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Christendom
and the State
Believers speak of the
workings of Jesus Christ in regions like the states of the “former” Soviet
Union or in China or South Africa. Christians refer to revivals in cities
like Saskatoon. Citizens of a nation may declare on their currency “In
God we trust” or petition God in their national anthem to “keep our land
glorious and free.” Drafters of national constitutions may proclaim the
state founded upon principles recognizing the supremacy of God, and parliament
may amend a national pledge of allegiance to declare the country under one
God. In these territorial contexts, Christendom
refers to the community of all Christians at whatever level of examination -
neighborhood, municipality, province, region, nation, continent or world.
Within Christendom, however one chooses to describe the territory, the Christian
community is to be guided by Christian values in its politics, economics and
social life, indeed, everything. The one universal church of God is
invisible - not an institutional but a supernatural entity. All its
members are in Christ and are knit together by a supernatural kinship.
All their gifts and activities should continue the work of Christ, should
originate from Christ, and are co-coordinated by Christ to achieve His
goals. The visible churches and denominations, whether organized in episcopal,
presbyterian, congregational or any other structure, are the means by which the
Holy Spirit uses Christians to increase the body of believers, witness to the
nations and fulfill God’s plan on earth. The mission of the visible
churches within Christendom is always Christ-centered – public witness, example
and evangelism leads people to the Saviour; publishing, teaching and following
the precepts of God’s Word proclaims Christ’s lordship; Christian nurture
through fellowship feeds His lambs and disciplines His flock; and ministering to
the needs of Canadians continues the work of Christ in
Canada.
Canadian
State
A state is a political
association with effective sovereignty over a geographic area. In Canada,
the state is a federation of provinces and territories. A state usually
includes a set of institutions – parliament, senate, courts, armed forces,
civil service, and police. In both Canada and the United States there
exists no “state” religion – the federal government does not have clergy,
either appointed or elected on its payroll, other than serving military chaplains
in the armed services; no single church is favoured by the state in treatment
over another. The concept of the state can be distinguished by the form
of government and the concept of the political system. Canada is a
democracy, Cuba is a dictatorship. A political system is a complete set
of institutions; interest groups (such as political parties, trade unions,
lobby groups), usually regulated by a constitution and legal system and
governed by a group that is in power. Wikipedia adds: “A political
system is one that ensures the maintaining of order and sanity in the society
and at the same time makes it possible for some other institutions to also have
their grievances and complaints put across in the course of social existence.”
Some Canadians view the state as a secular constitutional democracy; others see
Canada as a constitutional democracy founded upon principles that recognize the
supremacy of God. These conflicting views of the Canadian political
system are at the heart of the unresolved controversy over so-called
“separation of church and state.” The former notion rejects all religious
influence upon the affairs of state. The latter view (aptly reflected in
the lyrics to Canada’s National Anthem and in the Preamble to our Constitution)
holds that Canada is a state under God; and therefore, its governance should
reflect this reality where appropriate. How Canadians Govern Themselves , first published in 1980, is an excellent reference on the Canadian State, exploring Canada’s parliamentary system, from the decisions made by the Fathers of Confederation, to the daily work of parliamentarians in the Senate and House of Commons. Useful information on Canada’s constitution, the judicial system, and provincial and municipal powers is also gathered together in this one reference book.
Submission
to the State (Romans 13)
I refer you to a number of
choice articles addressing the topic of submission to government authorities:
“Rethinking
Romans 13” by Greg A. Dixon, WorldNetDaily.com
“Submission to Governing
Authorities: A Study of Romans 13:1-7” by Matthew G. Neufeld, Direction “Obey? Bible says yes, if government's 'good' 'No civil rulers should be followed if orders inconsistent with God's' by Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily.com
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