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Friday, January 10, 2014

The Government – Family Dynamic



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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