Wilberforce and Modern Christians

When Christopher Luxon gave his maiden speech, I was astounded by how many Christians were excited by what he had to say. I was disappointed. Yes, he pointed out the difference his faith has made to his life. He pointed out that it was helpful having something bigger than oneself.

Yet he then went to show how ill-thought-out his theology of politics was – a shameful thing in a Christian seeking to lead in civil government, but unsurprising given the weak state of the church in New Zealand. In his maiden speech, Luxon praised and highlighted the work of Christians like William Wilberforce who worked tirelessly for the abolition of the slave trade. Yet in a contradictory fashion, he continued by explaining his faith was personal to him and that he didn’t think religion should dictate to the state, and that politicians shouldn’t use their political platform to force beliefs on others.

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Child Sacrifice in NZ

Last year, politicians from all political persuasions voted for the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 which decriminalised abortion. 94 voted for decriminalisation and only 23 voted against it. You can see the roll of shame here. It includes all of NZ First (that bastion of conservatism), all of the Greens, as well as Act (David Seymour was at that stage their only MP), as well as 42 out of Labour’s 46 MPs and 33 out of National’s 52 MPs.

Voice for Life has recently written on the case of a baby being born in a New Zealand hospital after an unsuccessful late-term abortion. The baby was then “left gasping without medical assistance for two hours before dying.” Why was the baby aborted? The mother had “financial and housing issues”. And how many people in NZ want to adopt and cannot? Unfortunately, it sounds as if this is not even a one-off, as the healthcare student who passed this information on said that this sort of situation is not uncommon and that “in these situations, the baby is just left to die.”

Why is this not in the mainstream media? Why is there not outrage over this? Because the secular New Zealand elite does not care. They want to hide their blood-stained hands. Despite Ardern’s constant mothering and telling us to “be kind”, we are dealing with callous leaders, who having being warned about the possibility of this very thing happening, refused National MP Simon O’Connor’s Supplementary Order Paper that would have made it a legal requirement to provide appropriate medical care and treatment to a child born alive in the event of an unsuccessful abortion.

But Christ is king. He rules the earth, and these politicians who have shaken their fists at his law must repent or suffer his wrath. Already they are under his curse of judgment. Hands that shed innocent blood are one of the seven things the Lord hates according to Proverbs 6:17. Our God is the protector of the innocent and those behind this law and these actions will not go unpunished. All those involved in this depravity must kiss the Son in repentance or be prepared to be part of his footstall.

Yet even more is going on here. The secularist worships the material world rather than the Creator. These people have no hope. They destroy their offspring for the sake of their economic prosperity and convenience, just like the ancient Canaanites sacrificed their children to Molech. In this despicable evil lie the seeds of their own destruction. While they snuff out their future, we who worship Christ and look forward to his reign on this earth will be fruitful and multiply. We will inherit the earth.

In the meantime as we look forward to this day, let us stand up for the rights of the innocent. Go here to sign Voice for Life’s petition to repeal Labour’s Abortion Legislation Act.

And Ye Shall Be As Gods

Ever since the fall of Adam into sin, the temptation to assume godlike abilities has been a natural part of fallen human nature. We think we can determine right and wrong. We think by better controlling our environments we can determine the outcome we desire. Nowhere is this temptation seen so clearly
as when a man or woman assumes political authority.

Enter statists and those who hold socialistic doctrine. Rather than allowing God to be sovereign, these men and women full of arrogance and hubris believe they can rule in place of God. They deny God and idolise the wisdom of man (usually their own) to solve problems. They take from their fellow man with greedy and envious hearts. They render to Caesar what they should render to God. 

In our age, those who aspire to leadership often cite their desire to do good to their fellow man. This always frightens me. These leaders often have an overinflated opinion of themselves and their ability to ensure good for their fellow man. For one, they assume that they know what is good for others. And secondly, they assume they know the best possible way of achieving that good. Unfortunately, the results speak for themselves. They would do better to leave us alone.

Let’s look at one example of their grasping at divinity. Consider poverty. These would be gods see poverty in some sectors of society. Denying the King’s maxim that the poor will always be with us, they try to end poverty. So they forcibly remove blessings from some elements of society so they can distribute those blessings to another. To the rescue of poor single women raising children these benevolent deities ride. Surely this is good we think. We don’t want children to grow up in poverty. Then a few generations later, there is an explosion of children being born out of wedlock and women raising children alone on a measly benefit. Consequently, there is a rise in child poverty, mental health disorders soar, more fatherless young men are attracted to gangs and crime stalks our streets. Rather than admit that their foolish pretension to the throne of God has caused these problems they dig in. More tax, more interference, more carnage. 

Whatever these men and women who have attempted to usurp Christ do, fails miserably. They are not god, and when they attempt to ascend to his throne, they demonstrate to all with open eyes that they are no gods. They cannot dispense blessing and order God’s world in such a way that sinning against the fabric of his universe bears no consequences. They did not create it, they did not redeem it and they do not rule it.

What do we the people do? We should smash our false idol of state and turn back to Christ the king. His yoke is easy and his burden light. Government was never given to us by God to fix everything. It cannot bear that weight. Government was ordained by God to punish the wicked doer, not pontificate about climate change, redistribute the blessings God has given to the slothful, or ‘educate’ our children. When we expect the government to do things God has not designed it to do, we should expect it to do these things poorly, and we should expect it to grow more and more tyrannical and swallow up the other earthly authorities that God has ordained such as fathers, churches and employers.

Politics and Religion

I read with interest a report into Christopher Luxon’s maiden speech in Parliament. Luxon shows concern that people who are Christians are seen as extreme. He seems keen to show the positives of his faith. He is quoted saying, “It [Christianity] has anchored me, given my life purpose and shaped my values – and it puts me in the context of something bigger than myself,” This is noble and helpful. If more politicians understood that there was something bigger than themselves we would be in a far better position. Anyone who acknowledges there is a king above them to whom they must give an account is on far safer ground than those who deny God and cosmic justice.

However, he seems to misunderstand other aspects of the Christian faith. He says, “I see Jesus showing compassion, tolerance and care for others. He doesn’t judge, discriminate or reject people. He loves unconditionally.” While there is an element of truth here, in that Jesus said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world,” he also said, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

Furthermore, he seems greatly confused about the role of faith in politics. On the one hand, he highlights the role of Christianity in fighting injustice when he acknowledges William Wilberforce, but he goes on to claim that his faith is personal. He says of his faith, “It is not in itself a political agenda. I believe no religion should dictate to the state. And no politician should use the political platform they have to force their beliefs on others.” Well, which is it? Will your faith impact the decisions and actions you take as one of the leaders of our country, or will they have no influence? How can our worldview and faith not impact our politics? Do you think the religious beliefs of men like Stalin and Hitler had no bearing on their political actions? Do you think that our current government does not let their godless beliefs impact their agenda in issues like euthanasia, child sacrifice abortion and the economy? Of course, your faith beliefs and presuppositions are going to impact your politics. If Christ is indeed king, own that and have the courage to say that you will act in a way that acknowledges his kingship and do all in your power to see him honoured for who he is. Otherwise, you are living as a member of another religion.