Dear brothers and sisters in Christ living in Illinois,
The past few months have been disheartening, haven’t they? Illinois has a long history of government corruption and mismanagement, but lately, it seems as if they have put their immoral, oppressive agendas in overdrive. With the election of Governor Pritzker and the dominance of Democrats in the General Assembly, not only are taxes going up, but we also have one of the most, if not the most, horrific abortion laws of any state.
You are angry. You should be. Anyone who isn’t angry at this sanctioning of murder and economic oppression doesn’t have a godly moral compass. Anger is a righteous response.
But you are wondering what you should do. You want to respond. But what should you do? Should you join with many thousands and exodus the state, or should you stay and continue to fight? For some it seems that there is an easy answer to this: leave. Pull up roots and head out of the state. There are plenty of states that seem to be going in the right direction on the abortion issue and economically. It is a no-brainer, right?
Well, maybe for some, but not for all. If you are in a good financial position, have a set of skills that are easily transferrable somewhere else, work remotely, or are relatively unconnected relationally, then it may be easy for you. However, even though you can leave, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you ought to leave.
The option of leaving or staying is not one of sin and righteousness. That is, you are not in sin or being righteous if you stay or go. Some might say, “I can’t stay in a state and pay taxes to a government that promotes this infanticide.” I hate the thought of my tax dollars going to support these atrocities as well. But we would have to leave the USA and not just Illinois to escape this. Our tax money funds unjust wars, economic oppression, and myriads of other things. Even if you flee to Missouri, which has strict anti-abortion laws, you are still a part of the USA.
Our fathers and mothers in the faith in the first century faced even more difficult challenges in the Roman Empire. After Pentecost, the church spread like wildfire throughout the Empire. Rome and many other cities throughout the Empire would make Illinois look Christian. Paul planted churches in many of these cities. One thing he never told Christians to do was to flee because of corrupt government. Instead, he told them to pay taxes (Romans 13.1-7), live quiet lives, and work with their hands (1Thess 4.11). These ungodly, antagonistic areas were their mission.
There are times to leave a place. Jesus told his disciples to flee Jerusalem before the Roman armies came to destroy it (Luke 21.20-24). Paul (Saul at this time) escaped Damascus by being let down over the wall in a basket (Acts 9.25). If there is opportunity when persecution is coming, then flee. But we have not yet resisted unto blood (Hebrews 12.4). We are inconvenienced greatly in some areas of life, but we can gripe and complain about our government policies in air-conditioned homes, going on tirades on social media using our smartphones, and, all the while, still able to educate our children as we see fit. Our government is bad, but most of us are inconvenienced, not persecuted.
You are free to leave for reasons less than persecution, of course. You have that authority. If you want to leave for economic reasons or just because you desire to be somewhere else, then you may leave without sin. However, being Christians, the authority God gives us is not to be used to serve ourselves and our comforts and conveniences. Our authority is to be used to serve others. So, before you leave, let me ask you a little more about your motivations.
Are you leaving merely to escape? Is this an “anywhere but here” mentality? There may be some benefits in going other places, but you always need to beware of the “greener grass” syndrome. A green pasture to you is a brown pasture to others, most likely. There are many unforeseen issues that you might not anticipate. Be careful not to have a “knee-jerk” reaction and get yourself in a bigger mess than you are in right now.
What about your church here in Illinois? Have you thought about them? A good church family is worth more than gold and silver. Trust me on this. I have been a pastor for many years and have heard the regrets of many a person chasing better job opportunities without giving much thought to the church. Their “gold” turns to “gravel” when they realize that they have lost nurturing, familial connections.
No, your local church isn’t the church. There are many good churches out there and you will be welcomed into them, I’m sure. But it’s not just about you. What about the relationships you are leaving behind? It may be necessary for you to leave for economic reasons. You may be out of work and need to support your family. That’s understandable. It hurts, but it is understandable. But if you are leaving a good church family just because you want to escape a state, you might need to give that more consideration. Flesh-and-blood relationships are vital to your Christian life. I know people who are willing to give up more financially prosperous situations to have a good local church. They realize that there is more to this life than financial comfort.
Will you leaving serve the greater purpose of the kingdom? In other words, are you seeking the kingdom of God first (see Matthew 6.33)? By being able to support your family better, you may be. By moving to another church and helping that local ministry, you may be. There are a myriad of other ways you may be seeking first the kingdom. But just because you are moving to a place you think is friendlier to Christians is not necessarily seeking the kingdom first. It may be seeking your own comfort first. Just something to think about.
What if you are one of the ones who either must stay or wants to stay? This is home for you. It may be the scorn of the rest of the conservative Christians in the US, but it is your home. For some reason you love it and are rooted here. (Hey, I understand. I’m originally from Louisiana, which is kind of like Illinois south when it comes to government corruption and economic depression!) You have a good church family, and you are willing to endure quite a bit to stay. (I am in a church right now where that is the case not only for me and my family but for other families in the church as well.) No one needs to exaggerate all the glories of living in Illinois, trying to convince you that it is really a great state. You know the truth. You also know that what I said earlier is true: it isn’t near as bad as our fathers and mothers in the faith had it in the first century. That doesn’t make some things any easier as you look across the fence of state lines, but it does give some perspective.
So, what if you don’t want to leave or can’t leave?
First, continue to live faithful, quiet, peaceful lives. Our initial reaction to all this might be to want to fight. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t fight, but I believe we fight in a different way than our opponents. While we may use the tools God has given us as citizens of this state to fight bad laws, we also fight by continuing to worship, work, raise our families, and help our neighbors in our everyday lives. This doesn’t bring about quick change, but it is the place where we have the most power, you might say. These are the areas that we affect most and that have the longest lasting fruit. Stay faithful in the mundane.
Second, work and pray for the good of our state. When God sent his people into Babylonian exile, to say that they were not in ideal conditions would be an understatement. Babylon was a pagan nation. The prophet Habakkuk, in fact, had a real problem with God using a more wicked nation to punish his people. God’s people were not in a friendly environment. Yet the prophet Jeremiah told them, “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters–that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jeremiah 29.4-7).
There are a number of ways to do this. One of them involves what I have already mentioned about living quiet and peaceful lives. Also, we need to continue to pray for all those in authority over us (1Timothy 2.1-3). While the state is making it more difficult, we should also seek to build businesses in the area, not just for our good, but for the good of our neighbors. God has put us in a field of thorns and thistles and called us to make a garden out of it.
All the while this is going on, we can be appealing to our magistrates at the local and state level to change the laws or even have local governments secede from the state (a movement that has a great amount of momentum in the southern part of the state).
Last, if you choose to stay or you can’t move, I urge you to be content. Paul said to the Philippians that he knew how to be abased and abound, to have plenty and to suffer lack. In all of these situations he learned to be content (Philippians 4.11-13).
Contentment is not “gritting your teeth and bearing it.” Though contentment doesn’t deny the reality of the bad situations, it is not controlled by them. Contentment finds joy even in the midst of difficulties because you know that Providence has, for his own good reasons, given you these situations as a gift.
Instead of using all of your energy in grumbling and complaining about the situation, begin to look for ways that you can grow where God has planted you. How can you serve the needs of your neighbors? Where can the church serve the area?
Like you, I wish none of his had happened. It would be nice to have a Christian government, low taxes, and a booming economy. But here we are in God’s providence. The question is now, What will we do with the opportunity that God has given us to be the church in this situation?
Sincerely,
Pastor Bill Smith
Cornerstone Reformed Church
Carbondale, IL
