“Influential Pastor Warns of Socialism, Departure from God.” So reads the headline of a video I recently viewed by a well known American preacher.  With the greatest respect, I beg to differ.  America faces the danger of Socialism precisely because the church has offered no alternative.  Let’s own up to some responsibility here.  It’s unfair to shove this mess off on unbelievers when we’re the ones who have failed so miserably at offering something better.  Yes, I know.  We preach heaven.  And that’s a very good thing when the time comes.  But we’re not there yet, and Jesus commissioned us to preach a message about the Kingdom of God, a message that touches every part of our metastasized nation.

Socialism has nothing to say about heaven, but much to say about life itself.   It offers inferior and ultimately unworkable answers to the problems of poverty, greed, health care, unemployment, labor, equality, and a host of other societal ills.  But the point is, it offers answers.  While the liberal media, Marxist professors and postmodern intellectuals of America at least have a plan in mind, the church wrings its hands and waits anxiously for Jesus to return and rescue us from this grand mess we’ve made of things.

Our last presidential election turned on the promise of “Hope and Change”, a distinctly Christian idea that finds its roots in the Scriptures.   Hope means we’re living in a story that has a good ending.   It means we’re going somewhere; that “the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it. ” (John 1:5)   The kingdom means that we have a story, that we have answers for the problems that choke our nation because the King is all wise, and He reigns over a good, and beautiful and true kingdom.  It’s time we recovered that message and repented of our escape-centered gospel.

On a personal note, I had a splendid time with the DTS students at Holmsted Manor, (England), last week and then traveled by air, rail, and bus to Sarajevo, stopping for a day to visit some dear friends in Switzerland.  Bosnia is much as I left it, with many people still struggling to find hope and encouragement.  I’m spending leisurely hours with friends, listening to their stories of both victory and failure.   The relationships here are as rich and challenging as ever, and it feels like a grand gift to have this time to reconnect.   Next week I’ll return to Lausanne to teach at the base there.  Your prayers are always appreciated.

All the political dialogue the past few days makes me just want to step outside and spit.  I need a breather; need to write about something less intense.  And since several have asked about Kingdom themes in Alice in Wonderland,  I think I’ll have a go.   The new Disney movie is my one and only exposure to Wonderland, so please be forgiving if I miss something or get it all messed up.

God writes His kingdom story into every human heart.  He seems to imprint it on our DNA as a way of drawing us back to Himself and into His own epic Story.   In fact I’m quite certain that we humans judge the merits of our stories by how much they resonate with the kingdom template imprinted in our genes.   Alice certainly had the Story written in her heart from her earliest memory, and when at last she entered Wonderland, she knew exactly where she was.  She had “been there” all along in her dreams.

Here at the bottom of the rabbit hole is a kingdom that has fallen, much like planet earth, under the power of an evil ruler.   The land has been ruined and it’s creatures terrorized by the manipulative Queen of Hearts.  “Off with their heads” to all who resist her demands.   The kingdom needs rescuing, and not just anyone can do it.

So Alice is summoned from the outside world, much like Christ, to enter into the kingdom with a clear purpose of redeeming it. Even the Rabbit-hole prophets have foretold it all in their ancient scroll.  Like Jesus, Alice befriends the creatures of Wonderland, and because of her love for them, (especially the Mad Hatter), hazards the castle of the Queen of Hearts on a daring rescue mission.

Much like Satan, the power of the Queen is merely an illusion.  It’s a pretense of power backed only by her control of the Jabberwocky.  And of course the Jabberwocky is very much like the beast of Revelation 19.   The story culminates with Alice confronting the beast in faith, (“Sometimes I believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast”), and victoriously bringing it down to destruction.  With evil dethroned, and the creatures of Wonderland liberated from slavery and fear, we’re left with the distinct image of Wonderland restored in “righteousness, peace, and joy.” (Romans 14:17)

Did Lewis Carroll consciously incorporate these Biblical images into his story?   I doubt it.  Most story writers have no such intention.   But the fact is, it’s nearly impossible to write a good story without rich images of the Kingdom.  The heart understands these things even when the mind misses it.

I’m stunned by the “fundamental changes” that have transpired in America in only a few short weeks since we began looking at  government and the Kingdom of God.  It’s for you to decide what to make of it all, but I encourage you to review the relationship between civil government and self government before asking yourself, “Have we stepped forward into fresh freedoms and responsibility, or deeper into the path of slavery and increased government control?”

Since Truth is the defender of freedom, and education is the guardian of Truth, this is probably a good time to ask what the sphere of education might look like in a Kingdom context.  Jesus told us in John 8:31-32 that if we would continue in His word, we would “know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It’s no accident that God’s plan to deliver the Israelites out of slavery to the Egyptians involved both the exodus into the wilderness and the giving of His law on Mt Sinai.  And then He charged them,  “Study this Book of the Law continually.  Meditate on it day and night so that you will faithfully do everything written. Only then will you prosper and succeed.” (Joshua 1:8)

Truth is the foundation for prosperity and success.  All success.   Whether it’s music, mining, mentoring, or mathematics, the degree to which we honor truth will determine the success or failure of the operation.  It’s like the two trees below.  Imagine the tree on the left is watered with kerosene and fertilized with salt.  That’s not a “true” environment for a tree, and the result is certain death.  But the second tree grows in an environment of truth, watered by the rain, and fertilized with compost and nitrogen.   Truth invariably produces life, and anything short of truth results in death and decay.

God has not left us wondering about truth, but has  revealed it plainly in His word, His world, and His Son. And though Truth is intended to be the focus of education, it has sadly been relegated to secondary status behind information, opinion, and power.   We’ll pursue some of the problems and possibilities next post.

On a personal note, I went to see Alice in Wonderland last night and caught myself spontaneously cheering at some of the Kingdom moments.  (I just can’t help it.  Kingdom Truth makes me happy.) “Sometimes, (Alice said), I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” All Truth is God’s truth, even in Wonderland.

Before leaving the sphere of government, there is another important question that must be addressed, and that is the question of Sovereignty.  To whom do we turn as the ultimate authority, the One who will answer the question, “How shall we live?” I can think of only three options:  The sovereign individual, the sovereign state, or a sovereign God.

WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL IS SOVEREIGN:

If the individual is sovereign, that is… if I make up the rules for “my world” and my neighbor makes up the rules for his, we invite conflict because there’s really only one common world, and if every person makes up his own rules there will be nothing to hold communities together.  It’s all well and good, (up to a point), when we each live as we choose in our own home.  But once I step into the street there must be a common understanding of the world we live in; of it’s morals, ethics, laws, and values.

Nature itself shows us a world of common laws which bring order to human existence: sowing and reaping, mathematics, gravity, motion, etc.  Existence without unifying laws equals chaos.  When the individual is sovereign, anarchy reigns.  And anarchy simply doesn’t work.

WHEN GOVERNMENT IS SOVEREIGN:

In today’s culture we’re more likely to choose the alternative route of the sovereign State who, like a kindly older brother will arbitrate disputes and make choices regarding justice, fairness, and life together.  Certainly this idea has been tried from the Pharoahs of Egypt to the Parliaments of Europe.  And it even seems to have some success for awhile.

In a Utopian world where man and motives are pure-hearted and true, the sovereign Government might work.  But in this case both human nature and history testify against us.  Humans in the real world are corrupt and greedy by nature, and the more power they’re given the more greedy and corrupt they become.  Apart from a higher accountability Governments inevitably fall into immorality and blind ambition.  Never in human history has a government, adrift from God, sustained itself in goodness and benevolence towards its people.  We are witnessing at this very moment, the slow, steady decay of the free world into corruption and greed.  The sovereign government is a tyrant.  And if it isn’t today, left unchecked by a higher Truth, it will become one tomorrow.

WHEN GOD IS SOVEREIGN:

Which brings us to the remaining option, the only one which offers both freedom and order in a world of diversity.  If God is sovereign, and if we understand His true nature as a Servant-King, He unifies nations with love, orders them with justice, and liberates them with true freedom.  Jesus demonstrated the true heart of government which values not the strong arm of power, but the beauty of selfless service to its neighbor.  This is the government of the Kingdom, and the closer we come to that model, the more freedom and life we will enjoy.

“He has shown you, O Man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8

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(Much of my understanding of government comes from my friend Bill Burtness and his wonderful book, The Third Alternative.  I highly recommend it as a primer for Biblical government).