Where is the Christian Establishment?

In these days of conflict and confrontation, Christians are split many ways.  Some Christians are hoping that Christian leaders can speak with one voice to calm things down, to persuade all sides to refrain from violence, to help return society to a state of “normality”.  Sadly, it is not happening, and there appears to be little hope of it happening. 

There are many Christians working hard to mediate between the police and the protesters, to minister to the young people on the streets.  Based on what I can see, they are mostly from the liberal and smaller churches and denominations.  Some are working hard.  As insignificant as I am, I am personally doing what I can in my own circle.  However, our influence, humanly speaking, is limited.  

Many high profile pastors of big churches and “mega” churches, sadly, have already long been co-opted by the establishment.  They are very fond of citing the very few Bible verses such as Romans 13:1 - “Let everyone be subject to governing authorities …”  They are also very fond of dropping names of rich and powerful people, senior government officials.   They conveniently ignore verses such as Romans 13:4 - “They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”  What if the governing authority is not bringing punishment on the wrongdoer, are they then il-legitimate?  Shall we continue to subject to them?  Should we at least point out where they did wrong?

Even when such Christian establishment leaders preach against violence.  They point to the unfair criticisms of police officers, the violence committed by protesters against the police, the conflicts “created” by the protests against the government.  They cannot bring themselves to criticise the institutional injustice and violence committed by the government, the flagrant brutality committed by the police, the apparent collusion between the police and the triads.  

Hence when many in the Christian establishment preach against “taking justice in our hands”, and try to persuade the protesters to leave the exercise of justice to God, it rings so completely hollow and hypocritical. 

They have conveniently ignored the many Old Testament prophets who railed against the rich and powerful kings and priests who exploited the poor, the weak, the widows and orphans and otherwise committed injustice.   They have also conveniently ignored Jesus Christ’s own severe criticisms of the Pharisees, the priests - the then establishment. 

Come to think of it, the term “Christian establishment” is almost an oxymoron.  When Christians become rich and powerful, they are corrupted by the power, and are no longer truly, purely Christians.   Jesus Christ himself said that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.  If we consider power and status our treasure, our heart is no longer in God - will we then remain Christians?  

This is, sadly, why the Christian establishment has no leverage on the protesters.  Do they have leverage on the establishment?  The answer to that is also no.  They are of value to the rich and powerful only when they provide service of use to the rich and powerful.  Their status as part of establishment is illusory.  

The reality is that they have leverage over nobody beyond their immediate followers.