The Law of God and Public Policy
We need to prepare well if we hope to affect public policy.
But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.” Exodus 4.10
Public policies are shaped, in the first instance, in two everyday loci: in conversations with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers and through the published views – in local papers and on the Internet – of “we the people.” Believers share in the ongoing work of public policy-making in both of these loci.
But we need to prepare well even for these “informal” venues, reading up on the issues; searching the Scriptures to understand the various ways the Christian worldview bears on social, cultural, and political matters; and talking with our Christian friends and teachers to help us shape our views. The better informed we are about the issues of the day, the more likely we will be to participate in the everyday conversations and opportunities for publishing our views which are available to us.
We must not underestimate the power of conversation and publication in shaping public policies. The absence of a Christian voice in any area of public policy can create a “spiral of silence” on behalf of that which is true and good, allowing those policies backed by the most vocal proponents to gain the day. If we can work hard to be well-prepared, and if we make the most of every opportunity to engage and persuade, rather than just argue about topics, we might be surprised at how the Lord can use us to affect the way others think about the big issues of the day.
Remember, as the Lord Himself said in Deuteronomy 4.6-8, there is wisdom in His Law which even unbelievers can observe and which they will find appealing. But it our task and calling to carry that wisdom out among them in conversation, so that the Lord can then draw them to Himself and His ways (Mic. 4.1-8).
T. M. Moore
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