 years.  Most could really care less. They are not covenantal and have no long-term perspective. Mastering Berkhof’s Systematic Theology has become the end-game in the Reformed church.

Whoever frames the question controls the conversation.  Rather than framing the question in terms of modern political ideology, maybe it’s time to think in terms of God’s law. After all, the Bible does teach that the civil magistrate is a minister of God’s justice (Rm 13).  Why does this seem to be absent in almost every discussion of politics? I believe it is because the modern evangelical Christian has not been taught to think outside the box. We get our views on politics from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh rather than from the pulpit.

When was the last time in any discussion on politics that you heard a reference to God’s law?  Abortion is murder.  Homosexuality is sinful.  Monetary inflation is theft.  A just war must be defined by the principles of God’s Word, and not by the responsibility to protect democracy all over the world.  Illegal immigration is lawlessness.  Aiding and abetting illegal immigration is participation in anarchy. Yes, Christians are required to be charitable to foreigners.  Foreigners and aliens are to be protected by the law of the land as much as any citizen. However, unless the law is changed, aliens must seek citizenship by the rules laid down by the civil magistrate. Obey and honor the king.

The modern evangelical church has become irrelevant.  She is silent in the midst of a new Revolution in America because she has become part of the system.  She is unable to apply the law of God to all areas of life.  She does not know how to think outside of the box.

Larry E. Ball is a retired minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is now a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.