The pilgrim lens

This follows on from the previous post, here.

What should Christians do when they see things in their society, country or culture taking a turn for the worse?

We should, of course, always pray. And since we are rational creatures, made in God's image, intended to live in a creation without death in it, we will naturally mourn, and desire that it were otherwise. We should seek to be salt and light, to show a better way, and to preserve the blessing of what remains.

What we should not, though, do is turn to fear and anger, as if God had promised that in the last days, no terrible times will come (2 Timothy 3:1ff), and that things will just get progressively better. Rather, we should understand that were that to happen, it would be very bad for the health of the Christian church. What our real situation is, both corporately and individually, is usually masked by prosperity, but revealed through trials. Moreover, earthly trials remind us of what the actual calling of God's people is. Even though the patriarchs were promised that their descendants would have an earthly inheritance, yet the patriarchs themselves understood that this was not their true hope or motivation in their actions. As Hebrews 11:13-16 says:

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 

Earthly trials are routinely sent by God as a spiritual blessing. He uses them as his means to sanctify his people, to mature them, and to prepare them for their true inheritance, in the presence of Christ and then at his return and the renewal of all things. Seeing things in this world rot, crumble or be torn down by plain stupidity or malice, performs a valuable spiritual function for us. We remember that we were not meant to seek our inheritance here, in this life anyway. Here, we are strangers and pilgrims. As God purifies and sanctifies us, so that we might be the pure bride of Christ, to be presented spotless in him on the last day, everything that is part of that process is ultimately a blessing, with a glorious end. It is towards that end that we should orient our hopes and desires. How foolish, then, how lacking in understanding, if the deep thought of our hearts when we enter into troubles is one of resentment and disappointment, as if God was doing something wrong? How worldly, if we can only judge things at the level of immediate outward appearance, and not understand (James 1) that we are to count it all joy, because God is working in us to lead us to a perfection beyond our imaginings?

Joy and hope

As I look at some Christians on X or elsewhere, it is evident that they have become defined by fear and anger. The world is changing, their countries are changing, and their expectations of how their life would run (reasonably comfortably and predictably) have been up-ended. They are angry and afraid, and they demand urgent national and/or political action to give them back the previous version of reality that they preferred. And, as I say, this has become a major part of their outlook on life and the world. Moreover, they present this response not as being fear and anger, not as a moral/spiritual failing on their behalf, but as an important Christian principle that other people should follow too.

Well, no thank you. What Christ and his apostles taught us is much better - even their their own political or national situation was much worse.

"You mean we should do nothing, as things fall apart!" No, I don't. I mean that whatever we do, we shouldn't be people whose joy and hope is defined by what's going on in the wider scene of this world, in which we are pilgrims and exiles. If your joy and hope aren't based upon your circumstances in this world, then why behave as if they are? To be sure, the policies of the rulers of this world can cause us plenty of real trouble - Christ and his apostles all knew a fair amount about that too (far more than any of us). But what has that got to do with becoming people defined by fear and anger?