Consequently, you are…fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household… (Ephesians 2:19).
My wife’s heritage is Mennonite. And some of her extended clan continue to reside on the family farm into the 8th generation.
She can trace her ancestors back to 1710.
Their strongly conservative Anabaptist Christian background coloured much of how they lived on any given day – in family, in their vocation, and in the community.
Many of those pious Mennonite folks made, what to many of us, would be extreme application of John’s injunction, Do not love the world
or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him (1 John 2:15).
And so a matrix of rules and traditions was adopted and codified. Although some principles were widely adhered to – doctrinal positions, pacifism, a strong work ethic, and cultural uniqueness – those concepts and how they were lived out varied from one broad “community congregation” to the next.
That worldview – and its logical ramifications – was evident in many dimensions of life, often presenting an awkward modern-day tension.
How to build a home or barn? borrow capital and conduct
business? raise and educate their kids? relate to non-Mennonite neighbors?
But one theological question dominated: how could they be
citizens of a nation in the world when they must not love the world
or anything in the world?
For most devout Mennonites – at least in generations past – that question impacted their role and participation as citizens of Canada.
For my wife’s grandparents – in spite of her grandfather’s regular consumption of the evening news about the region, the province and the nation – that meant declining to engage in the political process, including not going to the ballot box to cast a vote.
As we prepare to celebrate another Canada Day, it is a
worthwhile exercise to determine from a biblical worldview, what does the Lord
expect of me? How am I to participate – or not – as a citizen of this nation, of this province, of this city, of my neighborhood?
Can we learn something from Paul?
The Apostle was not adverse to trumpeting issues of
national citizenship and his Hebrew ethnicity when it was
relevant to the situation or context.
In the book of Acts, Luke records Paul as playing the
Roman citizenship card in Ephesus (Acts 16:37) and later in Jerusalem:
But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city…
The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me,
are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. Then the
commander said, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship."
"But I was born a citizen," Paul replied (Acts 21:39; 22:27,28).
And the Apostle appeared to take pride in his Jewish
heritage: of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews…(Philippians 3:5).
So how much involvement would Paul encourage in government affairs – or any component of the political process – for the Christ-follower??
Takeaway: When asked that question, my response is
that in the absence of specific prohibitions in Scripture on any important
matter, one must commit to prayer and seek godly counsel.
And we must – above all things – prioritize our privileged role as citizens in the Kingdom of God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Consequently, you are…fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household… (Ephesians 2:19).
post-script
As Canadians, we have many reminders of the precious
Christian heritage evident and influential in significant ways in our national
identity.
One is to sing the words of the now rather obscure 4th
verse of our national anthem:
Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better Day,
We ever stand on guard.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
