Government Regulation and Control

From My Perspective - - -

Last week, our nation celebrated the 232^nd Anniversary of its Declaration of Independence. As our nation has evolved, How “free: and how “independent” are we today? Are we a government “of the people, for the people, by the people” or have we relinquished our freedom and independence for self-gratification purposes?

In his Breakpoint Devotionals, Chuck Colson shares about a friend who was trying to develop a camp program for needy children, with this observation: “In order to proceed with the camp, numerous permits, clearances, and approvals were required by an astonishing number of government agencies. These ranged from a County Planning Commission to the state's Historical and Museum Commission to the Environmental Protection Agency to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers…My friend was required to get a permit to cross a "wetland" with a truck. This "wetland" was a damp area some 18 inches wide…In the end, the various government bodies delayed the project for two years and cost my well-meaning friend millions of dollars….This was a case-all too common today-of regulatory agencies making it almost impossible to do anything because they have overlapping jurisdictions.” Colson summarizes: “…There is a profound Christian question at stake here. Scripture says government has just two objectives: to preserve order and do justice. How did we get from that simple function to a government that requires 18 different permits before you can build a new bathroom-or expand a campground for needy, inner-city kids?...We need to work to keep government doing its right roles and no more, because if we do not, it will eventually cease to function at all.”

Someone humorously wrote about the difficulty if Noah was given the assignment to build the Ark within one year. The parody states: “…Exactly one year later…The Lord saw Noah sitting in his front yard weeping. Noah. He shouted, Where is the Ark? …I did my best but there were big problems. First, I had to get a permit for construction and your plans did not comply with the codes. I had to hire an engineering firm and redraw the plans. Then I got into a fight with OSHA over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system and floatation devices…my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission…The Fish and Wildlife Service won't let me catch any owls…The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Union. Now I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still no owls. When I started rounding up the other animals, I got sued by an animal rights group…Just when I got the suit dismissed, the EPA notified me that I could not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood…Then the Army Corps of Engineer demanded a map of the proposed new flood plain…I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that I am practicing discrimination by not taking godless, unbelieving people aboard! The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes. I just got a notice from the State that I owe some kind of user tax and failed to register the Ark as a 'recreational water craft.' The ACLU got the courts to issue an injunction against further construction of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the earth, it is a religious event and therefore unconstitutional… The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine and the seas began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up hopefully - You mean you are not going to destroy the Earth, Lord? No, said the Lord sadly - The government already has!"

In the Christian Community and ministry effort, we are almost as complicated. Matthew 28:19-20 states: “Go…Make Disciples…Teach them God’s Law/Word…” It would be perhaps as difficult – or more difficult - for a William Carey, Martin Luther, Mary Slessor to be appreciated and approved for Christian endeavor today. We would still have people in the Churches who would not be engaged in the task to: “Go…Make…Teach…”

Think about this with me - - -