From the Mailbag — Politics & Morality

Dear Pastor;

Why do people look for political solutions to moral problems?

Martin
Chalcedon

Dear Martin,

Thanks for your question. It is a legitimate question.

The reason that political solutions are sought out for moral problems is that when God is thrown out of the equation then the only thing left to provide a solution to moral problems is politics.

Moral problems can only be solved by right thinking about God. If modern man won’t have God then he has to look someplace else to fill the God-void in order to arrive at solutions for the moral problems that occur from not bowing the knee to God’s authority. When a theological void is created the only way moral problems can be correctly answered is by politics.

Politics thus takes the place of theology for fallen man. Since fallen man has no sovereign God to turn to for answers to moral problems the only place left to look is to the sovereign state for answers to moral problems.

By the way, Martin, this is why politics has become a blood sport. If it is the case that the state, via political solutions, is going to become the moral arbiter of right and wrong then it is understandable why people go ape concerning politics since politics is going to determine who the God is who is going to solve moral problems. People, on some level, understand that they are voting for God when they vote for President and other lesser leaders. As such, many people, understanding what is at stake, will go as far as using crooked voting machines, enroll dead people voting, and use other nefarious means to get their god elected. For fallen man, politics has taken the place of theology and indeed has become theology.

Fallen man understands that via politics he can use the state as a hammer to social engineer all moral problems in the direction he desires. So, people look to political solutions to moral problems because without the God of the Bible that is one of the places one can find the raw power to set one’s moral agenda in the direction one desires.

Of course, Martin, we have to realize that when politics, absent being informed by Biblical theology and the God of the Bible, the consequence will be the creation of dystopia via social engineering all in the name of creating Utopia. Godless political man can never provide lasting and sufficient answers to fallen man’s moral problems.

However, political solutions do have a place to solve moral problems Martin but only if those political solutions are downstream of God’s revealed Word. Politics, we need to understand, is not in and of itself evil. Politics is only evil in trying to provide solutions to moral problems when the politics in question are taking for their authority some other authority besides the God of the Bible and His Law-Word.

So, in summary, fallen people look to fallen political solutions as answers to moral problems because politics and the solutions it provides have, in lieu of the God of the Bible, become their source of authority.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him. View all posts by jetbrane