God and Government: Chapter 1

This is a summary of the book God and Government, edited by Nick Spencer and Jonathan Chaplin and published by SPCK in 2009. I shall try to summarise the chapters as the author underscores in the text. And then whenever possible, I shall give my own comment.

The first chapter is titled " Government as an ambiguous power" written by Nigel Wright, who served as the Principal of Spurgeon College, London.

The author argues that the Church should maintain a critical distance from political institutions. This way the church would be able to critique the institution whenever required. However, an individual Christian must be part of the political institution as he or she feels called. Elijah was a prophet who maintained a critical distance from the political office of the day, and he spoke the voice of the one in heaven. He carried the 'official' voice from God. However, Obadiah was an individual who worked as part of the institution in the king's court. By working this way, he was able to secure a safe place for so many faithful folks. As led by the Spirit and one's conscience, Christian must find one's place.

God created the world and the humans. Since these are God's creations, they are good. However, something has gone wrong. It is important to bear this tension in mind as one looks at human institutions. Whether it is government or institutions, they are the product of human activities. Given that humans bear the tension of being good and bad, the product of human imaginations and activities will bear this tension. Through human cooperation, laws and agencies to foster human well-being arise. They are there to pursue human well-being. But because humans bear the tension of being good and bad, as an individual and as a collective body, our activities -- individual or collective, will not necessarily always be bad or good. On one hand government will be good; on the other hand government need not be good. The tendency to work for the enrichment of those in power, not taking into the interest of all the members of the society will surface over and over again. This is where the Church has a critical role to play.

The Church has a redeeming role to play. The government has a role to maintain stability and order. The government may advance criminal justice by using coercion and also develop institutions for promoting peace. This is essential. However, this aspect of preserving the order cannot redeem humans. But what this allows is that it gives the Church that peaceful environment to proclaim Christ and his redemptive work. This also serves as an important point in the separation of church and state. The church is free from the clutch of the state, and it is free to maintain a critical distance. At the same time, the Church does not have a grip over the function of the state though it may influence. The Church also does not seek any special privilege that people of other religions do not enjoy. This is about loving the neighbours!