Despite society’s continual ostracizing of the Church, at least in speaking of today’s marginalization of the Church’s voice, we have a place within our milieu. This is not to say that our placement is just thrown into the bag mix of different idealisms and religious activisms blending within society end-to-end. I am speaking of the vital role of the Church in a responsible position to truth restoration and social order. Many blame Christianity for the problems of the world with nothing to back these statements except the few disassociated eccentrics committing acts in the name of Christ - surely even the most ironclad anti-Christian should be fair enough to dismiss such antagonistic singular behavior as separate from the Church as a whole. And so we are left with the actuality of the Church foundation bearing the weight of society that has always been there, all the while fending off uprooters tearing out from the basis. It is all seemingly too little too late, but it’s never really too late.
(Image credit: infinitedecay, Flickr)
We can take hold of something here when William Temple’s Christianity and Social Order says,
The method of the Church’s impact upon society at large should be twofold. First, the Church must announce Christian principles and point out where the existing social order is in conflict with them. Second, it must then pass on to Christian citizens, acting in their civic capacities, the task of reshaping the existing order in closer conformity to the principles.
There’s a word here that tends to have a negative impact on people today, conform. Back in the day, the word “conform” still held its true meaning, which was not associated with other blackball terms like “indoctrination”. This is not the case here whatsoever. Conformity is simply put as acting according to certain accepted standards; the standards that made society so great before it took a wrong turn the way it did. The Church is obliged to (1) point out where society has gone astray from Christian principles, and (2) pass on the social reshaping tasks on to Christian citizens. It’s very easy to see where this can come off wrong or be abused by today’s standards. But what is said here, although said at least over 60 years ago, is more relevant today than the many other absurd “solutions” being passed around out there. What is meant by these coupling points is plainly put as a non-forceful loving interaction with society without letting go of truth as our rock to ensure sturdiness in and around the groundwork of societal foundation. The Church should abolish a disavowal of God in society. This is what the Church is called to do in order to impact society. Something to keep in mind is that social acceptance does not always equate to the universal truth set before us. Many would say that the opposite is becoming more true with every day the church sits idle, that social order is turning its back towards truth falsehoods that refuse God’s ultimate reality for us as it was intended to be.
1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
To read more about this, a great read by William Temple is Christianity and Social Order
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