“While promising them liberty, they themselves are servants of corruption; for that which a person serves, the same is he brought into bondage to.” (2 Peter 2:19)
Regardless of the fact that true faith in the Western World has been on the decline for years, we are beginning to see faith and the reemergence of a Christian identity stir once again. Yet in some cases, not without attendant issues, for example. While the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the American Constitution was put in place to prevent the government from giving preference to one religion over that of another, the political climate now exist where it might be possible once again. While true that the U.S. and UK. in particular, have been in need of a spiritual reformation for years, if that were to happen it would necessarily be a bottoms-up proposition, as no amount of conformist religiousity could ever solve the problem.
If that were to happen, the population could in effect become fit for action in fulfilling God’s purpose of establishing a higher order, not simply in compliance to the dictates of the law, but one derived from a sincere moral conviction that resulted in ethical transformation. The inherent challenge at this stage of the game would be how to flesh-out such an enterprise without falling victim once again to polarizing influences. Christianity today serving by way of a convenient example, the Gospel message has been rendered seemingly impotent by a sense of entitlement that parallelizes the will. Which in turn has led to a general characterization of the West as being not a coalition of the willing, but a collection of decaying and irresolute religious and social enterprises ripe for the picking.
From that perspective, it does in fact then add a certain weight to the Kremlin’s religious rationale for opposing the West, in that it’s morally destitute. Yet contrary to Russia’s own depiction of it being the vaunted Katheon or “restrainer” that has helped to maintain the spiritual balance in the world, and which must first be removed before “the man of sin” can appear (2 Thes. 2:6,7), the opportunity may have already been lost, with both Russia and the US. apparently conceding the fact.
The increasing chaos, random violence and heavens in turmoil that is so explicit from a prophetic perspective, may in fact be happening at this very time. If so, what we are witnessing may only be the prelude to “the final solution.” – The emergence of a world leader that will promise a resolution, at any cost. If so, the foundation is already being built. Yet, whether one points a finger at a West which Russia mistrusts, or at Russia itself, the point now is rather moot, as both appear to lack the visionary capacity to overcome their inherent similarities when it comes to militarism and religion.
And quite interestingly, both are confronted with a similar dilemma. Neither has the power or wherewithal to emerge victorious in a conflict that could come, not only at the cost of their own existence, but that of civilization itself. A tragedy all-in-all, not due to war itself per se, but by virtue of the fact that both have made such unique contributions to the advance of civilization, to the extent that the demise of either is beyond any reasonable calculation.
That aside, Russia is perhaps of singular interest, as it has served as a crossroads between the Far East and Europe from its earliest advent until the present. Advertising the fact through its rather archaic notion of being the rightful heir and guarantor of the Classic European World, which can be seen in its adoption of French Renaissance architecture in the government space. Yet the effort, while admirable and quite contemporary I might add, is somewhat like trying to rebuild the glory of the Czarist past atop the colorless debris of a failed Stalinist futurism. Yet, for sake of comparison, America itself isn’t fairing much better, as its educational institutions have been left to molder in the fading light of intellectual curiosity and passive indifference to American idealism. The same could be said for its population as well, who seem hell-bent on erasing any memory of the national struggle it took to get there. A heart-felt repentance for past-deeds-done is one thing, but to “Cancel” the memory of a nation’s achievements, while at the same time attempting to render impotent the legacy of its ethos, begs the question. – “Where’s the devil now?”
That said, one can’t ignore the obvious. Neither the unipolar West nor a multi-polar East can ultimately prevail without some sort of supernatural assistance. And from whence that comes remains a question which has yet to be sorted out. Ultimately it comes down to a simple equation, either repent before God and rise as lions in defense of lambs, or bow the knee as willing minions of the pit. And, while that may read like something out of Tolkien, the reality is far more fundamental; we still have a choice as to who we will serve
And so, lift up your heads you weary and pray, becoming that voice of conviction which stirs others to lasting works of faith. As R.C. Sproul once noted: “The only way the Kingdom of God will ever be made manifest on earth is when Christian believers reflect that ‘kingdom reality’ within themselves, not only spiritually, but practically, in the way in which they live, think and act as citizens of heaven.”
CoupStick Chaplain 