Acta Non Verba -- Deeds not Words
My alma mater motto was “Acta non Verba”—Deeds not Words.
I feel like the last two posts, while helping me think through the situation, need to result in action.
In reality our foundational principles are always intersecting with the world around us.
Our action, or lack thereof, is a function of:
1. Whether what we espouse to be our foundational principles really are what guides us day-in and day-out (or are we merely paying lip service to them and kidding ourselves)?
2. The degree to which the world around us is at odds with those principles.
I have labored for two reflections on this question because in the year 2020, many people are concerned about how countries and governments are responding to the Corona Virus situation.
I have sought to both think about this idea of foundational principles and draw a distinction between how a Christian is to respond, vice a citizen of a country.
In reality, in the United States, we had for many centuries lived in a world with the laws largely aligned with the Judeo-Christian worldview. Over time US Laws have become not only out-of-step with that view, but also openly hostile to anyone seeking to practice a faith based on this view.
The point about US Laws is that for most of us, following the law in a large way, was Christian living. Today that is no longer a given.
Jesus’ followers today must consciously think about His teachings, and intentionally live them—often going against the flow.
Intentional “Christian living” is met with a new mantra: keep faith private.
Faith, kept private, is an un-exercised muscle—it sits and atrophies.
The question is perhaps, “At what point will I no longer be silent?”
I would suggest the answer lies at the point when the clash between our real foundational principles and the daily situation can no longer be ignored.
Clearly, we each have a different threshold. Clearly there a people who are adept at seeing into the distance the trajectory of a culture. Unfortunately, those people are often ignored.
Today, the situation of the state’s incursion upon living our lives according to our faith has moved closer for many.
Which brings another question, “How should I respond, and how far will I go in responding to the situation?”
One of the most powerful stories of the 20th century is that of a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was a brilliant theologian doing his post-doctoral work by age 24. As a pastor-theologian he returned to Germany after Hitler came to power and the German Church began to capitulate.
Bonhoeffer at first thought he would reform the church from within. When that failed, he set up a parallel effort. When the depravity of his country grew, he actively supported, even participated in, the failed assassination attempts of Hitler.
Step One was his ability to acknowledge the situation. He did not start out, as a Christian, in the position of seeking to kill someone. He ultimately concluded that the evil that Hitler was perpetrating warranted this drastic step.
His beginning was to speak up.
I am not advocating violence. Rather, this is an example of how foundational principles intersect with the world. Often times we find a progression taking place.
As followers of Jesus, our principles don’t change. It is the world around us changing. A changing world serves to sharpen our understanding of our true principles. The risk for us is that we are like the proverbial frog that is slowly boiled to death in the pan.
Today, if you are troubled by the “states” reaction to our current situation, as a Christian, how are you responding? Might you pray about it?