If Men Were Angels

by Frank Thornsbury

Late fall is a special time in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Just as you would expect, the temperature is perfect, leaves are changing colors, and the sporadic cycle of life brought on by the dog days of summer dwindles to a crawl as nature prepares for winter. My home is located in thick Kentucky wilderness, and I have an excellent view of this slow unfolding of the Creator’s handiwork.

This grand design on display is an especially welcome sight during the crucial moments of political life. Not only does nature transform in the first few days of November, but the direction of our country is also changed by the questions of millions of skeptical citizens.

My job is to help candidates with conservative political convictions get elected, both through my vote and through months of hard work on their campaigns. My involvement in politics brings both rewards and stresses—both guaranteed in the last days of the election season. In these hard days, the quiet mountains become a popular retreat.

Facing Reality

The highest topographical point in the region lies near my home. On a clear day, I can venture to the peak and see across rolling foothills, across counties, almost into the adjacent state. The sight is spectacular. As I observe nature living in relative harmony, stark contrast to the harsh political wars waged around me, a notion runs through my mind like a refrain: if nature can get along so well without councils, congress, or partisan politics, why can’t people?

Then, I am reminded of the distinguishing factor that separates men from the trees and squirrels: humans have souls that carry a fallen nature with no earthly remedy. While this fallen nature may be a given to Christians and most people in western Christian society, the recognition or denial of a sin nature has been the defining factor of governments throughout the ages, including our own.

The American Dream

Until the formation of the United States, western government was ruled by the will of one king or queen, a lord, or a council of lords. In short, many of the world’s governments, and the people they ruled, were subject to the fallen ideals and actions of one person or a small group. This all changed with the founding of a government for and by the people.

The men who first sparked the American Revolution and later produced the Constitution understood that men are not—and never will be—perfect. James Madison, fourth President and key player in the early successes of the nation, famously said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”

But men are fallen, and thus we need a government that accounts for natural bias to injustice. We must not surrender the reins of government to the hands of one ruler, but trust it to a group of men and women who are constantly and properly checked and balanced. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government were built into the Constitution to ensure life, liberty, and prosperity by requiring each branch to remain accountable to the other.

Why Christians Must Act

The structure of government created by our founding fathers was simple, effective, and based on truth. There is a growing movement in our country, however, to devalue the wisdom of our brave ancestors. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was recently quoted during an interview with an Egyptian news outlet: “I would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in 2012.”

While this may be old news to most, it strikes a chord with me. To know someone under an oath to uphold the Constitution would say such a thing is disheartening.

Ginsberg went on to endorse South Africa’s constitution because it has an “independent judiciary.” This is an obvious departure from the founding fathers’ idea of checks and balances and threatens the way our government operates on a fundamental and principled level. If we have any respect for the prescribed method of government passed down to us by our founding fathers, or the truth that emanates from it, we must act. And this is where the Christian life intersects with politics.

Before rushing down to your local political party and signing up as a candidate, or getting your mind fixed on hitting the “straight party” button on Election Day, consider three observations from my young political life that are essential to maintain belief in what I do.

Good Government Starts at the Dinner Table

I see a trend emerging from modern American families. It seems we have forgotten that people conduct our government, and one could be sitting in a high chair at your table right now. Even if your child isn’t the next Ronald Reagan or Sandra Day O’Connor, he or she will have a vote one day.

How will they spend it? Will they vote based on years of discipline and knowledge of biblical truth, will they vote on a whim for the candidate with the flashiest ad, or will they vote at all? For the sake of the next generation, it’s not enough to be politically conservative. We must also be cultural conservatives. The next time a song or television show endorses an idea that is not pure, lovely, or of good report, turn it off, because the future of our country depends on it.

Never Throw AwayYour Vote

A friend who has worked beside me in politics always shares this story with voters who opt out of voting. One election year, a qualified mayoral candidate was running in a small town whose former mayor had wrecked the city’s finances. My friend was determined to change his hometown’s financial condition by voting for the new, more fiscally conservative candidate. The political battle between the old mayor and the new candidate was fierce. My friend knocked on doors, distributed leaflets, and did everything he could to make sure his small Kentucky town had a better future.

In his flurry to get the new candidate elected, he didn’t make it to the polls on time. In fact, he arrived a few minutes too late to vote. That night, the returns came back and the race was a tie. My friend’s vote could have spared the new candidate a nerve-racking coin toss, which she won in the end. The moral of the story? Always vote!

Believe in America

“I don’t know…if things go bad in November, I just can’t see the American people getting out of this one.” I hear this comment more than any other on the campaign trail. Seeing people lose faith in their nation takes a toll, but it also makes my sense of duty stronger.

America faces numerous threats. Just as this Great Republic has been threatened in centuries past, today, she once again faces the prevailing winds of demoralized men. The threat does not exist in some faraway land but in our homeland, and it is very real.

But all is not lost. When I think of the greatness of this nation, I am transported back to the top of that mountain near my Kentucky home. From its heights, I see the pioneering spirit that settled those mountains is still alive in the American people ready to blaze a new trail. The American Dream still glimmers, beckoning the world’s expanding population to a real, tangible knowledge of liberty and freedom.

Still, we must remain aware of the grave danger that awaits our nation if we do not reverse course. Turning our country around will take action on our part. I am convinced that the political arena is a good venue for Christians to act on Christ’s command to be in the world, not of it—transforming our culture. This is not to say we should legislate biblical principles. No, we must engage in politics to retrieve the truth-based foundation of our country. Only then will the virtue of our nation become strong.

I believe the fate of the nation rests on our shoulders. If we do nothing, we will receive nothing. But if we act, we have the potential not only to change the way a government works, but radically transform the culture of the present age and make America a shining city on a hill full of grace and truth.

About the Writer: Frank Thornsbury, a senior History major, is student body president at Welch College. Frank also leads a student delegation to the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL). Frank recently served as campaign manager for the Committee to Elect Bobby McCool, State Representative.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons, public domain from the White House Historic Collection