Oligarchy

Oligarchy. What is an 'oligarchy'? Here is a dictionary definition of the word:

1 : government by the few
2 : a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also : a group exercising such control
3 : an organization under oligarchic control

Another definition might well be the United States Congress.

In reality this is what our elected bodies of legislators are becoming in this nation. A small group of people who are grimly determined to pass legislation that is clearly undesired by their constituents. God help us. (I do not write that lightly.) The elected officials of this Republic have shown today how resolute they are to turn their office into an oligarchy. Against the will of the majority of their constituents they have passed a bill that will permanently change the nature of the medical system of this nation, its insurance industry, erect barriers to effective care, treatment, and medical research; and, put in place the structure that may well lead to a more 'eugenic' medical practice in the future. They are writing and passing legislation that is almost impossible to amend or remove. This is patently unconstitutional. I wonder how much longer this nation can stand under this onslaught.

How has this happened? It did not occur overnight. Our nation has been sliding down the slope of tyranny for decades. Where has the church been during this time? Unfortunately, and to our shame, for the most part we have been silent. There have been cries from some corners at times. But, on the whole we have failed at one of the most important tasks of the Body of Christ: making disciples, grounding saints firmly in the Word, teaching them to see the world and reason with Biblical precision. As a result, we now live in a period of time when Orthodoxy is rarely taught, Christians live lives in which Scripture is divorced from daily life, and we have lost our saltiness.

The American Church has become expert at marketing itself in ever more tantilising forms to a public that is less interested in Truth and more interested in titillation. We have transformed catechesis into a carnival. The church has all too often become a market for the pleasing of the flesh rather that a place of spiritual renewal. Even the most covenantal among us are tainted by the world in which we live. We must on a daily basis appeal to God for forgiveness for our fleshly desires, seek his face for mercy and grace, thank him for the forgiveness found in the great Sacrifice of Christ, and then walk circumspectly in the strength given to us.

What does the church have to do with politics? Everything. Politics and public policy are merely the outworking of theology. Everyone has a theology, even atheists. Our actions flow from those beliefs.

So, here we are. We have a nation in which a subset of elected representatives have taken it upon themselves to foist destructive laws and policies upon us. God have mercy upon us. May He grant to his Church a spirit of repentance, renewal, sound mindedness, and courage.