Sermon Q&R - Acts 16 & Philippians 3

Understanding that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, when is it appropriate for followers of Jesus to speak out about current political affairs? For example, the prophets often spoke out against corrupt regimes and injustices of their time. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King have done the same in recent times.

This question shines a bright light on what I see as the central tension of Christian political witness and political theology! I certainly can't resolve it in one blog post, but I can articulate what I see as some key questions, as well as a few principles that I regularly come back to. First, some questions: How does "respecting and submitting to governing authorities" interact with our fundamental respect and obedience towards God? When is it incumbent upon those of us who are "living witnesses" to Christ's authority to speak out against immorality and injustice in the political order? How can one be confident enough in one's political convictions to speak on behalf of God in the public square? The questioner rightly notes that there are powerful examples of those who have done this well in Christian history, both recent (Bonhoeffer) and ancient (the Hebrew prophets), but there are also historic examples of poor and dangerous political activism cloaked in the language of Christianity (one example that immediately comes to mind is the explicitly political effort by American pastors and Christian politicians in the Civil War era to keep chattel slavery legal, or political leaders in South Africa who argued for God's ordination of apartheid). So the road is fraught, and I think that's probably the first principle to keep in mind, as it should keep the aspiring political activist humble!

Another principle that comes to mind is the importance of communal discernment. To take the two examples from the question: both MLK and Bonhoeffer engaged in their political activism in the context of friends and peers who spoke directly into their key decisions. Neither was a lone wolf! The Holy Spirit lives in God's people (plural!) and frequently speaks discernment and wisdom through relationships, and so I contend that the aspiring Christian political activist must always discern their own activism within the context of God's people. But at the end of the day, I do believe it is possible to witness to the "powers that be," and so provoke good, moral change in systems and policies that more closely reflect the goodness and justice of God's Kingdom (even while we know that God's Kingdom will only ever be fully ushered in by Christ himself). I believe historical examples like William Wilberforce or Desmond Tutu model this, and when approached in humble conviction, within the context of a discerning and praying Jesus-worshipping community, Christian political activism can have a profound effect in our world today.

What does Paul mean by "you are my crown"? The closest we have to this in our culture is "my kids are my crowning achievement".

This question references Philippians 4.1, in which Paul calls the Philippians community his "joy and crown." My strong hunch is that the "crown" he is referring to is the "victory wreath-crown" that a runner would win in a race (consider the amount of race/athletic imagery Paul uses throughout the earlier chapter, and this makes the most immediate sense), so I think Paul is indicating to the Philippians that, somehow, their steadfastness and loyalty to Christ in their city are bound up in Paul's "prize" for running his own race. His purpose and mission was not merely to start their community, but is to continue to see them through! I think it's really interesting that the questioner connected this to our cultural language of "crowning achievement," and I can see some connection there. It can be common for parents to see their own sense of worth or victory in how their kids turn out - of course, this can get extremely unhealthy, but I think there's a healthy, mature way that a good parent maintains investment in the well-being of their kids without it slipping into idolatry or excessive pressure. And in that sense, I think we can fairly say that Paul has a "parental" attitude and hope towards the Philippians here. He is rooting for them! Their ongoing faith matters deeply to him, and he is committed to encouraging them along the journey.

Is there anything in the Greek that also implied sexual exploitation of the slave girl in addition to economic and spiritual? I can't help but think of how the Oracle at Delphi was often treated.

This is referencing the oracle slave-girl that Paul encounters in Philippi in Acts 16. This question is very reasonable, considering how slaves were typically treated in the Greco-Roman world (and throughout human history, for that matter), but the technical answer is that the Greek word itself does not explicitly imply sexual exploitation one way or another. The word (Gk. paidiske) is a general term for a female slave. It's also the same word that the Gospels use to describe the slave girl that confronts Peter at the charcoal fire (where he denies knowing Christ). So while the broader cultural context cannot rule out the possibility of this kind of exploitation, the language itself doesn't indicate with finality one way or another.