Lesson 14: The Christian Concept of Government

There is no such thing as a Christian concept of government if you’re referring to a political system. In both the Bible and church history, you can find everything from theocracy to foreign empire. In the former, God rules without any sitting government. Leaders are called forth when conflicts arise, whether external as war or internal as individual discord. In the latter, outsiders inspired by other gods rule.

There is also no such thing as one kind of Christian political attitude. It can range from obedience to rebellion, depending on the situation.

You could argue that there is a Christian principle of government. At least, I could make a case for Jesus’ teachings advocating government being primarily to care for the weak. In any kind of conflict, the threat is from the strong taking advantage of the weak. Government protects the vulnerable with defense and law. It safeguards the endangered.

A new situation has developed with Christianity and constitutional democracy. At least from one perspective, the idea began with a working relationship that protected believers in less powerful denominations and religions. Religious freedom ensured peace after people had enough of religious wars.

Over the years, governmental caring for the weak has come to include providing as well as protecting. The government has developed socialistic programs such as Social Security and Medicare to provide caring services. One factor is fear that the strong would take advantage of the poor if these were handled by private industry operating for profit.

This aspect of the principle, and for that matter the principle itself, is being challenged presently. Project 2025 advocates dismantling socialistic programs. The incoming administration is giving power to the extremely wealthy who openly advocate for programs benefitting the strong. Oddly, Christians are pretty much divided down the middle over whether government should care for the weak.

From the beginning people have pushed back against the basic Christian principle that calls for loving your neighbor. When a lawyer asked for the definition of neighbor, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. It makes clear love involves caring for anyone in need. If this determines what all believers do, we should work for this in our government.

I’ll take off a few weeks for the holidays before starting a new series.

Tags: Christian Concept of Government, Christians in a Democracy, Church-State Relationship, Function of Elections for Christians, Government Cares for the Weak, Government Protects and Provides, Jesus Teaching and Election, Working Relationship between Christianity and American Democracy