“No Kings” protests and the future of American democracy

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

When Winston Churchill made this statement in 1947, he had led England to victory in World War II as its prime minister, lost his bid for reelection in a landslide, and returned to Parliament as one of its 640 members. He had experienced personally the vagaries of democracy.

If he were writing today’s article, he might make the same observation (though far more eloquently than I can). Consider:

• “No Kings” rallies held across the country over the weekend gave the “anti-Trump movement its biggest moment so far,” according to The Hill. Participants warned that the president threatens democracy; some Republicans blame the demonstrations for prolonging the US government shutdown. 
• The shutdown is now the third-longest in history, with no apparent end in sight.
• France has seen five (or six, depending on how you count) prime ministers in the last two years.
• The UK has been led by six prime ministers in the last ten years.
• After Hamas and Fatah took control of Gaza and the West Bank, respectively, following the 2006 elections, there have been no more Palestinian elections.
• The US and other countries believe Nicolás Maduro lost the election in Venezuela last year, but the official electoral commission aligned with his government declared him the winner, and he remains in office.

The “sacred inheritance of every human being”

My thoughts today are motivated by the historian Elaine Pagels’s fascinating recent essay in The Atlantic. She notes that democracy was unknown to humanity for thousands of years: ancient empires were ruled by emperors; Hindu societies enshrined the ruler as one who embodied the divine order of the gods; Greek philosophers argued that rulers were innately different and thus capable of ruling others.

By contrast, America’s founders believed that “all men are created equal,” an assertion that formed the foundation for the democratic republic they built.

I have witnessed personally the alternatives in Cuba, China, and Russia. My father and grandfather fought in world wars to defend our democracy. Today, millions of women and men are defending our freedom in military posts around the world and deserve our undying gratitude.

But as the news demonstrates daily, the key to the success of a democracy lies not with its system but with the people it serves and those they elect to serve them. Thomas Jefferson observed, “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” This is because living in a democracy doesn’t change people—people change democracy.

Some of the godliest people I have ever known live in the oppression of autocracies in Cuba and China. I have witnessed personally the courage of Russian evangelicals who meet for worship despite the opposition of their government. Conversely, the ongoing clergy crisis in America shows that our democracy cannot ensure the character even of religious leaders, much less irreligious ones.

Elaine Pagels observes that our “inalienable” human rights are the “sacred inheritance of every human being, grounded in a transcendent reality.” But these rights must be grounded in that reality if they are to prevail.

How to “rejoice and be glad” today

Psalm 118 is one of the most remarkable songs of worship in Scripture. It was sung at the Feast of Tabernacles and at Passover. The crowds recited it when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (v. 26; Matthew 21:9); it will be sung again at his second coming (Matthew 23:39).

The psalmist declares, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is on my side; I will not fear,” and then asks, “What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). If you had Secret Service protection, would you fear a street mugging?

He then makes my point today: “It is better to take refuge in the Lᴏʀᴅ than to trust in man” (v. 8). “Man” translates the Hebrew adam, referring here to “mankind.” This encompasses every human being, including ourselves.

Solomon warned us: “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). James explained why: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14), which leads to sin and eventual death (v. 15).

By contrast, the psalmist testifies, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14). He could therefore declare, “This is the day that the Lᴏʀᴅ has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (v. 24). If we see today as a gift we have received rather than a possession we deserve, we will use it to love and serve our Father and our neighbor (Mark 12:30–31).

“All earthly cities are vulnerable”

The future of America’s democracy depends on the character of America’s people. However, only Jesus can transform our fallen nature into the divine likeness for which we are designed and intended (Genesis 1:27). Only he can impart to us his holiness (cf. 1 Peter 1:16).

Think of a democracy composed of Christlike citizens and leaders. Imagine the good it could do for its people and the world.

Our part is to “take refuge in the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Psalm 118:8). A refuge only helps those who stay within its shelter. The Spirit can sanctify only those who stay connected to him in worship, prayer, and obedience.

This is why we are commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Not to live with our eyes closed and our hands folded, but to consciously practice the presence of Jesus through the day: to talk with him along the way, to listen to his Spirit as he guides us, to experience his power as he strengthens us, to seek and receive his pardon as he forgives our failures, to manifest the first glimmers of that miraculous day when “we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

When Rome was sacked in AD 410, St. Augustine told his flock,

All earthly cities are vulnerable. Men build them and men destroy them. At the same time there is the City of God which men did not build and cannot destroy and which is everlasting.

Which “city” will you serve today?

Quote for the day:

“One prominent spiritual leader insists, ‘The only way to have genuine spiritual revival is to have legislative reform.’ Could he have that backwards?” —Philip Yancey

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