Theocracy
The mortal enemy of Democracy
You ought to see
The right-wing odyssey
That has progressives crying out about "Theocracy!"
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Clarification below the jump.
This is actually a follow-up to
HadIt's diary
Can There Be Christian "Law"?.
Let's define our terms. What is a "Theocracy" anyway? A Google search will yield you many results, but Merriam-Webster defines a theocracy as a "government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided." The central feature of a theocracy is rule by direct or immediate revelation from God. This is significantly different from the rule of law, which is what we have in the United States of America and will continue to have so long as the Constitution stands.
The pertinent question is this: What is the basis of our laws? The obvious and pithy response is, "The will of the people" and ultimately, that is indeed all that matters (Constitutional prohibitions notwithstanding). If Ms. Cleo informs the thinking of enough people to affect the laws of the land then there will be some phony-Jamacan accented laws on the books. If the flight trajectory of migratory swallows affects the thinking of enough Americans then there will be some bird-brained laws on the books. If the will of God affects the thinking of enough Americans then there will be some Godly laws on the books. That's not theocracy - that's democracy, and like President Andrew Shepherd said:
America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've got to want it bad, because it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil who is standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the 'land of the free'? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the 'land of the free.'"
Naturally, many people who object to Christians bringing their Christianity to the public square will point to Paul's writing in Galatians and Romans about being free from the Law. We have to understand what Paul was talking about in order to rightly apply his words on the matter. Look at Galatians 3:10-11:
For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
Paul is talking about people following the Law as a means of being justified in the eyes of God. Pauls says that anyone who tries that route will fail, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Anyone who believes that installing the Mosaic Law - or any other set of laws for that matter - will justify people in God's sight is dead wrong Biblically. That, however, is not what (most) Christians are trying to do - not even those on the fringe Right. All Christians are trying to do is the same thing that non-Christians are trying to do politically - have our views and preferences reflected in the law of the land. Everyone who is involved in politics gets involved for the purpose of having their beliefs and preferences reflected in the laws and policies of the nation. That's the nature of democratic politics (small "d" democratic) - everyone brings their preferences, desires, hopes, and fears to the public square and we collectively establish laws and policies to govern our society via majority rule (Diebold notwithstanding). This is not about Christians trying to make this a Christian nation any more than is it about farmers trying to make this a farming nation or gays trying to make this a homosexual nation. The growing intolerance of all things Christian within the Democratic Party is a problem that could initiate a "Chocolate Migration" to the Republican Party - that is a problem that will soon become major.
Part of the problem, of course, is that we have political opportunists masquerading as Christians. That's a problem that true Christians have to solve and solve quickly. Another problem is this Left Behind crap. The Pretribulation Rapture Theory is a recent innovation (the last 150 years or so) that needs to go the way of plenary indulgances. I've debunked the Pre-trib theory - as have many people who share my Post-trib perspective - but many other Evangelicals still hold to that view, and that view has an adverse effect on American politics and on the Kingdom of God.
If all Christians understood that we will indeed be here throughout the Great Tribulation then it would become obvious to them that it is Jesus who establishes His theocracy here on earth when He returns - it is not up to us to enthrone Him before He returns. (q.v. Revelation 19:11-21) This should significantly change the way many Conservative Christians approach politics. There are indeed those who would try to establish a theocracy here and now, but that's not the Falwell/Robertson crowd. That's the Dominion folks, but there's been a bit of cross-polination between the two - a remarkable feat considering the diametric opposition of their professed theologies. Nonetheless, postmillenial politics cannot coexist with premillenial theology - especially from a posttribulationist perspective.
The key to undermining the politics of the Religious Right is to cut its theological legs out from under it. The good news is that they stand upon a theological house of cards - a good Pre-Mil, Post Trib wind should knock it down flat. It's just a matter of getting that perspective out to the intended audience, or more accurately, the intended congregation. That task falls squarely on the Black Church - we are the only ones who can effectively counter the Religious Right, so we have to get to work and get the job done. I'm up for the fight - is anyone else?