Romans 13:4 (CSB) — For [government] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
Look at how much chaos is being inflicted on society because people pervert justice in pursuit of hidden agendas.
The evidence of such agendas can be seen in the result of recent actions taken to dismantle our law-enforcement, which produced a 277% spike in shootings across NYC. We have opened the floodgates to criminal behavior that will burn our nation to the ground if left unchecked, which I suspect is what many who are calling to dismantle the American system actually want.
God’s word speaks the truth when it says that the purpose of government is to uphold justice and punishing criminals. To establish justice requires that citizens must respect the authority of their government to punish unlawful behavior and use peaceful reforms to correct abuses wherever systemic corruptions are detected. But, as unpopular as it is to say, the vast majority of today’s outrage is directed towards cases where the “victim” was engaged in unlawful activity. There are relatively few instances where innocent citizens who were not engaged in any criminal behavior were harmed by police officers in America because American law-enforcement primarily responds to unlawful activity.
THE STRATEGY OF DIVISION
There seem to be two primary sources of division in America right now:
First, there is a coordinated effort to manipulate people’s outrage and fears in order to turn American citizens against each other and divide our country.
Second, people’s greed and sense of entitlement is being manipulated to turn American citizens against their government so that we dismantle the systems that have preserved order and liberty in America.
No matter how we interpret the facts on the ground, it is clear that there are active civil and moral philosophies in America right now whose aim can be described as nothing less than the total destruction of the American system. And these undercurrents seem to have hijacked support from various realms in society that are not explicitly aligned with their ultimate aims, but which are lending their support in such a way that nonetheless helps them accomplish their goals.
A PEACEFUL RESOLVE
I believe that the teachings of Jesus Christ illuminate two paths towards a peaceful resolution:
First, Americans must reject divisive and inflammatory rhetoric across the board and refuse to direct their outrage against one another. We must show respect to individual citizens that we disagree with, and refuse to accuse, malign, or assault their basic human dignity. Our focus should instead be on the failed ideologies and destructive organizations that threaten to overturn our society as a whole. We must determine to communicate truth where the darkness of deception prevails.
Second, Americans must reject the temptation to blame the system for every societal woe and work together to defend our way of life and peacefully reform the civil institutions that uphold justice and establish our freedoms.
We need to accept responsibility for our actions and stop blaming externalities for everything that goes wrong in our society. As unpopular as this will be, this means that the black community needs courageous leaders who will call upon their members to reform and address the rate of crime in their community that is exponentially higher than any other community in America. This also means that white Americans need to look for ways to work together with black Americans in pursuit of building a more cohesive and unified society instead of depending on the government to do this work for us. We must take responsibility for our own destinies once again.
Since returning to America I have noted that the majority of Americans are so distracted by the polarizing rhetoric that dominates our headlines that we have not noticed that our outraged response is exactly what those who want to see our society crumble appear to want! By becoming inflamed and outraged, we are playing directly into the hands of those who want to see America crumble so that they can rebuild an authoritarian order in its place. This may sound fantastical to some, but the conversations that I’ve had and the strategies that I see being employed leave me with no other viable interpretation of the matter at hand: America faces a subversive element that seeks America’s political destruction so that it can form a new social and political order in its place.
We cannot escape the singular truth that God instituted the government to uphold justice and punish unlawful behavior. Whenever people forget this reality and begin to look towards the government to alleviate the curses that are brought about by our sin, the government inevitably becomes an oppressor because it does not possess the capacity to heal the infirmities of sin. We must look to Jesus Christ to find healing for our sins, because only the Creator of all things can restore balance to a world so marred by sin.
I do not know if America has the moral and spiritual awareness necessary to avoid the cataclysmic crash that we are headed towards as a society because I have not seen much willingness on either side to pursue a peaceful resolve to our problems. There are very few voices speaking out against the divisiveness, outrage, and hostility that dominates the rhetoric of both sides today. There are very few voices that are preaching Jesus’ way of peace and calling for people across the aisle to give up their resentment, to take personal accountability for their own actions, and to respond to their enemies with love and blessing. In short, there are very few people who are taking the necessary steps to “overcome evil with good”. But if we are going to successfully employ a peaceful resolution to today’s problems, this is exactly what we must do!
I hope you will all join me in praying for a peaceful resolution to our problems. I sincerely hope that I am wrong, but my recent study of history, philosophy, and the theological pillars of justice convinces me that we are repeating steps that will lead to an American civil war. Therefore, I believe devoted prayers for peace and harmony are very much warranted in our time.
Biblical Reasons 