by William A. Gillam
Revolution is changing our world – how can the Christian meet it? Before attempting an answer to the question, it will be necessary briefly to examine some characteristics of modern revolutionary movements.
Revolution is changing our world – how can the Christian meet it? Before attempting an answer to the question, it will be necessary briefly to examine some characteristics of modern revolutionary movements.
First, and most obvious, is the rapidity of revolutionary change. In the decade following World War II governments of half the world’s peoples were toppled. C. L. Sulzberger said in The New York Times: "So terribly much has happened, so terribly much is happening, and all with such terrible speed, that it is difficult to foresee where we are headed. The men who fancy themselves in control of events are no longer really in control."
Second, the nature of revolution itself has changed. In Latin America, for example, no longer is the traditional coup for the control of the palace and the army sufficient. Revolutionary regimes now demand dynamic, population-wide participation. Anything less is counterrevolutionary. Mobilization of the entire population is the genius of revolution now, and this poses a serious new problem for the Christian who must meet neighbors and fellow-citizens on a personal level where he cannot count on professional outside assistance.
No longer is revolution simply a change in government. There is no hope for a return to normalcy, or for settlement of ultimate issues. Communism’s fixed objective is universal change. Their revolutions are not merely a means to gain power, but to institute basic social and economic changes.
Third, revolutions today are fought in an open world-wide forum of opinion. They are not confined to local issues. People the world over are in close proximity and have immediate access to news. Students freely mingle across international frontiers.
Fourth, in a way never before developed, the Christian faith is implicated in modern revolutionary movements. Newlyfreed people are convinced that the religion of the Western powers is basic to colonial rule. In the revolt against colonialism there is an implied revolt against Christianity.
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
In view of these circumstances, what should a Christian do? Modern revolutions press for total regimentation – social, intellectual, political – and the Christian cannot avoid a clash. Here are some difficult questions he faces:
Is it possible for him to avoid both revolt and alignment?
Should he speak on political issues only when he is free to do so? Is patriotism different under non-Christian regimes than under governments largely motivated by Christian principles? Can he accept political positions that offer him temporary privileges but which later may boomerang in disastrous reaction?
If the Christian is living under the heel of a despot, he cannot help wondering if he bears responsibility for the tragic turn of events. In penitence he searches his soul. Could this dark hour have been averted? Will repentance lead to restored liberties? A vital question arises: are today’s captive Christians in the same position as Israel in Babylon?
In the initial benign stages of revolution should the Christian take advantage of opportunities to launch all forms of Gospel ministry under the patronage of a government that in the long run may turn against him?
How much does God occupy Himself with man’s social well-being? Is this such a part of the Gospel that it should thrust the Christian into the heart of social revolution? How does he relate himself to the objectives of a secularist movement for social change?
Looking inward and outward at the life of the church, the Christian faces two crucial issues: (1) What is the true church? That is, how is the body of Christ composed and defined? The ecumenical movement has not only introduced an issue between conservatives and liberals; it strikes this deeper, more vital question, which the average lay Christian struggles to answer: which is the real church? Evangelicals have responded with counter emphasis on a loose fellowshipofbelievers that preserves the prerogatives of each communion. But under revolutionary pressure it remains to be seen whether fellowship alone is sufficient. Isn’t there a need in evangelicalism for functional unity? (2) How can the Christian preserve his supranational relationship with other members of the body of Christ when cultural antipathies are incited through revolutionary passion? Can he keep his intellectual appraisal of revolution detached from his spiritual responsibilities to Christians of other lands?
PRINCIPLES AND MOTIVES
Faced with these predicaments, the Christian must act from unshakable principles and strong motivation. He must see revolution as prophetic fulfillment: "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Jesus said this to men in whom He had placed supreme confidence, and in this regard it would seem that the tribulation of our troubled times is not so much a judgment on the church as an opportunity for God to display His power and the church to fulfill its mission. Both missionaries and nationals testify that persecution stimulates widespread response to the Gospel. Thus, revolution is a call to evangelism.
The Christian must be certain of Christ’s personal presence. In a revolutionary society, where personal conviction is severely tested, and individual opinion often suffocated, faith must stand on more than academic truth. When the disciples were assembled "for fear," then "came Jesus and stood in the midst." His presence dispelled their doubts, indecision, and questionings. Testimony from suffering Christians in many parts of the world confirms that His presence does the same today.
The Christian must remember that the Bible furnishes guidelines for crisis. East German Christians, for example, have seen in such passages as Isaiah 10 the answer to their peculiar position under Marxism. Pastor Johannes Hamel says, "The Bible speaks to our situation as never before." This is because the Bible as both interpretive and prophetic knowledge gives the only trustworthy philosophy of history and forecast of the future. Through it the Holy Spirit voices the Word of the Lord to the conscience of the Christian.
Billy Graham says it’s wise to have our children commit large portions of Scripture to memory against the day when they may face persecution unknown to their parents. And this accents the basic importance of a stepped-up worldwide effort to sow the seed of the Word among all people. Distribution of the Word of God is infinitely more vital to the propagation and preservation of the Christian faith than the writings of Marx and Lenin are to the spread of communism.
The Christian must seek a new depth and dimension of the indwelling Spirit. The presence of Christ brings assurance. The fullness of the Spirit opens "rivers of living water" (John 7:37-39) and fountains of joy (Rom. 14:17) . It results in spiritual singing and melody from the heart (Eph. 5:19) and lavishes profuse fruit and gifts upon the yielded Christian. Such an experience of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is his irrefutable answer to the assaults of revolution. Christians thereby show that the future does not belong to the "new man" of communism but to the "new creature in Christ Jesus," whom God creates "in righteousness and true holiness."
The Christian must not be drawn away from simplicity. Paul says there are "many kinds of voices in the world" (I Cor. 14:10). Today’s amazing production of literature reflects the intellectual complexity of our age, and all of us find it difficult to keep abreast of current thought. We may be tempted to spend our time on a sort of Christian Areopagus, and in time become captive to stagnant intellectualism.
The Christian must endeavor to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The spirit of the revolutionary age poisons the atmosphere. Agitation calls for attack,protestcreates friction, criticism creates resentment, difference of opinion engenders antagonism, and the result – a seething pot of witch’s brew. The Christian stands at the vortex, tempted to indulge, often pushed to participate against his better judgment.
But this isn’t the only danger he faces. A parallel situation has developed at the spiritual level. If the Christian declines to participate in revolution he is accused of compromise; if he takes sides he sacrifices the friendships of years; neutrality is judged as lack of conviction. In this maelstrom today’s Christian should carefully weigh the issues before he sacrifices unity and fellowship for personal convictions.
In an age of social ferment the Christian must retain the supremacy of the spiritual. It is hard to say to the hungry, "Man shall not live by bread alone," or to the servant, "Be obedient to them that are your masters," even when both are Christians. It is difficult even for missionaries to escape the attention focused on them by underprivileged nationals now aware of America’s comforts. And it is still more difficult for underprivileged Christians in other cultures to resist the passionate appeal of revolutionary movements that promise social change.
EMERGENCY PROGRAM
A glance at the world’s revolutionary movements reveals them in varying stages. Yet we see one area after another capitulate to Communist power. It is to "exposed" peoples, those in lands with weak nationalist movements, that we must direct our attention. The question is: what course of action will now be most effective? An emergency program is imperative.
Lay Christians must be inspired to see themselves as responsible to preserve and expand the church. Much has been said and written about mobilization of the laity as the key to church growth. We thrill to reports from El Salvador and the Philippines. But we must remember that the secret does not lie solely in lay classes offering academic instruction. These we have had in years gone by. What is important is that the layman sees himself in this role for, under revolution, responsibility will be thrust upon him.
Lay Christians must be instructed how to live by biblical standards in a time of revolution. During World War II Japan’s Christian community faced the issue of Shinto worship subtly implicated in emperor worship, as well as the government order to form the Kyodan United Church. The majority of communions yielded to the pressure. About 250 pastors of churches established through the ministry of the Oriental Missionary Society refused and spent two years in prison. What was back of that? Years of biblical teaching that had emanated from the society’s Tokyo Bible School.
THREE OBJECTIVES
Christians now face confusing issues on countless fronts, and they must be prepared. Three objectives seem necessary to equip the Christian for trial: (1) His moral and ethical reinforcement for critical choices and decisions. Special studies in the prophets of the captivity and in the Book of Revelation, together with case studies from Christian history, should be basic to these studies.
(2) His pedagogical training. 2 Timothy 2:2 states, "And the things that thou hast heard of me . . . the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Our training of laymen must go beyond teaching them to witness, vital as that is. The cycle of New Testament propagation is only complete when witnesses become teachers, not just preachers. The teacher does more than impart knowledge. He shows his students how to do a given thing.
(3) His preparedness in the use of prayer. Too often prayer has been used by missions in the interests of success. As Christians slip under the yoke of bondage, prayer becomes vital in much the same way that the deep sea diver depends upon oxygen tubes. Nothing is more urgent in the churches of endangered areas than a prayer offensive that will establish
Christians in two ways: (a) through personal experience of the miracles of prayer: (b) through assurance that their brethren on the side of freedom are standing with them.
Since one of the enemy’s first moves is to eliminate the Bible, a thorough sowing of "exposed" areas with portions of the Scriptures is essential. No time exists to discuss the relative merits of selling the Scriptures vs. giving them away, or for debating the value of mere placement vs. personalized explanation in each case. The crucial point is to saturate a population with the Scriptures against the day when sources will be cut off. In that day it will be the church’s advantage to have as wide a spread of the populace as possible possessing the Word of God.
In conclusion, let us affirm that we face history’s most critical yet promising age. With more people to reach, more of them in a frame of mind to think seriously, and more resources with which to do it, we have only one thing to fear -that we shall fail to accomplish what we have been assured by our Lord can be done.
—–
Copyright © 1965 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.
