It was, from the start, unlikely that many would find the below presentation totally agreeable, but I appreciate the feedback nevertheless (from ROH Merdeka 2008 participants and non-participants alike).
Some responses raised to the idea that peace-making, reconciliation and forgiveness must be the Church's defining role (in politics and all domains of life) included:
- Jesus has many facets, not merely the suffering/dying one e.g. His Temple action
- The Church also has a prophetic role to play i.e. Christians have a responsibility to rebuke the world as the Biblical prophets did - attempted response here
- "Love thy enemy" doesn't apply to societal/institutional evil (e.g. we are not called to love apartheid) - a teenie-weenie response of sorts here (argument still to be developed)
- One doesn't tell an abused wife to 'love her husband'
- The book of Revelations was filled with tirades against Rome (e.g. it labeled Rome a beast) - attempted responses here
Can you add (or counter-respond) to the above? I'd love to hear more.
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4 comments:
hi alwyn, what is ur opinion abt separation of the church and state. tq.
it should happen - the separation, I mean. Sword and Cross shouldn't be united.
what's your view?
recently i read philip yancey book and i quite agree with him. church is good being minority or opposition in the sense, and when it grew more than it should be, the nature changes. and i couldnt help but seeing from history when church is changing community and when church becoming complecent. i think sometimes things is not what it seem. so, though i agree with separation, it doesnt mean total neglect.
Hi Alwyn,
Most of the time, we (including myself) fail to see that God is in total control over the secular political situations and not just in control of the Churches. Like Rome, Alexander the Great and Nebuchadnezar of Babylon are raised up by God Himself, but what we must also remember is that what He has raised up He can also pull down at some point in time, exactly like what happened to all those aforesaid Kingdoms.
Maybe as Christians, we should only get into country politics to a certain degree only. It would be ideal if we could spend more time building a closer relationship with God on the personal level and by doing so, we, as a body of Christ, have the strength to help the rest of humanity along and also help build a better world around us. However, we do need to pray for justice and in God's time, everything that is kept secret shall come to light and shall be made known.
Like Dr Kua Kia Soong's book May 13, in it he wrote that: "This volume is an effort to honour the victims by unveiling the truth and pointing the way forward toward national reconciliation. History cannot be written with bias. There is a need for a Special Commission to unearth the truth of the 1969 racial riots before there can be a genuine national reconciliation."
If it is the will of God, justice will be served.
The Lord has recently stirred me up to write about "Love thy enemy". It is my personal journey on loving my mortal enemies. http://www.whatseestthou.blogspot.com/ Hope you and anyone who wishes to know how to love their enemies have the time to read it.
For example, about the abused wife, if the husband is a man of God, he naturally will not use his wife as a punching bag; and if he does, it means he is basically a false Christian and divorce is the only option which is also as an act of God's love on the wife's part because the husband must be miserable being married to his wife and both going their separate ways is for the best.
In many cases we must learn to walk away.
Regarding apartheid, it is the biggest irony and paradox. England is suppose to be the "Defender of the Faith" and under UK's Commonwealth one would hope to see God's justice being practised but the direct opposite happens in cases like the Apartheid. I would refer the people who set up the Apartheid systems as the Nicolaitanes.
If you wish to find out more about the "Goat and the Sheep" separation theory aka, "Wheat and Tares" please also read up my testimonial about my parents at www.crossofjesuschrist.com
Any comments on both testimonials are most welcome.
God speed,
Genesis Yew
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