Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9, NRSV
One of the doctrinal tenets that Evangelical Christians hold in common is the belief that the Bible is a divinely inspired, written revelation of God to humanity. One of the best expressions of Evangelical belief regarding the sixty-six books of the Bible is found in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000:
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of the Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is himself the focus of divine revelation.
You would not find much deviation among other conservative Evangelicals when it comes to this definition. You may find the terms "verbal, plenary inspiration" used in some statements, which means they are declaring their belief that the very words of scripture were inspired, and that the whole of scripture in the accepted canon, the sixty-six books of the Bible used by most Protestant Christians without the apocrypha,is inspired. For the sake of this discussion, this specific doctrinal statement will serve as a reference point.
The Trump Insurrection of January 6, 2021
Many of those who participated in the mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6 self-identified as Christians. Some carried banners or wore t-shirts or clothing indicating their beliefs. Many of Trump's core base of supporters are white, conservative Evangelical Christians along with several individuals considered to be leaders within various segments of the movement, though none of those individuals were present in Washington on January 6.
There is plenty of evidence to indicate that those who self-identified by using Christian symbols, banners and clothing participated in the violence against the police protecting the Capitol building. It's visible in most of the video footage shot outside and inside the Capitol. If you believe the Bible is "the supreme standard by which all human conduct should be tried" then where do you find support in scripture for such behavior? Where does the Bible provide justification for someone committing violence, attacking the civil government and those who are protecting it? Where is the Biblical justification of the cause of the violence that day?
There is no Biblical justification for any follower of Christ to participate in the kind of mob violence that was taking place on January 6th.
I am seeing, in some Evangelical contexts, attempts to re-interpret or re-apply specific scripture passages and turn them away from their intended context in order to serve as justification for those who participated in the January 6 Trump Insurrection. Doing so requires taking the passage out of its context without any evidence or justification to do so, something that many Evangelicals are prone to do if it helps make a point. That approach shows a bit of contempt for the intelligence of those to whom they are speaking. I've always been taught that interpreting the scripture requires discerning the intention of the original author by interpreting the words in their original language, understanding the context of the situation in which the words were being delivered and figuring out how to apply the content in the context of the church and the culture in which we now live. But a lot of the preaching and teaching I hear these days from many politically engaged Evangelical preachers goes backwards, attempting to take political themes and "worldviews" and find scripture to fit them. Proof-texting like that doesn't work with what two of the church's major apostles had to say on this issue.
Both Paul, in Romans 13:1-7 and Peter, in 1 Peter 2:13-17 make strong statements about the position of Christians in relation to the civil government and neither of those statements advocates insurrection against it, even though it was pagan and evil and would eventually persecute the church and make martyrs out of many of its leaders. The testimony of Christians who suffered through persecution was one of the main reasons why so many people turned to Christ during this period of time. And it was protecting that testimony that prompted the inspired words of these two Apostles.
For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. I Peter 2:15
The issue for Peter here is character. It would be inconsistent to be seen as an insurrectionist, a rebel against the authorities, and at the same time be an example of Christian character. Christians were often maligned because of what they believed, but Peter encourages and instructs them to live the kind of life that sets an example of righteousness which makes it hard to prove accusations of wrongdoing.
Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. I Peter 2:12, NRSV
The words of Paul in Romans chapter 13 are set in a similar context. Paul is writing to Christians in Rome about the importance of character in the witness of their testimony to their faith in Christ. He wanted them to stand out as a group against the pagan culture in which they lived, not in an arrogant way, but to show the kind of life that faith in Christ produced in individual character as well as how a community of fellow believers behaved. They were not people who, because of their religious practices, should be feared by their neighbors, but welcomed by them because their presence was a blessing to the community.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Paul certainly knew that it was not easy to live the kind of life expected of believers in Christ in the middle of the pagan Roman society. Many of those to whom he was writing in the church at Rome were not just converted Jews, but were from among the local population which was a diverse mix of people from just about everywhere, including those who had been born and raised in Rome. Christians needed to be trusted by those around them, not seen as insurrectionists and subversives. Romans 12, preceding what Paul wrote about the civil authorities, is a whole description of the marks of a Christian.
The Romans saw Christians as a subversive sect because their declaration that "Jesus is Lord" was in opposition to their belief that the emperor was a god. It was a conflation of religious belief and political principle. By living this kind of lifestyle, Christians demonstrated a behavior that countered the claims of subversion while standing firm in their faith. They were not rebels advocating for political change, their message was redemptive and spiritual. It didn't stop the persecution by the emperors, but it did show their testimony and message of redemption to the pagan culture around them.
That's what the two most prominent Apostles in the early Christian church believed and wrote, according to Evangelicals, by the complete inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The interpretation has not changed since those apostles wrote those words. Among Evangelical Christians, a branch of Protestant Christianity not gathered into a single church or denomination but made up of a cluster of denominations, fellowships, mission-support groups and thousands of non-denominational, independent churches, the local church is the most visible expression of the Christian gospel. So the church must be seen as a church, an "ecclesia," a spiritual body centered on Christ as the resolution of humanity's sin. It has been subverted if it is seen as a radical, revolutionary agent for political change. And the conversion it seeks is spiritual transformation, not political revolution.
The church is instructed to avoid divisive, controversial issues that don't pertain directly to the practice of the faith. "You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world", quotes from Jesus in the gospel of Matthew 5:13, 14 states that the church's purpose is to give glory to God through its visible good works. He compares the church losing the essence of its testimony and message to salt losing its taste. It becomes good for nothing, gets thrown out and trampled on.
America does not have a state church or a state endorsed religious belief. That's at the very core of the Constitution's principle of religious freedom. The church can have an influence on government through its visible good works and even through the involvement of its members. There's nothing wrong with that. But there can't be an expectation that the government, influenced by the church, will advance its mission and purpose. The gospel must be accepted individually, by conviction of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness cannot be legislated. It must be lived out of conviction and gratitude.
The images of individuals in Jesus T-shirts, carrying banners with crosses and displaying "Jesus saves" signs, attacking police, breaking out windows, busting down doors and invading the Capitol are not evidence of the church's "visible good works." The entire event was correctly labelled as an insurrection, a violent assault on the government of the United States, a rebellion with the intent to disrupt a constitutional duty, do harm to members of Congress who were carrying it out, a criminal act for which those who have been identified as participants up to this point have been charged. Christians who were there cannot distance themselves from the activities taking place that were a total violation of the scripture they claim is inerrant and infallible, and the antithesis of the expectations of God for his people through the words of the Apostles. It's clear they weren't "tourists" or passive observers. Video evidence shows most of them engaging as violently as any in the mob. And that kind of behavior is, according to scripture accepted by Evangelicals as inerrant and infallible, antithetical to followers of Jesus.
There is the additional problem of the fact that the whole seditious insurrection was based on a lie. By January 6, it was pretty clear that the election results were legitimate, there was no evidence of fraud and no indication at all that the election had been stolen.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:9, ESV
It is your responsibility to make sure that the words you speak are truthful, not your preferred media source's responsibility. Claiming that there was "massive voter fraud" and that the election had been "stolen" from Donald Trump is a lie. There is not a scrap of evidence--a ballot, a counting machine, an election observer who was a Trump supporter--proving that there was any fraud in the election. Believing and repeating a lie just makes you a liar. So the Christian response, in consideration of the inerrant, infallible scripture, would be silence if you choose to continue to believe what is not true, and taking responsibility to set the record straight with the facts if you paid attention to the Apostles' teaching on the subject.
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7 ESV
Grace and Truth to You
In a general Evangelical Christian "worldview," the primary problem of humanity is sin against God. The ultimate resolution of all of the problems of humanity is redemption from that sin through Christ. The confession list for those Christians who exposed the identify of their faith and then waded in to support an insurrection, including violence that led to the death of five people, and the venting of hatred and evil based on a lie, is going to be a long one.
Whoever says, "I know Him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. I John 2:4 ESV
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9, ESV
During one of the greatest persecutions ever brought against the church, which began just about the time Peter and Paul were writing those words we looked at previously, going on for more than 200 years under the successive rule of some of the most cruel, evil men ever to serve in ancient world government, the church never participated in an insurrection aimed at overthrowing the government or a rebellion aimed at fighting against it. It continued to pursue its mission and purpose, living righteously in the middle of a pagan culture. It was a position that caused people to take notice of them, putting them in a position to hear their testimony and come to redemption through the gospel of Christ. Instead of being wiped out by persecution, the church experienced revival, in terms of impact on the world, greater than any that has happened since. It succeeded in bringing about a change in the government, conquering by transformational and spiritual change, not by violence.
So put down your sword. You're not going to bring revival to the United States, or fulfill the purpose of the church to glorify God by overthrowing the government. It's not going to come about by making deals with a President who celebrates his immorality, uses it to enhance his personal fame and uses the benefit he gets from your support to do more of it. And no matter how you have personally evaluated the "worldview" of the other side, they're not stopping you from carrying out the mission and purpose of the church, which is glorifying God and testifying to his grace and truth through the redemptive message of the Gospel of Jesus.
Get away from the politics that makes you blame the other side, and stop using them as an excuse for why you're not doing what the scripture says you should be doing, and you might actually see a revival.
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