Recent Revolutions - How Do We Think Biblically?

Here are some half-baked thoughts considering how we as Christ-exalting, Scripture-believing Christians should perceive the current populace up-roars witnessed by Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, and now Syria (Lebanon's next door neighbor). A few years ago in conversations with colleagues about repressive Islamic regimes like that of Egypt and others, I found myself frequently throwing an idea on the table that upon later reflection didn't sit well with me. I would muse, (perhaps prophetically) "the human spirit can only be oppressed for so long before it revolts and seeks its freedom...there will probably come a day when people will ultimately stand up and throw off the shackles of these dictators." Now on the surface that sounds pretty good. But as I would reflect more on this idea it occurred to me that it sounded very humanistic, very much like the classic Transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his "divine spark" in all of humanity. Emerson, of course, was one of the most influential thinkers to shape the American understanding of the concepts of freedom and rugged individualism so, it is only natural that I might make such a knee-jerk prediction. But Emerson's ideas of liberty and self-reliance do not square with the Bible's insistence that we are not as free as we would like to think we are. The Bible declares the human state to be that of slavery to sin outside of Christ and calls us to God-reliance and utter dependence upon Him in Christ.

"As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.'" (Romans 3:10-12)

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins," (Ephesians 2:1)

"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,  and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification." (Romans 6:17-19)

The Scripture resounds clearly that we are either slaves to sin or we are slaves to Christ. So, I changed my mind about the likelihood of revolutions in the Muslim world and considered how so many people become comfortable with their chains, even preferring enslavement over soul liberty. I thought of all the people I know even to be professing Christians who seem to prefer legalism over grace saying, "Just tell me who to vote for and what to wear and I'll be happy." "No," I thought, "people are enslaved to sin and barring divine intervention, they like it that way...Things will never change in the Middle East." 

But now the very thing I thought might happen at the start but dismissed later is really happening all around us here today! Does this prove there is some veracity to Emerson's incurably optimistic view of the human spirit? But how does a spiritually dead person or a slave to sin pluck up the nerve to selflessly become a martyr for the cause of freedom - something we could regard as essentially a spiritual virtue requiring "eyes to see and ears to hear" in order to be truly appreciated? 

Perhaps, we may think of the quest for freedom driving people in North Africa and the Middle East to stand up to tyranny at the cost of their lives as a reflection of a different dynamic at work in the human spirit other than the aptitude to exercise faith which comes by special grace alone. Perhaps there is something God has endowed to all humanity by his Common Grace which is at work here, and that is the image of God. When we speak of the image of God in human beings we always say that although it has been marred and disfigured by sin it has not been completely eradicated. After all, this is how we speak of the value of the human being, in Christ or apart from Christ just the same. We love our neighbor, and even our enemy who is still a bearer of the image of God. Perhaps it is this trace of the image of God in humanity which still lingers despite the presence of total depravity, that gives rise to humanity's quest for liberation.

But at the end of the day this too smacks of an overly man-centered hypothesis. Now, I think that looking for something residing within people as the impetus for the current uprisings against totalitarianism may be misguided altogether. No, there is an outside force at work here. It all seems so surreal, so surprising, almost miraculous. There is upon all these political over-turnings the stamp of divine sovereignty. Let's not be "functional atheists" or Deists. If there is any one theme we must come away with from Scripture, it is that God is the protagonist in all the drama of history. And it is God who is at work now, judging dictators, overturning regimes, and guiding nations. Isaiah tells us what is going on here:

"Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; ...Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. (Isaiah 46:9-11)

 "I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. (Isaiah 48:3)

"For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48:11)

And Amos:

"If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?" (Amos 3:6)

And the Psalms:

"The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God. For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.  Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before Thee. Put them in fear, O LORD; Let the nations know that they are but men." (Psalm 9:16-20)

"Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For Thou wilt judge the peoples with uprightness, And guide the nations on the earth." (Psalm 67:4)

"Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is Thou who dost possess all the nations." (Psalm 82:8)

"He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country." (Psalm 110:6)

And Solomon:

"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)

It is so very clear Who is behind all that is happening around us in this region. And what comfort we can take to know that God is carrying out all his perfect holy will.

"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10)

*For those of you interested in an Egyptian Christian's perspective on the recent election in Egypt take a look at this letter (below) from the Director of the Bible Society in Egypt. It seems that the dead, blind, and deaf human spirit in slavery to sin apart from Christ continues to desire it's shackles of legalism after all, this time in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood...

	Revolution Hijacked?
March 25, 2011 Dear friends, REMARKABLE TURNOUT FOR REFERENDUM On March 19th, Egyptians turned up in unprecedented numbers and great enthusiasm to vote on a referendum for suggested changes to the Egyptian constitution.  These changes were intended to make it possible to elect a new Parliament and Senate and eventually a President under terms that would be more democratic than in the past. By voting "Yes", elections for Parliament, Senate and Presidency would take place in the very near future.  The majority of those who lobbied for the “yes” vote were right wing Islamic groups headed by the previously banned Muslim Brotherhood.  Since they already have nationwide grass roots networks they are organized and ready to propose viable candidates from their party across the nation.  Others, who do not yet have such a network, have little chance of having enough viable candidates in time for Parliamentary elections in September. By voting "No", these elections for would be delayed and thus allow some new parties to form and build their infrastructure in time to provide a fair choice for Egyptians.  Many believed this was the only way to allow the revolutionaries’ dream for a truly secular state to be realized.  Most of the youth and demonstrators who led the Revolution, plus just about every Christian in the country voted "no". UNEXPECTED RESULTS The discouraging result of a 78% “yes” vote and a 22% “no” vote shocked Christians and all those dreaming for a country where religion would not determine political affiliation.  What made things worse was that many vocal Muslim spokesmen publicly declared that this “yes” vote was a clear affirmation that the majority of Egyptians want an Islamic State! Eighteen million people voted and four million of these said "no".  Of these four million, probably about half were Christians.  This means that open-minded Muslims voters in Egypt are possibly no more than 2 million. Though this is a large number, it still is a small minority of the voting public. FEAR OF A MUSLIM TAKEOVER For many of us, the referendum was a lithium test to determine how strong the Christian and the open-minded elements in the country really are.  It is clear from the result that we represent a significant but small minority surrounded by a grassroots majority of Egyptians who probably seek a more distinctly Muslim nation. Before the revolution hardly anyone used to vote as elections were mostly rigged. This time most Christians were motivated to vote and are now very discouraged at the result.  Their dream - and that of many who were behind the Revolution - for a truly democratic secular state, has been put in question.  Many wonder if their efforts and hard work to faithfully participate in the electoral process were in vain.  PRAYER REQUESTS I am therefore writing to ask for your prayers: 1.     That all those who voted “no” may not give up on democracy in Egypt but will continue to be involved in the upcoming elections as much and even more than they were in this referendum. 2.   That Christians in Egypt may believe that God is still in control even though their recent attempts to influence the political process met with few tangible results. 3.   Please pray for discernment and creativity as the Bible Society team continues to develop relevant Scripture resources in response to current needs and events.  (you can keep up to date on what we are doing at http://www.rebuildegypt.tenbibles.com) I personally believe that greater freedom in society, while certainly welcome, would not necessarily result in deeper faith.  Working under tighter constraints (in a more Islamic Egypt) may actually make Christians more committed to their faith and their Lord. For example, in spite of the remarkable freedom in Western countries it's not necessarily easier for Christians there to be on fire for the Lord.  Let us never forget that the Apostle Paul's deepest yearning was " to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings" (Philippians 3:11).  We often want the former and forget the latter. So even though I was personally discouraged by the results of the referendum, I have a deep conviction that God is in control. I also have much hope that - whatever political changes take place in Egypt - the Gospel will flourish, as it has for centuries past under many oppressive regimes. Thank you for your prayers and support during these turbulent days in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa. With warm greetings in Christ, Sincerely, R++++