It was long the belief in major Protestant denominations that the spread of the gospel throughout the world would lead to a betterment in moral and spiritual uprightness and finally lead to a golden age, a thousand years of worldwide peace, after which Christ would return. This teaching is called Postmillennialism and there are still many who believe it.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century there arose misgivings in the minds of some well-meaning people that the signs of the approaching golden age were hard to discern. Some went so far as to declare that they had been mistaken all along about sin. Sin was not in the heart of man, therefore all attempts to apply the gospel to individual human hearts were wasted effort. Sin was in the institutions of society and therefore the gospel outreach must be directed towards society at large and governments in particular. This became known as the Social Gospel.

The Social Gospel considered God to be merely a philosophical concept, therefore there could be no such thing as a sin against God. Jesus had been a wonderfully enlightened teacher, who was the first to point out the evils in society. For that he was crucified to get him out of the way; but is still an inspiring example for all who hope for the betterment of society.

The emancipation of the slaves in the USA was the first great victory for the movement that later adopted the Social Gospel name. After that came the Lord’s Day Act in Canada, the granting of voting rights to women and the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages. These all seemed like great victories. Looking back, it appears the goal was always to achieve changes in the law, not changes in the way people are treated.

Black people in the USA were free in name, but in fact were not considered worthy of equal treatment, equal respect. The Lord’s Day Act gave workers one day a week off from work. It wasn’t such a bad idea, but if the day was spent in drinking, gambling and partying, the family received no benefit. The consumption of alcoholic beverages increased during prohibition, Here in Saskatchewan there were large distilleries which could no longer sell their product in this country. An enterprising and ruthless businessman in Chicago named Alfonso Capone found a way to clandestinely load that product onto rail cars in Moose Jaw and roll them straight down the Soo Line Railroad to Chicago. To satisfy the local demand in Saskatchewan, it is estimated that 10,000 farmers set up small home-built distilleries in hidden corners of their farms.

Nellie McClung was one of Canada’s most prominent advocates of prohibition and women’s right to vote. She believed that when women could vote they would shut down the bars and life would be much more orderly and peaceful. In later life she admitted that she had never dreamed that women would one day demand the right to drink in the bars and to take up combatant service in the army. Maybe it’s just as well she didn’t live to see how far things have gone since then.

What I am wanting to point out is that changing laws does not change people’s hearts. It should be evident, to Christians at least, that sin makes its home in the human heart, and the only thing that can dislodge it from there is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The way towards a better world does not lie in turfing out the politicians that have disappointed us and replacing them with others who promise to make everything better. They won’t. They can’t make a country better than its citizens.

It is possible that within a few years we will have Donald Trump as president of the USA, Pierre Polièvre as prime minister of Canada and Marine Le Pen as president of France. Some people will see them as the saviour of their country, others as the epitome of everything that’s wrong with their country. As Christians, we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into that strife. For one thing, how can we expect anyone to believe our testimony of having peace with God if we can hardly talk about anything else but the incompetence of our political leaders?

Let’s put our trust in Jesus, not politicians. Let’s talk about Jesus, not politicians. Let us seek forgiveness every day for the things we have done, and let us forgive others for the things they have done. May our cup be running over with peace and love, and may we share it with those around us whose hearts are troubled.