a chemical imbalance in the brain? While providing a shelter for a mentally ill person is a worthy task, and one that Christians should never neglect, anyone who has experienced the tragic loss of a loved one to mental illness and recovered them because of some innocuoussounding medication like risperidone or olanzapine cannot but praise God and praise those dedicated men and women who give so much of themselves to develop such medications. The second storey is where the vast majority of us live, work, and serve God. The First Storey: The Human Heart There is, however, a sphere of action that is unique to the Christian. It touches on the fundamental illness that infects humanity. It is an affliction the Bible calls sin. The remedy for this “cancer” is infinitely beyond the reach of science or psychology. The only cure for this condition is found in a personal encounter with the person of Jesus Christ. Because the diagnosis of the disease and its cure are derived from biblical revelation and not from nature, this sphere belongs exclusively to the realm of Christian action. The proclamation of the gospel belongs to the “first storey.” It is an exercise in telling the good news of friendship with God, of healing and eternal salvation. The act of evangelism is by definition nonpolitical.
The responsibility of sharing the Good News with those around us derives from our status as citizens of the Kingdom. It is non-coercive, as no law can be enacted to force men and women to accept the Gospel of Christ. To embrace the lordship of Jesus Christ is indeed the greatest act of self-determination. Thus the missionary enterprise belongs to the realm of loving, even if urgent, persuasion: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (1 Corinthians 5:20). The responsibility of sharing the Good News with those around us derives from our status as citizens of the Kingdom. It is something Christians must engage in whether the State sanctions it or not. In cases where the State’s injunctions conflict with this imperative, our allegiance to God must then supersede all others. 6
As “aliens in the city,” it is our mandate and responsibility to seek the common good. But this involves much more than doing charity work or promoting some social cause. It implies the necessity to defend and uphold Truth, for if we fail to do so, the foundation on which everything good rests will inexorably erode, leaving in its wake a trail of untold suffering for generations to come. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” T (Colossians 3:23–24 NIV). M Pierre Gilbert, our convention 2009 speaker and an ordained Mennonite Brethren minister, is Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at the Canadian Mennonite University and the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. He is the coordinator of the Winnipeg Centre for Ministry Studies and the author of Demons, Lies & Shadows. A Plea for a Return to Text and Reason (2008).
letters continued from p. 3 No call to political activism Re: last paragraph, column one [Dr. Pierre Gilbert, We are infectious, Aug. 12, 2009]. We are called to obedience. I do not find a call to political activism in the Bible. Our Chinese brothers and sisters, who are growing in number daily, eschew political change in favour of personal change. They do not have the luxury of the temptation to change people from the outside. I admit it sounds good. I admit it feels good. I admit I feel more powerful when I exert my political power. When my cast vote makes someone else sit up and pay attention to me…oh yeah! Then I ask myself, “Is it about me?” Does it honour God to spend time in activities for my pleasure? Oh I think it does. Should I take part in activities for my pleasure? Certainly. Should my political activism, which makes me feel good about myself, be attributed to God’s will for His people? That I cannot say. What I can say is that the power of God need not be set aside for the power of political clout or the vote. What a paltry tool compared to the immeasurable power of the living God! This world will not pass away. Those who remain in Christ will not. Gordon Dyck Steinbach, Man.
THE MESSENGER September 2, 2009
