4/15- Tax Day- Calvin kicked out of Geneva

Devotional using scripture, quote from John Calvin and thoughts for the day each day- on the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth.

4/15- Tax Day-

In 1538 (actually 4/25- so we’re a few days early), Calvin and Farel were kicked out of Geneva. They were kicked out over church-state relations.

Calvin (upon hearing on 4/23 they were to leave Geneva in a few days) said: “Well and good. If we had served men we would have been ill-requited, but we serve a Good Master who will reward us.” “I have served Him who never withholds from his servants what He has promised.”

There was tension between Calvin and the Councils of Geneva on his first stay. Some of the tension was just a tension of transition and some of it was a tension of power. Calvin and Farel were pushing for the right of the church to excommunicate people, and then asked the state to back them up. This was the form of Protestant discipline of Basel Switzerland (from which Calvin had come). But the Genevan people had lived under a strong-handed oppression by Duke and Bishop and wanted none of that. In reality, Calvin and Farel were very zealous and probably too demanding- especially Farel and his blind preaching colleague Corauld. Farel was a bit puritanical wanting to abolish Easter, Christmas, Ascension Day and Pentecost (Calvin was more silent on these days- seeking to abolish only the saint’s veneration days). The Swiss city-state of Berne wanted Geneva and the other Swiss Protestants to follow its ways of celebrating such holidays. Farel had also abolished entrance fonts for holy water and baptism as well as the idea of unleavened bread being served in communion. Calvin again was less strict about such things, but gave into his older colleague. When Geneva accepted Berne’s ceremonies and the church was told it could not ex-communicate, Calvin and Farel preached their Easter sermons (Farel at St. Gervais, Calvin at St. Pierre) but refused to serve communion to anyone in such a tense situation. Not having Easter communion was the last straw for the councils, and they forced them to leave. Of course, later, the Genevan councils regretted their actions as the libertines took control and the immorality in the city (adultery, prostitution, gambling) grew explosively.
They eventually humbly called Calvin back from his exile. But the exile was good for Geneva (who saw the need to be less controlling) and Calvin (who saw the need to be a bit more humble and afterwards wrote more of “things indifferent” in order to keep unity). It was also in exile in Strasbourg that Calvin befriended Bucer and learned from his kind-heartedness, and married Idelette. Calvin’s exile and coming back was almost a post-type of the death and resurrection of Christ, and it vastly influenced his writings. He clearly saw the benefits of self-denial and cross bearing, and always had hope.
Another post-type of the death and resurrection was what happened off the coast of Somalia this week. The Maersk Alabama was captured by pirates. The captain, Richard Phillips, allowed himself to be captured and taken away on a lifeboat to save his ship and crew. He was as good as dead- or at least held for ransom. But he has been set free- and that on Easter Sunday right after church (EST). I have thought about how many prayers went up for him on Easter Sunday. In my opinion too little credit for this is given to God’s hand. I have also thought about how this parallels the death and resurrection. But it is this way for all of us- we must die to selves to be raised to life. Jesus said, “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it will bear no fruit. He who loses his life will save it” (John 12:23-28).
On this tax day, church state relations easily come to mind. I hear way too many voices of Christians concerned about the government and less about the Lord. While I do not doubt that the church should speak as the conscience to government, it does not need to run every policy and go into a rage (as some do) when things don’t go their way. This is a bit like the young Calvin who still needed to learn. We need to live in the world but not give into it, nor let it shape all of our messages and time. No government will be a heavenly government. Yet we should seek to make this world and our governments better for God’s glory. The early church prayed for the government, but their main concern was that they have peace in order to spread the gospel. Too many Christians today are taking their resources and giving for political spreading instead of gospel spreading. When Calvin cam eback he focused on the church and the state things fell into line- so much so that Geneva was called "the closest thing to heaven on earth" by some.

Prayer: Lord, bless our country and our world and its leaders. May your gospel spread throughout our country and world. Use me, O Lord, to be a witness for you today.

February 7- Two Governments complimenting

FEBRUARY 7

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Matthew 22:17

Calvin: “Now, since we have established above that man is under a twofold government, and since we have elsewhere discussed at sufficient length the kind that resides in the soul or inner man and pertains to eternal life, this is the place to say something also about the other kind, which pertains only to the establishment of civil justice and outward morality. For although this topic seems by nature alien to the spiritual doctrine of faith which I have undertaken to discuss, what follows will show that I am right in joining them, in fact, that necessity compels me to do so. This is especially true since, from one side, insane and barbarous men furiously strive to overturn this divinely established order; while, on the other side, the flatterers of princes, immoderately praising their power, do not hesitate to set them against the rule of God himself. Unless both these evils are checked, purity of faith will perish. Besides, it is of no slight importance to us to know how lovingly God has provided in this respect for mankind, that greater zeal for piety may flourish in us to attest our gratefulness.” (IV.20.1)


At the National Prayer Breakfast Obama said he would continue to have the government work with faith based charities. I believe Obama has seen first hand the power of Christian groups to help those in need. I think he has seen the power of Christ to change people for the better, and to help people out of their misery. He said at the national prayer breakfast, “There is a force for good greater than government.” I am glad he sees that.
I understand that in his campaign and his advisors are saying even now, that the government will require religious groups to be blind in their hiring of people for such “secular” endeavors as helping the needy and feeding the hungry, but allow them to hire only believers for the religious side of things. Alas, this is another misconception of how faith works. Faith not only provides money to help the needy, but it also provides the fire, the motivation to leave comfortable homes to go out on the streets to help the hungry, the downtrodden, the homeless. In my opinion, with these rules in place, faith groups would do well to avoid government hand outs and grants with such strings attached. There is more to helping people than government money.
If Obama can require top executives to make $500,000 or less (many of their underlings now will apparently make more than they do), will the government not also seek to micro-manage the way religious groups help others? I went to Cuba in 1993 to visit some of the persecuted churches there. The government had a secretary of religion. His job was to monitor all the churches and organizations in Cuba, and to control them. At one time people stood outside the doors of the churches and took names of those who went inside. To go inside a church meant you were put on a list that would keep you from buying a new car, a new home, getting a good job, or sending your children to colleges. This was from the “Faith Based Office” of Cuba. My concern is when government gets involved, it doesn’t know where to stop, sometimes (though maybe with good intentions) destroying the energy and purity that motivated people to help others in Christ’s name.
I have always believed that government would do well not to pay a church to exist. In South Carolina in the mid 1700’s the Episcopalians were the official tax-supported religion in South Carolina though Presbyterians and Baptists outnumbered them. Government recognized marriages couldn’t take place in non-Episcopalian churches. Church members who were not Episcopalians had to pay taxes for the upkeep of the Episcopal church but had to pay out of pocket for their own church buildings. I appreciate separation of church and state in the true sense. However, it harms society for the government to not allow churches to help the needy along side of government programs. The Salvation Army does a wonderful job. I was amazed at the number of church groups in Louisianna and Mississippi (many still there) after Katrina. The government redid the infrastructure- the roads, water, hauling off debris (this cost billions). But the churches helped so many people rebuild their homes. And the casinos… well they helped rebuild the casinos more inland and a bit more established.
When homes, schools, churches, and government are working toward common goals complementing each other, the whole world is becoming a much better place. When they are constantly bickering or afraid of each other, the good of the common person is being overlooked. The zealots in Jesus day wanted to catch Jesus saying something bad about the Roamn government. He refused, but gave his famous "render unto Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God's." Jesus refused to speak evil even of the government that would kill him.
There are two governments- one by God and one by the state, as Calvin said. It is best when these two governments compliment each other pulling together for the common good.