Compromise and Concern

When we embrace the truth of Scripture, without compromise, we can discover what it means to be a committed believer in Christ. We can experience an inward sense of being right with God when we are obedient to Him. In John chapter 16, Jesus said:
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Jesus instructed us to abide in His Word and by so doing we can know the truth that makes us free. We should be pursuers of truth, people of integrity, who are devoted to reflecting the presence of Christ in and through our lives.  We take God at His Word and believe that His Word offers us clear direction and confidence for living our lives in the power of the Spirit.  We can avoid compromise by being devoted to living out the principles of Scripture.

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In the 15th Psalm, we see a characterization that each of us should, in the strength of the Lord, attempt to emulate; we can read these words:
1 A Psalm of David. Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

The bid for re-election for the Prime Minister in the "Land Down Under" has gone under, with Scott Morrison having been defeated in recent Australian elections.  I came across a headline the other day connecting Morrison to faith, and did a bit more research.  I came across a piece at the Daily Mail website, which states:

While attending a Christian youth organisation camp in Melbourne, Mr Morrison felt compelled to make a promise to forever serve Jesus.

'On that camp I gave my life to the Lord, on Jan­uary 11, 1981. I was 12. I massively felt it that day,' he told The Australian.

'It is a confession of repentance. I felt that movement, to get to my feet. I spent the rest of the day sitting with the chaplain.'

The article was centered around a piece at the Weekend Australian.   The Daily Mail went on to note:

...the prime minister says his private relationship with God includes 'trying to pray every day', an gesture he describes as an 'important act of submission', and he regularly reads from a bible on his phone.

Although religion is central to his life and he 'couldn't function without his faith', Mr Morrison also insists it does not dictate his policies and he thinks it is unfair that people suggest his faith is linked to his decisions in office.

Case in point: The Guardian reported in 2019:

Scott Morrison has claimed he now supports same-sex marriage because it has allowed people to “get on with their lives” and he “always supports the law of the country”.

Morrison made the claim at a press conference in Perth, brushing off questions about whether his personal views have changed since his vocal opposition to marriage equality during the marriage law postal survey in 2017.

Why did Morrison lose?  According to the BBC, "Many of those affected by Australia's natural disasters have said the prime minister was an absent leader. He wasn't on the ground when he needed to be, they said, and when he was, it was more of a photo op than a genuine presence to listen to people's concerns and even deal with their anger."  Morrison drew flak for going on vacation in the midst of devastating brush fires in the country, and under his watch, and, as BBC notes: "The other big misstep was the way he handled the public anger among Australian women after a series of sexual assault allegations...," apparently in the government.

Now, a more center-left government will take office, and I would think that Christians who had expectations that Morrison would actually allow his faith to determine his policies are disappointed. 

At The Stream, Tom Gilson included some comments made to him by a pastor named Alex Perry, of Sanctuary Chapel in Canberra, Australia, who had participated in a recent Pastors' Round Tables meeting there.  Pastor Perry wrote: 

For 9 years (3 terms) we have had a Liberal government (the conservative side of politics in Australia) and for the bulk of that we have had a “Christian” prime minister. Sadly, very little Christian fruit has been evident. However, I could argue that a “poor” Christian leader in government is better than a secular progressive one. But I have coined the term CINO as a result (pronounced chee-no). It stands for Christian In Name Only...

He related that the previous government "took off the table bills that would have enshrined religious freedom, and instead have pandered to the lefty progressives."

His take on the election:

It is hard to imagine what this means, other than renewed vigor in attacking Christians, e.g., forcing Christian schools to hire non-Christians, and stopping them from teaching Christian values, especially in regard to gender, etc. Let alone radical green policies which will bankrupt our economy for the sake of a progressive, socialist agenda.

The part that I and many Christians are struggling with is that so much of our country, once fiercely, independent has voted for a nanny state that knows no bounds in taking freedoms away, redefining and eliminating free speech, re-imagining human rights — I kid you not, one of our un-elected representatives actually said that at the World Economic Forum! — and ransacking our economy for the supposed benefit of the planet and the detriment of those outside the progressive-bubble.

But, Pastor Perry also recognizes the ultimate Sovereign over his flock, stating:

And yes, God is still on His throne and Jesus is Lord of all and we as Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit to embark on this rough journey ahead. That is our lot, as I keep reminding our church family, God is in the midst, even of our mess and we are to stand firm as Paul says and then to stand firm and then when the dust settles, we will still be standing, why? Because God.

Pastor Perry relates that "I wonder if we will remain a sovereign nation within the next 3 years."  And, while one might say that events and trends in Australia might be a sign of things to come, the reality is that we are seeing similar instances in our country.  There is a definite lack of respect for freedom of religion that is established in the First Amendment to the Constitution, and the views of Christians are being marginalized by secular ideas. 

And, here you have an instance of a policy maker in an incredible position of influence who essentially acted, as the pastor noted, as a Christian in Name Only.  That's an accurate description, I believe. Because if we don't allow our faith to guide our decisions, especially for someone who is considered to be a lawmaker, we run the risk of allowing unbiblical ideas to take root. These days, there is no middle ground - and we must represent the name of Christ in an assertive manner, so that people will see our convictions and perhaps be drawn to the truth.