Rick Frueh at Judah’s Lion has written an inspired parable..
Recently a group of people signed what they called The Manhattan Declaration. It was meant to express outrage over some moral issues. I was asked my thoughts. I will answer with a parable.
The Owner of many pieces of property brings his hired servant out to view his land.
As they both scan the landscape they notice thousands of dead corpses laid out across every piece of property. The Owner points to these corpses and instructs the servant to take the electronic paddles that he provides for him and go corpse to corpse using the paddles against each chest. The Owner tells the man that every once in a while a corpse will come to life, but that he should not be discouraged when most of them do not. The Owner also informs the servant that the servant himself was once dead and laid among these same corpses until someone placed the paddles on his chest and he came to life. The servant understands and the Owner departs.
The servant begins to go to each corpse and place the paddles against each chest and activate the electronic surge. He has done it to scores of dead bodies when all of a sudden one person comes back to life. The servant is surprised and ecstatic and rejoices with the now living person. The servant goes back to using the paddles on each corpse. After a while the servant begins to realize that these corpses give off a decidedly foul odor. And along with their smell, they draw many insects and scavenger birds. The entire atmosphere deteriorates and the servant begins to feel very uncomfortable.
When the environment becomes very unbearable, the servant puts down the paddles and sets about to perfume the corpses in order to alleviate the odor. He also begins to use pesticide in order to chase away the insects. He erects scarecrows to scare away the scavenger birds as well. The servant becomes almost consumed with attempting to improve the ambiance of his piece of property, and he calls out to the servant who is working on the adjacent piece of land. He and the other servant complain together about the residual effects the corpses are having on their respective work environments.
They call other servants together as well, and sure enough the other servants are experiencing the same problems. So the servants decide to sign a petition that states emphatically that they do not appreciate the odor, the insects, and the birds that seem to gather around these corpses. In fact, they become so passionate about their cause that they become deceived into thinking the corpses can actually hear and understand them. They pass out these petitions to the corpses and even tell them that they better quit smelling, and quit drawing insects, and quit being a source for scavenger birds.
Even though the corpses cannot hear them, these petitions make the servants feel bold and strong. They have made it public knowledge that they do not agree with these unfortunate circumstances and that in fact they are strongly opposed to odors, insects, and birds. Some of the servants even create organizations that are meant to oppose the unpleasant aspects of the fields and leveraging change through numerical strength.
But while the hearts of these servants may be sincere, they have actually been deceived. And there are two distinct deceptions at work here.
- First, their campaign against the residual effects of rotting corpses has attracted servants that do not serve their Owner, and bound by a common cause, they join with servants who are enemies of their Owner. Their Owner is not pleased.
- Secondly, these energies against the outward effects of death have taken them away from their assignment and calling. The Owner did not promise them a pleasant labor environment, and He did not instruct them to complain about the things that are unpleasant. In fact, the Owner knows only too well about the horrors of laboring among corpses and He offers rewards for those who go about His business with humility, grace, and sacrifice. But instead of continuing to use the Owner’s paddles, these servants have now set their eyes upon their circumstances. Unwittingly, they now have become slaves to the corpses instead of obedient servants of the Owner.
Creating and signing petitions, manifestos, or declarations may seem noble and bold in the short run, but we as servants of the Most High already have our manifesto. We already have our assignment, and we must be about our Father’s business. We serve the Lord of Life in the midst of corpses where we ourselves were once laid. They do not need our moral engagement and they do not need our outrage because they act like corpses.
They need Jesus, the Lover of corpses Who offers them eternal life through His cross.
We cannot afford to be distracted by the glitter of moral causes, and if persecution is God’s plan for us, let us receive it with joy in our hearts and a song on our lips. How privileged would we be to be allowed to suffer for His Matchless Name! We have a manifesto already written to those corpses, so let us sign it with our lives regardless of the environment in which we labor.
Heb.12:2-4 - Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
This is somewhat graphic, but it’s a great analogy at many levels.
Rick Frueh rightly points out that we already have our manifesto (the Word of God), and we don’t need another. It seems, in a way, that this Manhattan Declaration is really an attempt to supplant the Bible, or at least improve on its message. This was already demonstrated in Jim Daly’s remarks that Focus on the Family’s four “threshold issues” are the “foundation of our faith.”
This line from the above post is worth reflecting upon:
“Even though the corpses cannot hear them, these petitions make the servants feel bold and strong.”
I wouldn’t doubt that many are drawn to sign the Manhattan Declaration for the very same reason. Yet the lost are spiritually asleep until they are awakened by the truth of the gospel.
I thought of this post earlier tonight when i was reading a post at one of the best known discernment blogs around. The post had to do with Obama’s Thanksgiving Proclamation.
The author was irate and condemning in their words because the president had not mentioned God.
I left a comment but seriously doubt it will be approved–and that’s ok. But basically what i asked was if the author and others who had committed had forgotten where they were–in darkness with no true knowledge of God–before their own salvation.
“such were some of you”...says Paul in 1 Corinthians 6. And most certainly we were.
Adam we’re not called to judge the lost but to preach salvation to them through the saving power of Jesus Christ. And this is where “Christian” activist groups–like those who wrote up the Manhattan Declaration are totally in error: on top of the fact this particular declaration is ecumenical and political, it seeks through “force”–even civil disobedience, to make people who live in darkness (the lost) abide by God’s word.
I don’t know about you, but i was 32 when i ws born again–that was almost 30 years ago. But during the first 32 yrs of my life i was “dead”…or as Rick put it, a “corpse”.
I wasn’t seeking to abide by God’s word before coming to Christ–and if someone would have tried to force me to live by biblical principles, my natural sinful rebellious nature would have risen up in anger. At the least i would have ignored them.
But see, this is what these groups seek to do–force lost, unsaved, unregenerate people to accept biblical principles, WITHOUT knowing God through Christ first!
Isn’t that stupid!?
And they actually think they can do it through politics and government (laws, etc).
It will never work, ever.
To be frank, i don’t think the majority of these folks care if the people they are seeking to force, are ever saved or not. –they only care that people obey.
Its like the segment you quoted:
Their motive is not to spread the gospel and add souls to the kingdom of God. Its to gain back political power they believe they once possessed.
PJ,
I have a question. What do you think the purpose of government is? According to God’s Word one of it’s purposes is to punish evil doers.
Do laws that make abortion legal at any stage punish evil doers or enable evil doing? Do laws that provide for same sex marriages, punish evil doers or enable them?
Again I ask, why is it so wrong for a Christian to want to try and influence the laws of the land so that they are actually doing what God intends for them to do?
Of course no one can “force” any one to follow Biblical principles. But does that mean there should be no concern that there are laws written that actually enable just the opposite and make our government an enabler of evil instead of a punisher of it? Everyone in our nation can only suffer as a result of that kind of governmental approach.
The Bible also tells us to do good to all men as often as we have opportunity. Is there nothing good about speaking up about evil and warning people they are destroying themselves by doing it? Is there nothing good about encouraging our government to make laws that are righteous and actually do what God intended them to do instead of doing just the opposite? In our country where we do have the right to make our voices heard in our government and to influence law making, is it not taking “opportunity to do good to all men” as the Bible says by using that right and privilege to work for just laws that do indeed punish evil doers and not enable them? Enabling evil doers only brings harm to men–not good.
Again let me state that I have problems with the Manhattan Declaration, specifically the ecumenical emphasis and I haven’t and won’t be signing it.
But I honestly just can not understand the idea that it is totally wrong for a Christian to be concerned about and try to change things in our society and government that put human lives at great risk and make our government do the total opposite of what God’s purpose for government really is.
Again, I would understand your argument better if the only thing all non believers ever did in their lives was totally evil 100% of the time and if they could do absolutely nothing else. But that simply is not the case. There are many unbelievers out there that do many good things and live quite moral lives.
It seems to me that as Christians there are two traps we can fall into. We can fall into the trap that has been called the social gospel in the past. In this case preaching Christ and Him crucified and the need for every man to be born again is minimalized or sometimes totally lost. The other trap we can fall into is the trap of thinking that the great commission is the only thing we are to be involved in and forget the commands to love our neighbor as ourselves and to do good to all as we have the opportunity.
PJ,
I’m in agreement concerning political activism by the church. Attempting to “force” morality via legislation is in essence a spin on coercion by sword. A Biblical principle that I don’t recall, and one that I believe one would be hard pressed to find in the Bible. Jesus by words and action throughout the gospels makes it clear that His ways we’re/are not that of the world… “Am I leading a rebellion…?” (Matthew 26:54-56).
It is regrettably sad and disturbing that some that claim to be saints believe that rebellion against authorities is Biblical (Romans 13:1-3). How quickly it’s forgotten that God is in control, and that we as His agents/ambassadors have been given a roll by Him to fulfill..
Christopher, that’s an excellent point.
The initiators of this declaration, by their own words, have moved away from the very foundation on which Christianity is founded–Jesus Christ, and substituted the real foundation for what they now believe,
” represent the foundation of our faith”
Which are,
This is the danger or pitfall we as Christians have to be aware of when becoming actively involved in (as Paul put it) “civilian affairs”. We can compromise our own faith for “the” civil cause we are fighting for–or against. We can start out believing we’re doing it “for God” and the Kingdom, but it can end up becoming an idol.
Dan Phillips post at Pyromaniacs today is interesting–
Nineteen questions for signers of “The Manhattan Declaration”
As I was reading the comments in here today I thought of a sermon Martin Luther preached in 1529.
I will quote a section of it. It is telling that God’s Grace and Wisdom is for every generation. There is both hope and a warning in the following words of dear Martin:::>
“….A Sermon on Christian Righteousness,
Of Worldly Righteousness and Peity,
2. But that we may rightly understand this, we must thoroughly know how to distinguish two powers or
kinds of piety. One here upon earth, which God has also ordained and has included under the second table of the ten commandments. This is called the righteousness of the world or of man, and serves to the end that we may live together on earth and enjoy the gifts God has given us. For it is his wish that his present life be kept under proper restraint and passed in peace, quietude and harmony, each one attending to his own affairs and not interfering with the business, property or person of another. For this reason God has also added a special blessing, “Which if a man do, he shall live in them” (Lev.18:5), that is, whosoever upon earth is honest in the sight of all men shall enjoy life; it shall be well with him, and he shall live long.
3. But if on the other hand man is unwilling to do this, he has ordained that the sword, the gallows, the rack,
fire, water, and the like be used, with which to restrain and check those who will not be pious. Where such
punishment is not administered and the whole country becomes so utterly bad and perverted, that the
officers of the law can no longer restrain, God sends pestilence, famine, war, or other terrible plagues, in
order to subvert the land, and destroy the wicked, as has happened to the Jews, the Greeks, the Romans,
and others. From this we may learn his will, namely, that such piety be exercised and maintained; and know
that he will provide what is necessary; but if such piety is not practiced he will in turn take away and
destroy everything…..”.
Another reason why righteousness (right standing) can only be through a relationship with Christ.
According to Luther’s statement i wouldn’t have lived long enough to come to Christ! I would have been strung-up, stretched on the rack or met my fate at the gallows or by being burned alive first.
shuuuuuu PJ, someone might be reading your confession hereon!
I confess, before coming to Jesus i was a horrible (horrible!) sinner!
Only Christ changed me.. (praise God!!!)
I read an interesting statement made by Beverly LaHaye today–she’s the wife of Tim (left behind) LaHaye and founder of Concerned Women of America.
The reason its interesting is first it voices the beliefs of most of the extreme right-wing Politically active Christian groups; the same groups which hold up the constitution of the United States as being equal in importance with the bible…or in some instances, more important.
But what does the constitution say?
What does that mean?
Its interesting for it points out just how twisted the thinking is within groups like those who penned the Manhattan Declaration. Their declaration is neither biblical (shown by what they wrongly believe are biblical foundations of the faith) nor is it rightly constitutional. Which makes it of no importance at all–its useless..
PJ,
“….to prevent the discrimination of people with differing religious principles in regards to office holding, and to disallow laws which would give such a representing religious organization power over policy making by excluding others whom do not share the same religious beliefs.”
Can you tell me where you got that explanation? I have never heard it explained to refer to laws before. Only to people. And that to me makes sence because it is in the context of taking oaths of office.
PJ,
I have read and reread the quote I asked you about above. As I have read it repeatedly, what it seems to be saying to me is that is unlawful to pass a law which would give a religious organization power over policy making while not allowing others into the process. The Manhattan Declaration is not as far as I can remember, saying that our government has to make a law saying that only Christians can have control of policy making. So I don’t think that has any bearing on this situation at all.
And I found the source of your quote, Wikepedia. I also noted that it said, “This COULD be interpreted to mean…” and then your quote. That is a little different, I think, then saying authoritatively that this is what it means. Also, just for the record, many folks don’t consider Wikepedia an authoritative source of information at all.
Glad to hear some people don’t consider Wike. a reliable source by its self–i don’t either if the topic is in the least questionable. I double check through other sources.
But sorry Cherylu my quote did not come from your source–it came from one of the law school websites i visited today. I don’t recall which one [perhaps Yale, Cornell, or Columbia?) i was on a number of law school sites looking for a simple legal interpretation of Article VI, section 3 of the US Constitution. Perhaps your website, Wike. got it from the same source.