The Same?

I used to think and say that the World is absolutely different from the Church. That was before the Church became so much like the World. I have been noticing how true that is these days in relationship to politics.

I was reading and trying to absorb some statistics related to voting (in political elections) in major cities in Texas. Those cities cited were Houston, San Antonio, Austin,  and Dallas. I won’t bore you with he numbers but it goes something like this:

Approximately half of the adults (population) of the city are registered to vote. If, for example, there are two million people in the city, one million of them are registered to vote. Out of the million registered voters there might be a hundred thousand or so who will vote in a Presidential election, half that in an election for Governor, and the total voting in a Mayoral election will be in the 20-30,000 range or less. That pattern will filter down to the smaller cities and towns as well. In other words, the vast majority of people, who want their Government to take care of certain things – be that effective leadership and protection for the Nation, City, neighborhood, or provide food, shelter, healthcare, and telephones for the needy – are not involved in the process of electing leaders. A significant number of “citizens” are not committed to the democratic model. “Christians” make up a large portion of those uninvolved.

Therefore (as one of my favorite writers often says – that would be Paul, the Apostle) it’s no wonder that the Church of Jesus Christ is experiencing the same kind of failure. For most Churches the regular attendance is woefully short of the membership, and many of the attenders are, at best, marginally involved in the “work” of the Body. It is the grace of God that provides for so much work to be accomplished with so few workers on the job.

Paul addressed the issue in the fourth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians. He spoke initially in that chapter about learning how, and being committed to, walking worthy of our (read: Believers) calling. Being a “deadbeat” in the Church is antithetical to the Truth of Scripture.

Some how I believe that the same case can and should be made for politics. I know it is by-in-large a dirty business, but it will never be better until “good men do something.” (see Edmund Burke)

Whether we are talking Church or Politics, do something right and good. There is a lot riding on this issue.