Why women shouldn't
drive cars.
Women shouldn't drive cars because it is illegal for women to drive cars in Saudi Arabia. If someone from Saudi Arabia was here or in your presence you might offend them by having a female driver. So women should drive cars.There may be a really good reason for women not to drive cars. I don't understand all the reasons why that law was given, but I trust the law makers, and that it is generally good to follow laws. So women shouldn't drive cars.
But what about in other countries? Well it is a pervasive idea that women should drive cars, so for a better world we should steer clear of this one, and women shouldn't drive cars.
Sounds ridiculous?
Yup, because it is. As a Canadian, with absolutely no plans to go to Saudi
Arabia, I do not need to worry about being a woman and driving a car. But as a woman, and if I am interested in
going to or moving to Saudi Arabia, I ought to consider that I won't be driving
a car, and my behaviour might require some other adjustments too.
As long as I have no
plans on going there any obeying of their laws is accidental, and in by no
means declaring that I am of Saudi Arabia. Even if I was to follow all their
laws and customs, know their history and speak highly of Saudi Arabia. I still
would not be a Saudi Arabian.
Similarly, to demand
that someone, who is not a Christian, live by Christian laws, will not work.
God is interested in hearts, not actions. God is interested in adopting sons,
not entertaining well behaved visitors.
Should I not be
concerned about what non-Christians are doing? No. God calls us to love
everyone, and that includes non-Christians too. And part of our obedience to
what God has called to, has some really good things that make our lives better
and we can share that with those who don’t believe. For example, children
obeying their parents is something God teaches us, and children obeying their
parents is something that can really benefit our unbelieving friends too. God sends rain for both the sinner and the
faithful, and the faithful one can stand there and declare that!
So, it doesn't
matter who I vote for. Conservative, Liberal, Republican, Democratic.
My faith
is not evident or dependent on the way I choose to vote.
As a Christian, I
understand God's love for me and I accept His payment on my behalf, because I
could never get by on my own, and receive salvation. That is what makes me a Christian.
Out of
that, out that understanding and love I choose to obey Him. To follow His laws
and love who He loves is the outworking of my faith. It is by that, that the world will know to
whom I belong, and by that I can point the world to God.
It is natural to
want the world to fall into line and support our moral and godly character, but
it is not necessary to being a Christian or even a community of Christians. It
doesn't actually help, because our moral and godly character doesn't do anything
in regards to salvation, that is the role of faith. But, demanding that others
live by and support the same morals, despite them not actually believing what
Christ has done, demands them to uphold a law to a country they don't belong to
and are not planning on going to visit.
So how does this
work into voting? Well, it isn't simple.
In our democratic countries we are called to participate in government
rather than simply obey. It would be
easy if God demanded that we respect those in authority that are Christian, but
He tells we are to obey all those in authority.
And as long as we have a human
in the government, we will not have a perfect government.
And until Christ sits
on the throne our country will not easily agree to live by the same standard
that Christ calls His bride to live to.
In the meantime we
are left choosing between imperfect candidates and participating in imperfect
systems.
But above all, Christ has given a standard to live by.
First, love God.
This is between you and God, between the church and God. Love God. With every
part of you. Despite what the government
is or will be, love God.
Then we can start asking question about the candidates
we have to choose from. Will any of them prevent me from loving God? Will they
prevent other from loving God? Will they force me to do something that is
against me love for God? In North America we have a pretty good chance that our
freedom to love God will not be hampered, and if it is, there is something in
place that we can do about it.
Second, love others.
Because God loved us we love others. We
look out for the widow, the orphan, the stranger in our gates. And while those
are the vulnerable people of a couple thousand years ago, we have plenty of
vulnerable people to look out for. The single parent, the foster kids, the poor
families, the immigrant, the illegal immigrant, the refugee, the sick, the
disabled, the lonely, the young students, the…
We love them, because while we were still
sinners Christ DIED for us.
So now we
can start asking questions. Which candidate will help us love others better?
Which one will help take responsibility for those who are vulnerable? Which one
will provide jobs for the jobless, hope for those in poverty, security to those
in danger, healing to those who are sick, education to those who need a step
up, help to those in need, justice to the marginalized? What is the best way to do that? I don't
have the answer. Is national security important so that we can continue to have
a safe country to live in? Is economic growth important for providing jobs? Is
a competitive education system the best for encouraging academics? Is immigration
a beneficial aspect to our society. Who need the tax breaks? How do people
access government support? What role do I play in it?
Beware of deception,
are the issues that catch your attention or turn you away something that that
candidate can actually do something about?
Can a student elected student president actually make every Friday of
the school year a holiday? What is realistic? Is a policy addressing a specific
issue working towards a solution or simply reacting to a problem? Are policies
actually getting to the root of the problem? Are we trying really hard to place
heavenly laws on those who aren't planning on going there.
Our choice in
government is not the only place where our love for others ought to be evident.
It should work into our everyday lives and most importantly in our interactions
with people we see everyday. But now and then, God gives us the opportunity to
look a little bigger, and consider the nations we belong to on earth.
And for HEAVEN'S
SAKE, don't take what is legal or illegal on earth as what God requires! The
church ought to stand out drastically from what the world says, because our
citizenship is not of here, but of heaven, and our laws are not earthly laws.
As a church, let us not be consumed with the world wandering away from just acting
like good Christians (their hearts probably left a long time ago) and be concerned about the hearts of believers. Let us
make disciples, and raise up a church that stands out and points to God because
of our love and hope. And for the world that is wandering away, we need to pray for them, and reach out to them with the hope of Christ.
Whatever comes, in
life or in death, is sickness or health, in wealth or poverty, in security or
danger, liberal or conservative, democratic or republican, I will live for Christ.
