day no. 17,086: old guard neutrality and new earth exclusivity

"The Christian Church had from a very early date the idea of reconstructing a whole civilisation, and even a complex civilisation. It was the attempt to make a new balance, which differed from the old balance of the stoics of Rome; but which could not afford to lose its balance any more than they. It differed because the old system was one of many religions under one government, while the new was one of many governments under one religion.” — G. K. Chesterton, The New Jerusalem

The old guard was a system that tried to accommodate many religions under one government. The myth of magisterial neutrality was alive and well and wanted to help all the religious inclined to just get along so that they, the civil magistrate, could just keep their jobs and not spend most of their time refereeing arguments between obscure doctrines they didn't care much about. 

Christendom introduced a new system. One that suggested we try to accommodate apostates and heretics under one religion. Christ is King and come along quietly. That meant, you were free to reject Christ in your heart, but you could not reject His reign. You could be a devotee of Allah, but you could not hold public office with that private conviction.

The old guard is alive and well. Secular neutrality will always make its pitch for being the place where everyone can COEXIST. But that is merely to make the claim that all religions are false. Christendom is the claim that at least one of those religions is true. The rub comes in its insistence that it also the ONLY one that is true. Everyone, however, can only coexist under Christ in a sense. Religious freedom, i.e. freedom of conscience, is a uniquely Christian value. Christendom does not force anyone to profess something they do not believe, but it does forbid anyone who tramples the blood of Jesus underfoot to hold positions of power and influence in the government. The Church has persecuted people's conscience's before, but when they did so, they were wrong. Why? Because Christ forbids. So, I agree with the atheists and unbelievers who say that the Church has gotten this wrong before, but I ask them to identify whose standard it is why which they were wrong to do that. That person, the standard, is the one, true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Pluralism is not a plan. The gods will not just all get along. Christ is King. Every enemy will be destroyed by conversion or submission. His footstool will not leave anyone or anything out. He will not fail to conquer someone or something. Everything is the Lord's and everyone is called to repent.