Christians and Public Policy

by Dr. Phil Stringer (Florida)

"Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out" (Acts 5:29).

THE CHALLENGE TO AMOS (Amos 7:12-13)

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.

Amaziah’s point was simple. Bethel was a center for the calf-cult started by King Jeroboam I. While this worship took place in the name of Jehovah, it was designed to fuse together Egyptian paganism with the worship of Jehovah. Jeroboam had feared that worship centered in Jerusalem would lead the people of the northern ten tribes back to allegiance to Rehoboam. So, he simply declared this to be the "politically correct" way to worship Jehovah.

This cult competed with Baal worship throughout the history of the Northern Kingdom. Jeroboam II had officially restored this cult to favor. It was the official public policy of his administration to support this religion while rejecting both Baal worship and Scriptural worship of Jehovah.

Amaziah was claiming the King’s right to regulate the worship of Jehovah. It was his "chapel" as well as his "court." Because it was his chapel, nothing should be said or done there that was contrary to the public policy of his administration. By prophesying judgement, Amos had violated the public policy of the King’s chapel. Public policy was to assure the people that they were in the will of God.

Every government has a "public policy." This term simply refers to the aims and goals of the administration and their methods for accomplishing those goals. Public policy may reflect long-standing law and cultural traditions, but it also includes the specific goals of a particular leader or administration. Every totalitarian government expects religious assemblies (as well as educational organizations and social groups) to support public policy.

SOME WHO OBEYED GOD RATHER THAN MEN

Throughout the Scriptures, preachers (and other principled believers) have had to pick between public policy and the revealed will of God. Examples of believers who chose to "obey God rather than men" are abundant.

• The Egyptian midwives rebelled against the public policy of Pharaoh (and lied to the government) when they saved the children of the Hebrews (Exodus 15-20). God rewarded them for this. Moses and Aaron challenged the public policy of Pharaoh when they led the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus chapters 1-15).

• Rahab violated the public policy of Jericho when she aided the two spies (Joshua 2:1-4).

• Samuel openly rebuked the public policy of Saul when Saul took upon himself, as King, the role of Priest (I Samuel 15).

• David rebelled against the public policy of Saul when he gathered a private army to defend the children of Israel (I Samuel 22).

• Nathan exposed the sin of David -- covering it up would have been public policy -- when he declared "thou art the man" (II Samuel 12).

• An unnamed man of God preached against the public policy of Jeroboam I when the King started a new calf-cult in the name of Jehovah (I Kings 13:1-4).

• The prophet Hanani withstood the public policy of King Asa and was thrown in jail as a result) II Chronicles 16:7-10).

• The prophet Jehu preached against the public policy of wicked King Baasha (I Kings 16) and even against the public policy of good King Jehosaphat (II Chronicles 19).

• Both the prophets Elijah and Micaiah preached against the public policy of Ahab’s administration (I Kings 18, 22).

• The prophet Eliezer rebuked Jehosaphat for supporting King Ahaziah (II Chronicles 20:25-37).

• Elijah defied the agents of King Ahaziah and, thus, his public policy (II Kings 1).

• Elisha preached against the King of Israel when the King tired to blame the preacher for the problems his administration caused (II Kings 6).

• Jehoiada rebelled against the public policy of Athaliah and saved Joash alive and hid him (II Chronicles 24).

• When Joash later rebelled against God, Jehoida’s son Zechariah challenged his public policy and, as a result, Zechariah was stoned to death (II Chronicles 24).

• When Uzziah the King tried to take control over the temple worship, Azariah the priest and 80 valiant men withstood his public policy and refused him entrance (II Chronicles 26:16-18).

• Jeremiah was accused of treason when his preaching contradicted the public policy of King Zedekiah who had him imprisoned (Jeremiah 37).

• Daniel and his three friends challenged "the public nutrition policy" of Babylon (Daniel 1). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to obey the order to worship the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3).

• Daniel refused to obey King Darius’s attempt to institute public policy prayer guidelines (Daniel 6).

• Zerubbabel and the elders in Jerusalem defied the public building permit policy of the Persian Empire and stared rebuilding the temple in defiance of the instruction of King Artaxerxes (Ezra 4, 5).

• John the Baptist was disobeying public policy when he preached against the wickedness of King Herod (Luke 3). He was arrested and later killed because of it.

• The Sanhedrin ordered Peter and John to stop preaching and teaching about Jesus (thus creating a new public policy). Peter and John refused declaring, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:1-19).

• When the Sanhedrin repeated the new public policy to all of the apostles, they replied, "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29).

• Stephen continued to defy the public policy of the Sanhedrin until they had stoned him to death (Acts 6, 7).

• After Herod determined to enforce the public policy of the Sanhedrin by killing James, the entire church continued to defy public policy resulting in the arrest of Peter (Acts 12).

• Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel in defiance of the public policy of authorities in Iconium (Acts 14).

• Paul and Silas preached the gospel in defiance of the public policy of Philippi (Acts 15).

Throughout church history, believers have often had to choose between "public policy" and the revealed will of God. Millions of faithful believers have faced persecution and even death rather than to obey the public policy of governments in rebellion toward God.

As our government and culture grow farther and father from our heritage, American Christians may have to make the choice between public policy and Scripture.

Dr. Phil Stringer is Executive Vice President at Landmark Baptist College, Haines City, Florida.