"Democratism" and the Church

Some more thoughts on election day about how the principles and philosphy of democracy have impacted the church in America.

In a post entitled, Evangelicals, American Culture, and the Spirit of Democracy, J. Wesley at the Conservative Intelligencer shares some insights regarding the impact “democratism” has had upon the church.

He presents three areas where American principles of democracy have shaped life in the church:

1. Our Beliefs about Salvation

“In a nation dedicated to equal rights and one-man-one-vote, there is little room for the sovereignty of God.”

2. Our Doctrine of God

“The Democratic Spirit despises hierarchies; it loathes orders and ranks in society. To a large extent, even God must be brought down to our level. A t-shirt sold in Christian bookstores says it best – "Jesus is my Homeboy.”

3. Our Approach to Church

“…We’ve “democratized” the office of pastor into a sort of genial mentoring role…Most pastors no longer have much ability to enforce church discipline to correct sin within the church (and too often, no desire to do so anyway.) With both God and the pastorate democratized into rather toothless figures, Christians in the pews often have little fear of the consequences of sin, even open sin.”

We must always be careful lest we equate Democracy with biblical Christianity. This can lead us into motivations, methods, and messages which are not true to God's Word.