Let Them Suffer

'We're a Christian Nation'. At best this refrain is used to imply that the Bible has influenced our Nations culture more than any other religious text in her history. 

For Australia, this is undeniably true. However, the term 'Christian Nation' is misleading. For as much as the Bible may have influenced this nation, there is only one group within her borders that biblically can be called Christian, and they are those that believe in and obey the Bible's message. Yet this nation contains a high and growing percentage of people who do not believe (and probably many more “believers” who merely give it lip service). 

So the reality is we are neither biblically or statistically a Christian nation. Instead we are historically a nation influenced by Bible believers. Yet, though influential, the Bible wasn't given as a text book for establishing national law & policy. Rather it was given to believers as a means of reminding them of God's purposes, promises, providence and will. That said, Christians well know the positive influence the word of God can have on all peoples hearts (Hebrews 4:12). Albeit an influence that cannot be forced, only shared, in the hope that people will come to see its message as good.

After all, nations rise and fall upon their definition of good and evil, and generations of Christian's have witnessed the wax and wane of their influence on society; have seen good called evil, and evil, good. It is no surprise to Christians that nations thrive when Gods words are obeyed, and decline as they are abandoned (Proverbs 14:34). And it is only natural that Christians react to such, since the decisions of society affect them also.

However, let us be careful how we react. Acknowledging that there comes a time to be silent, a time to step back from debate and allow consequence to play its role in imparting wisdom; as a famous Chinese philosopher put it:

By three means is wisdom acquired. The first, by reflection, the noblest; the second, by imitation, the easiest; the third, by experience, the hardest. (Confucius)

Christians may hope for the nations of the world to nobly reflect on the lessons of scripture, we might pray our nation would choose to imitate that which pleases God. But we must accept that nations (like individuals) sometimes only learn from experiencing the consequences of their choices. Sometimes evil will only be understood to be evil when its fruit fully reveals itself to be so. Unfortunately this route to wisdom is painful, but necessary within societies blind to all else.

It is good to share the ways of God, and to warn others of the consequences of rejecting those ways. But when the people become adamant, Christians need step back and respectfully allow the world to make its choices and reap the consequences of those choices. Not because we are careless, but because, at times, only consequence has hope of bringing about wisdom to those deaf to all else—especially the warnings of scripture.

And as society suffers under the burden of her poor choices, Christians have perfect opportunity to demonstrate their faith in someone greater, their hope in something better, and their Christlike love for a lost world. And, hopefully, like the parable of the suffering prodigal, some of her number will “come to their senses.”

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 
2 Corinthians 4:4

“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” Ezekiel 18:23