Complexity is a given for natural life. It can be mastered for effective life performance, and some persons manage it rather well if not perfectly, but most seem not to form personal life thought and conduct to harness complexity really well. For example, we may think personality might be perceived as something universal, including only slight and acceptable differences in persons. The matter is far more complex than that simplification. The differences are often interpreted, when found, as cause for conflict. That variety gift given of God that provides seasoning to life in variances, and ways to express individual freedom are often made into offenses that can become so intense there is conflict to death in consequence. The range of experiences, the differences in sexes, races, ages, cultures, and the list grows – form our separate and group personalities. History reveals we do not manage the issue well in contexts of thought and conduct. One of the great discoveries of the Christian is that the personality of God is quite different, by a great gulf, from human personality but it is in personality (persons) that God relates to human beings. It is in this dimension, complexity of personality, that God reflects his image in us. Certainly that image was not in the forming of the physical body that identifies mankind. It is important in the discussion about God and his work that we recognize the mystery related to God, and that he is invisible as relates to the kingdom of natural mankind. (Mark 4:11; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians !:15-16; 1Timothy 1:17)
We will use here for our discussion the concept of social control and development that we usually identify as government (large populations guided by codified law), emerging as the necessary enlargement of tribalism (small populations guided by tradition). Both systems were found in ancient Israel, and both worked when the people and leaders were in congruence with that they recognized as the authority of God for personal/tribal/constitutional life. Even when tribal, Israel was given the prediction of an ultimate context they would adopt in a royal system related to law – Deuteronomy 17:8-20. In Judges 9:8 and following an example of application is recorded. It is interesting that even devout persons deviate from the biblical instruction and rationalize their choices – as Solomon must have done in accumulating many wives and horses. That accumulation, he must have reasoned, demonstrated to neighboring nations that his nation belonged. In Ecclesiastes, he suggests that his experiments failed him to the point of vanity (vapor).
What makes for good government in a complex, nearly ungovernable world? According to Scripture, government functions to recognize a free society, interpreted by law under the counsel of moral people. Counsel is interpreted in a democratic society with polls of the electorate. Electorates are to be truthfully informed, wise enough to cast objective ballots, and committed to follow the leaders they elect, and, if those leaders function poorly, to return to the polls and select other leaders. The problems grow when the electorate is poorly informed, when selfish, when casual in voting, when appropriate ideals are diluted, and when disillusioned about systems they have adopted and from which there is retreat. Almost any government can succeed in its dedication to peace, to service, to justice under law, to freedom and life balance for the people. Good government comes from values made common, formed out of the primordial morality of God, and democratic so to make effective even ordinary tasks that contribute to order and respect for every person – the peace of personality and freedom of the individual. That freedom implies that the individual is free to treat others as he would like to be treated. The action is circular. What is given is received. In this there is care for those who can’t care adequately for themselves, so to charity. Love reaches out in respect and love for life – morality becomes an issue. Any government can serve. Even then we have an enormous problem related to many persons in developing a knowledgeable and compassionate electorate, but a people culture engaging a parental system nurturing a way of life. At this writing massive numbers of persons have lost true vision for government. We meet the main enemy in the system – it’s us. That which we have not done is often embarrassing and defeating. A thoughtful, free, laboring and faithful citizenry is difficult to develop for faulty humanity, but can be done, ought to be done. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020