ARTICLE

New Year, Same Issues, Eternal Hope: Looking Forward To 2017

News Image By Eric Metaxas/Breakpoint.org January 03, 2017
Share this article:

Many people are glad 2016 is behind us, and I understand why. But of course, the issues that made last year a struggle are not behind us. Let me explain.

We talk a lot on BreakPoint about what the French philosopher and theologian Jacques Ellul called the "political illusion"--the idea that our problems are primarily political ones with political solutions. Or that, as Chuck Colson put it so pithily, salvation will arrive on Air Force One.

Many Americans, Clinton and Trump supporters alike, fell for the political illusion during the presidential campaign. Many continue to today: some by thinking that all is lost, and others by thinking that all is well.


This is why, during the campaign, I made the statement--and let's just say I got a lot of feedback on it--that the state of our elections reflected the state of our nation; that Alexander Solzhenitsyn was right when he said during his famous speech at Harvard, "There are meaningful warnings which history gives a threatened or perishing society. Such are, for instance, the decadence of art, or a lack of great statesmen."

Now, make no mistake. With Donald Trump in office, it's possible, even likely, that we're going to get a reprieve from the aggressive anti-Christian policies of the Obama administration. 

We can dare to hope that nuns won't be forced to buy insurance for contraceptives and abortifacients, for example, and that federal funding for Planned Parenthood can be curtailed, maybe even eliminated. 

We can hope for a Supreme Court justice or two who will uphold the Constitution and not invent rights out of thin air.

Now all of that is good. But please remember this: As the Democrats learned the hard way, what goes around comes around. 

The election was a reaction to extreme secular liberal policies. After Republicans attempt to dismantle the Obama agenda there may very well be an equal and opposite reaction. National elections happen every two years, after all.

So as we head into 2017, remember: "Beware the political illusion." That doesn't mean we withdraw from politics. Far from it. 


That leads me to another key teaching here at the Colson Center, received from the hands of Chuck himself: Politics most often is downstream of culture. 

Culture will shape politics. And as Chuck said during his final speech, the culture is shaped by "the cult," its belief system, what people truly believe and care about.

And that's where the Church must come in. As we go about "being the church" as Chuck liked to say, loving God, loving our neighbors as ourselves, letting our light and good deeds shine before men, pointing toward every human's true hope in Jesus Christ and God the Father, then we'll have a greater and greater impact on those around us, and on the culture, and in the end, our local and national politics.

And of course, we can do this only by drawing nearer corporately and individually to Jesus, seeking fellowship with Him and with each other.

Originally published by Breakpoint.org - reposted with permission.




Other News

July 15, 2025Canadian Police Warn: Embracing Traditional Values Could Make You An Extremist

In yet another disturbing escalation of state‑sponsored madness, a spokeswoman for Canada's national police force, the RCMP, has warned th...

July 15, 2025The Coming Pacific War? China, Taiwan, And The West Prepare For Conflict

The war for Taiwan hasn't begun-but the world is already training for it. This week, dramatic footage emerged from China's southeastern co...

July 15, 2025Welcome To Spain, Where Pastors Face Jail For Offering Biblical Counselling

In a staggering act of spiritual betrayal and moral collapse, Spain’s lower house has voted 311–33 in favor of a bill that would criminali...

July 15, 2025Europe's Quiet War On Christians: The Violence No One Wants To Talk About

Across Europe, Christian believers are facing a surge of hatred that's rarely covered in headlines, barely whispered about in press rooms,...

July 10, 2025We're One Deepfake Away From A Digital Point Of No Return

Last month several foreign officials received Signal messages from what appeared to be U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. These weren't ...

July 10, 2025Europe On Edge: Five Ways The EU Is Preparing For Potential War With Russia

Perhaps most alarmingly-and most revealing-is the psychological transformation taking place in many European societies. Defense ministers ...

July 10, 2025Men Can't Breastfeed - But That Hasn't Stopped Trans Activists From Trying

One of the most disturbing developments in recent years is the growing push to normalize "chestfeeding," a term and practice promoted by t...

Get Breaking News