“The “no creed but the Bible” slogan may have its roots in the Stone-Campbellite movement, but its influence certainly did not remain there. American culture quite tangibly venerates the autonomous human will, the idol our culture has chosen to worship with a fiercely affectionate fidelity. But should such voluntarism and self-rule find its home within the church?”
(Josh Howard – Clear Truth Media) The term “democracy” is often liberally thrown about and can serve as a shorthand for the people’s will in action. At its best, democracy amplifies individual voices, but at its worst it can turn the individual into God, and in our secular age, it often looks like the latter. When God is removed as the transcendent reference point of the system, the system does not end up with no god, but with a new one: people seeking individual self-gratification as its ideal. Though Christianity may endure democracy, how could democracy hope to survive without Christianity?
Further, what does democracy produce inside the walls of the church? If total democracy is the triumph of the individual will, can Christianity survive the cultural democracy that has pushed its way into our pews and pulpits? Cultural values are often adopted by the church, and Christians often incorporate the dynamics of their host culture within their religious practices. As such, many churches have structures that simply reflect the corporate structures they see in their workplaces. But this becomes dangerous when Christians regard their participation in the church as a sort of autonomous democratic endeavor.
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