It seems I hear more and more people, be they sports figures, public servants, the barber, the mechanic, the cashier, the waitress, and just everyday people, making claims to separation of Christianity from life. Recently a famous sports personality (UofL coach), the fans, and public in general proclaimed with great conviction that his privately committed sin has nothing to do with his coaching ability or even his ability to be a great leader.
This is also not uncommon in political life. When a public official falls to temptation in some area of morality, perhaps adultery or financial misconduct, or even stands in favor of a unscriptural moral/political issue such as abortion, there seems to always be a quick claim to a complete separation of the offense from ones ability to govern or be an effective leader. We are told we should support them, if only because of the position or office they hold. How ridiculous is that?
Well for the most part, I am not overly troubled or I should say surprised, when this happens in a purely secular context. Another words, if the person has no claim to faith in general or Christianity in particular, then the worldview is coming from a purely relativistic mindset. Therefore void of the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin, I would not expect much else (1 Corinthians 2:14–15). Even when the nonbeliever concludes that a persons morality has nothing to do with their leadership it is understandable.
Where I am troubled the most is when a “professed Christian”, either makes this claim for himself, or defends another offender with this separation argument. Here is the thing… Christianity invades every aspect of the life of a true believer. We cannot separate our Christianity from our politics, our career, our family, our parenting, our education, or any aspect of our lives. To do so in my opinion is to deny the faith which we profess to hold to.
Scripture instructs us to fear the Lord, keep his commands, and not support those who do otherwise, lest we be just as guilty of committing sin ourselves (Romans 1:32). We are not afforded the liberty of making judgments or even decisions outside of the context of our beliefs which must be consistent with God’s commands, the Holy Scriptures, and the doctrines of faith once for delivered to the saints.
What does that mean? It means we can’t say, “well he is a good Governor even if he is cheats on his wife,” we can’t say, “well the fact that he has a gambling problem is not an issue with his ability to be a good coach,” we can’t say, “although he is an alcoholic he is a good CEO and knows how to make a profit,” we can’t say, “he doesn’t pay much attention to his children, but he’s a wonderful preacher” (if you can’t say ouch – say amen).
Yes I do believe we need to be careful to remove the plank from our own eye, prior to trying to get the speck out of someone else’s (Matthew 7:1–5), yet the statement “do not judge”, does not mean we cannot hold others to a Christian standard of morality. It is not judgmental to insist that abortion, drunkenness, adultery, homosexuality or other moral issues that are scripturally declared as sinful, cannot be separated from a persons leadership ability. As a matter of scripture, being in a leadership position promises an even stricter judgment (James 3:1).
Yes – Christianity invades all of life – but it’s a welcome invasion.
Brother Scott ><>
