By Daniel Brown
The Conduct
We must not allow our emotions, or our “conscience” to be our guide. We must surrender our opinions to the Word of God, and when we find that our argumentation is truly in line with the Bible, we must allow the Bible to interpret how we express it.
This is the “How?” question, being brought into perspective. We cannot speak of the Christian’s involvement in debate, without addressing Christian conduct. Setting aside the groups we choose to associate with, and assuming that we have actually unearthed a truly righteous cause, expressing ourselves in a Christ-like manner must be at the peak of our priorities.
Not all protests are necessarily evil. Surely, there must be social or political causes worth joining. If we can manage to align ourselves with biblical agendas and those who are not in obvious opposition to biblical truth; if we can find a way to get the message across so as not to hurt the name of Jesus Christ, or hinder the unsaved from coming to Christ, we are obligated to do everything in our power to help.
The typical protest however, is neither the place for a Christian, nor is it the practice of a true follower of Jesus Christ. Screaming, cursing, chanting rude phrases, damaging property, not listening attentively to the argument of our opposition, assaulting other people; these are the practices of many (not all) protests. Even the “peaceful” protests of our day, undermine Biblical principles. The recent protests against alleged police brutality are a perfect example of this. Even those that were not described as “violent”, were very disrespectful to established authority. The Bible is very clear, that God is the Establisher of government. The true Church of Jesus Christ has never rioted, nor has she taken up arms to oppose the government in order to promote Christianity. Remember, our cause is not political, but ultimately spiritual. The Lord Jesus Christ himself rebuked his apostle Peter for using the sword to “advance his kingdom”. He is building a church, not an earthly kingdom. Therefore, He advances His Cause through the preached Word of God, not political resistance. Even under great persecution, believers have stood with God’s Word, but “submitted themselves to every ordinance of man” (1 Peter 2:13).
We must not forget that the most noble of intentions do not justify the setting forth of principles that oppose biblical truth. Staging a “walkout” at a work-place, in a school, or in any other civil environment does not seem to be consistent with the Biblical values of respecting authority. The parent who seeks to raise his children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), would never permit such behavior at home. When the children feel that they have been unjustly treated, are they permitted to simply “walk-out”? It seems to be the equivalent of a “grown-up” tirade. If discipline is required to keep a young child from collapsing on the floor into a fit of screaming and crying, because he does not get his way, why would we effectively do the same thing in a more “civilized” manner? We do this, because we have justified our own tirades. Christian employees have joined strikes, and have vocally disrespected the authority of their God-given places of employment. Unions are filled with believers who, for more money, are willing to take part in any number of disrespectful displays of disapproval. Even our harsh criticisms of government authorities, regardless of what they may promote, often violate Christian conduct (Read Ephesians 5-6; 1 Peter 2; Colossians 3)
We are forced to consider what affect this will have on future generations. What of the effect it will have on our children’s view of the local church? Should we “walk out”, or stand in protest when we disagree with the Pastor, or another church leader? Where there is no respect for authority, there will eventually be no fixed authority. Every man will do that which is right in his own eyes. This is normal; even expected in the world. This is how the unregenerate world-system functions. He has no regard for God’s Word, for He does not know God. However, we are not speaking to the world. We are addressing believers. Our connection to Jesus Christ demands a dramatically different conduct than that of the world.
How can I get the point across in a way that is respectful, and does not encourage disobedience to the principles of Scripture? If I am to participate in a protest, is it to be performed in such a way as to adhere to company, school, and civil policy? Have I followed the principles of Matthew 18 to resolve the conflict: Attempting to first handle it privately, then in the presence of two or three witnesses, and finally, as a last resort, publicly?
This has been the fifth part of a PDF entitled iProtest by Daniel Brown. For the entire PDF, please click here.