Panelists interact during the Q&A session following presentations at the “Jesus and Politics: Battle Lines” one-day conference at Syracuse Baptist Church Saturday, Oct. 23. Shown from left, Pastor Tim Bushong, podcaster and author Jon Harris, Fort Wayne City Councilman Jason Arp, church planter Bill Lliorca and Pastor Jason Gingerich. Photo by Ray Balogh.

By Ray Balogh
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Nearly 100 attendees packed the modest sanctuary of Syracuse Baptist Church Saturday, Oct. 23, for the second annual “Jesus and Politics: Battle Lines” conference.

During the five-hour conference, they listened to presentations by two area pastors, a Fort Wayne city councilman and an author and podcast host from upstate New York.

They also heard themes echoed by the late Karl Marx, theologian Francis Schaeffer, philosopher John Locke and biblical kings Herod and Nebuchadnezzar.

Tim Bushong, the church’s pastor and first of the quartet of speakers, enunciated the conference theme. “There is no clean break between religion and politics.”

A devotee of the writings of Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984), Bushong quoted the late Christian theologian and philosopher:

“The lordship of Christ over the whole life means that there are no platonic areas in Christianity, no dichotomy or hierarchy between the body and the soul. God made the body as well as the soul, and redemption is for the whole man.”

Bushong argued against the mutually exclusive duality between the physical and spiritual domains.

“Society’s view of life quickly deteriorates as a result of devaluing God’s creation, and secular humanist issues, including euthanasia and infanticide, increasingly take hold in our culture.”

During the midday break of the five-hour conference, attendees were treated to a lunch of soups, chili, veggies, rolls and dessert. Photo by Ray Balogh.

Bushong warned against cavalier biblical interpretations that render the body of Christ irrelevant to society.

“If your interpretation of Christ’s words to Pilate, ‘My kingdom is not of this world,’ means Jesus doesn’t care about politics or culture or anything related to our present existence, they why would you waste any time building a school or running for office or creating a work of art or trying to stop baby murder?”

The answer, he said, is to carve an antithesis to the widely held belief government is the unquestionable adjunct to the rule of God, which makes Caesar into God.

Bushong quoted Enlightenment philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), “God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. That state is to be an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer and to protect the good in society. When it does the reverse, it has no proper authority.”

Bushong brought home the challenge, “Yes, we’re in trouble, and in some very deep waters. But when you repent your sins and trust in Christ, you take on the terms of the New Covenant, and that is the antithesis of all time.

“There is no neutrality and this ultimate antithesis must begin in your life and mine.”

Pastor Joseph Spurgeon spoke next on the topic, “Face the Tyrant.” He described the rise and fall of King Herod, and noted the traits of tyrants:

• They are under tyranny themselves.

• They are proud.

• They fear man and the crowds.

• They are willing to act unjustly to protect their lust, pride and fear of man.

• They are guilty and they know they are guilty.

• They will be judged and exiled.

Spurgeon suggested, however, “The first place to look for tyrants is in the mirror. Get rid of the personal tyranny and walk with Christ. The way to repentance is humility; judgment begins at home.”

Citing Nebuchadnezzar and Saul of Tarsus, who both repented, Spurgeon concluded, “There is hope, because this could be us. We need to face tyrants, not as rebels but as the saints of old. Christ must increase and we must decrease.”

After a lunch of hot soup, chili and sides, the conference reconvened with Fort Wayne City Councilman Jason Arp, who presented examples of his Christian convictions guiding him to advocate for and achieve justice for his constituents, particularly in fiscal matters.

The day’s final speaker, Jon Harris from upstate New York, hosts the podcast “Conversations That Matter” and has written several books on faith and politics.

He summarized his presentation: “The takeaway from my talk is social justice is not simply a political movement, but a religion. Christians should not be shy about opposing the movement when its intention is to replace Christianity with a secular religion.

“Christians are not the ones who started engaging in politics so much as the social justice movement started engaging in religion and infringed on the domain of the church.”

Bill Lliorca, a church planter from Warsaw, joined the speakers in a Q&A session. The conference was emceed by Pastor Jason Gingerich.

Attendee Terry Wood, founding member of Indiana Patriots Alliance, echoed the sentiments. “Isaiah 9:6 says, ‘For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders.’

“What rests on his shoulders? The government. So why are we as believers not involved in politics?”