The
dynamic between the institution of the family and that of government
or politics is richly modulated. When one looks upon Jesus and his
disciples with his Heavenly Father we see strong predilections for
the family. Jesus consistently refused to enter politics but
remained true to his family ties and his Heavenly Father. In America
a classic example of where politics was co-joined with family was the
Kennedy years. It was a Camelot in the sense that it united the
institution of family with that of politics—the White House was not
only a governmental building but a family home; it united conference
rooms with intimate tours of living rooms. In England the Royal
Family serves the function of uniting government with family. Quite
intentionally England relegates politics to one wing of the house of
government and family to the other.
It
is always a challenge and the source of yearning to share the best of
the family institution with that of government. We yearn for
brotherhood, for the daily necessity and exercise of forgiveness, for
some sense of intimacy and love even on a national level. While
government can never supplant the family nor can the family supplant
government—these are two different divinely ordained institutions
each with unique responsibilities and privileges—nevertheless both
stand beholding to God in their own way for their own purposes. Two
obvious examples of responsibility divergence are the family
responsibility of reproduction and the government responsibility of
sustaining police power.
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