JW subtitle extractor

Our theme this month is
“Christian Neutrality
“—What It Means, What It Takes,
and Why We Choose It.”
What is your opinion?
Where do you stand?
Can one person
make a difference in countering injustice?
When we hear people
discussing political topics,
we might at first think
their conversation is purely philosophical;
but when injustice threatens our loved ones,
it can seem personal.
We expect that people
will be divided over political ideology.
Revelation chapters 8-13
foretold that in the last days,
government would be
the burning issue among mankind
and that people
would feel pressured to take sides.
The question each of us
needs to ask himself is,
How do I respond when people
debate solutions to serious injustices?
As Christians,
we’re most interested
in the example of Christ.
If ever there was a person who could make
a difference in countering injustice,
it was Jesus.
He felt deep compassion for people.
And with his abilities to feed the hungry,
heal the sick, raise the dead,
and reach hearts with his winsome words,
Jesus could have exerted
invincible influence in the realm of politics.
He certainly had the opportunity to do so.
Satan was pleased to offer him
“all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth”
in an exchange for one act of worship.
But Jesus wouldn’t accept it.
Neither did he assert that Satan
had no authority to make such an offer.
Later, Jesus’ own countrymen
tried to make him king,
but he rejected that too.
Later still, someone asked him
whether it was lawful
to pay taxes to the Roman government.
Again, Jesus didn’t take sides.
He refused to become a world ruler,
a national leader, or a political activist.
Did that mean that Jesus didn’t care?
that he had no opinion?
To the contrary!
Jesus cared more deeply than we can fathom.
And by treating people fairly,
Jesus promoted justice
at the most fundamental level.
Still, his principal focus
was on teaching people
about the Kingdom of God,
which would eliminate injustice for all time.
So, what did Jesus
indicate should be our position
regarding human governments?
We learn from Jesus’ response
to the question about Roman taxation
as recorded at Mark 12:15-17:
“‘Bring me a denarius to look at.’
“They brought one, and he said to them:
“‘Whose image and inscription is this?’
“They said to him: ‘Caesar’s.’
“Jesus then said:
“‘Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar,
but God’s things to God.’”
What are Caesar’s things?
At Romans 13:1-7,
the apostle Paul lists tax, tribute,
fear, and honor.
Notice, too, that Jesus said
to “pay back Caesar’s things.”
What does that imply?
That Caesar,
the ruling authority of the day,
had issued valuable things
—coins, for example.
Thus, Caesar had the right
to ask for some of those coins back.
This enabled the State
to continue rendering necessary services.
Jesus acknowledged that.
On the other hand,
our most valuable possessions
are grants from God himself
—such gifts as our heart,
our life, our mind, and our strength.
We can’t give those things back to Caesar
because Caesar
didn’t grant them to us in the first place.
We rightly give those things back to God
in the form of our dedication and our love.
Regarding our love for God,
Jesus said at Mark 12:30:
“You must love Jehovah your God
“with your whole heart
and with your whole soul
“and with your whole mind
and with your whole strength.”
So the love we give back to God is total
—no bodily part, function,
capacity, or desire being left out.
Those who love God take the side of Jesus,
whom Jehovah has appointed as King.
But how would Jesus’ disciples
defend his Kingdom when people opposed it?
We gain insight from events that occurred
on the last night of Jesus’ life on earth.
Recall from Matthew chapter 26
that when “a large crowd
with swords and clubs” came to arrest Jesus,
Peter “drew his sword and struck
the slave of the high priest, taking off his ear.”
John reports that the slave’s name was Malchus.
Luke adds that Jesus touched
the man’s ear and healed him.
Imagine that!
Jesus bore no ill will
toward the men taking him into custody.
Further, according to Matthew 26:52,
Jesus told Peter:
“Return your sword to its place,
“for all those who take up the sword
will perish by the sword.”
Why did Jesus disapprove of Peter’s brave act?
For the same reason that he had avoided
the political process all the way up to that point.
Jesus explained this when he appeared
before Pontius Pilate later that night.
At John 18:36, we read:
“My Kingdom is no part of this world.”
Yes, because Jesus’ Kingdom
is not of human origin,
it doesn’t need human defenses.
How can we be sure
that this is what Jesus meant?
Look closely at the rest of John 18:36:
“If my Kingdom were part of this world,
“my attendants would have fought
“that I should not be handed over to the Jews.
“But as it is,
my Kingdom is not from this source.”
So as Christians,
what is our position
where political matters are concerned?
We are neutral.
Sometimes people
misunderstand this viewpoint.
Some have concluded that because we
don’t promote one human government,
that we must be promoting
another human government.
In the 1950’s,
in what is now the Republic of Congo,
authorities falsely accused
Jehovah’s Witnesses of being Communists.
But during the 1970’s,
when Congo adopted
a Communist form of government,
the new authorities found fault
with us for not being Communists!
Today, however, and for nearly three decades,
Jehovah’s Witnesses have enjoyed
legal status in the Republic of Congo.
And whereas some have perceived
our Christian neutrality as sheer apathy,
others construe our position as a threat.
Let’s address both of these viewpoints.
First, there is a big difference
between Christian neutrality and apathy.
Apathy is defined
as “a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.”
We certainly don’t lack interest in people,
nor are we insensitive to their feelings.
Like Jesus,
we strive to alleviate people’s suffering
by helping them in practical ways
while teaching them about the only Kingdom
that can eliminate injustice.
By teaching people from God’s Word,
we endeavor to change hearts,
not political institutions.
We feel this approach is realistic
because mankind’s main problems
are not political
but moral.
But why can it be said
that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not a threat
but, rather, an asset?
We conscientiously obey the laws,
we support our communities
through volunteer service
or compulsory civilian service where that exists,
and we pay our taxes.
It’s true, we don’t vote
for political parties or candidates,
but neither do we disrupt elections
or interfere with those who choose to vote.
It’s true, we don’t lobby,
campaign, or run for government office,
but neither do we criticize those in power,
undermine their policies,
or demonstrate for political change.
It’s true, we won’t salute a flag,
but neither will we burn a flag, spit on a flag,
or disparage the nation that a flag represents
—even in lands where these are considered
protected expressions of freedom.
It’s true,
we don’t sing national anthems,
but neither do we discourage
others from singing,
nor do we make
a public spectacle of not singing;
we simply don’t participate.
It’s true, we wouldn’t kill people in war,
but neither would we attack people at home.
So while we don’t promote any political position,
neither do we condemn any political position
—even in our heart.
That is what neutrality means.
We don’t take sides.
But what if the demands of the State
conflict with the commands of Jesus?
There’s a Bible principle for that.
Are you thinking
of what it says at Acts 5:28, 29
—that “we must obey God
as ruler rather than men”?
This is not disregard for the State,
but, rather, reverence for God.
If the State demands
that we do what God forbids
or refrain from doing what God commands,
then we believe God
would consider that an invalid request.
Now, one might say,
‘I can imagine some situations
where that viewpoint could get you into trouble.’
Jesus foretold as much at Matthew 24:9,
where he said:
“You will be hated by all the nations
on account of my name.”
More specifically, at Revelation 2:10,
Jesus said that some of his disciples
would be thrown into prison
—not all of us but some.
So we’re not disappointed
if we don’t get thrown into prison,
but neither are we discouraged if we do.
Our minds turn
to the thousands of brothers and sisters
who have been sentenced
to prison over the years
for their Christian neutrality.
We are proud of them.
We pray for them.
We know that Jehovah is pleased with them.
Their endurance under trial
spells victory for all of us.
How so?
To the congregation in Ephesus, Paul wrote:
“I ask you not to give up
on account of my tribulations in your behalf,
for these mean glory for you.”
Paul wrote these words while he himself
was under house arrest in Rome.
In what sense did Paul’s tribulations
“mean glory” for the Ephesians?
In that his perseverance
in ministering despite trials
showed the congregation
that the privileges they enjoyed as Christians
were of the highest importance.
If Paul had just given up,
what would that have implied?
That their faith, their ministry,
and their hope in God’s Kingdom
were not so valuable after all.
Instead,
Paul’s endurance exalted Christianity.
It demonstrated
that remaining faithful is worth any sacrifice.
In like manner, the endurance
of our dear brothers and sisters in prison
proves that their hope is alive
and that the Kingdom they represent is real.
They have an identity as envoys,
not of any human government,
but of the heavenly Kingdom
—a Kingdom
that will reward them with everlasting life
in a world without war.

David Schafer: Christian Neutrality—What It Means, What It Takes, and Why We Choose It