I am not a historian. I am not a theologian. I am not a scholar.
The SCOTUS recently handed down a verdict legalizing gay marriage from sea to shining sea. The social media has been ablaze with both celebratory colorful flags, and equally scathing concern for where our beloved nation is headed.
For more than two centuries (again, I am no historian), our government has been looked to to uphold the laws of our land. Laws that historically and fairly recently have held all unequal (even though some documents that we've used to help craft our country say differently). And up until the last few decades, many in the church were big fans of our government and the job they were doing. And since the church was pretty much in agreement with the job our government was doing, they got lazy. So they voted and went about their Sunday's and got fat and happy.
There were a few decades where some folks realized the government (and in turn the church) weren't quite doing things very well, and at their own peril, began to hold up signs, sing songs, and walk across bridges. And these folks really started to bring about change in the government and its laws. And some of the church people were mad, said some things, then voted, and went on about their Sunday's getting fat and happy.
So it seems this SCOTUS verdict is another one of those things that has made church people mad. And now the church is once again saying a lot of things. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
You see, the church has slowly given their role to the government. And the government has been doing their darndest to do good work where the church has fallen short. Clothing the naked. Looking after the sick. Comforting the prisoners (Matt 25:36). Caring for the husbandless and fatherless (James 1:27).
Jesus never asked us to vote and go about our Sundays and get fat and happy. Jesus' asked us to be the church. To walk around and help people. To recognize our own inadequacies before others'. To show them and tell them about Him.
The separating of church from state needs to occur. It needs to happen to us. Jesus' church is people not pews. Jesus' church is engaged, active, aiding. And its high time we responded accordingly—clothing the naked—looking after the sick—comforting the prisoners—caring for the husbandless and fatherless.
I am not a historian. I am not a theologian. I am not a scholar. I am a sinner. I am mistake-prone. I am redeemed. I am ready. I AM CHURCH.
PLEASE NOTE: 1) Clearly many have done some amazing work as followers of Jesus, but this is a generalized commentary. 2) By no means do I want to trivialize the massive movement(s) to right a lot of wrongs in our nation. One that has been (and continues to be) filled with violence and blood. 3) This is written from my limited perspective as a white man whose pretty much attended a white church. Who has a limited understanding of American history, and some Bible knowledge.