The church as an official embassy of Christ's kingdom does not have the authority to issue public pronouncements on every conceivable topic or to order the world's affairs. However, Christians may work together, or alongside non-Christian neighbors, to love and serve their neighbors, to engage in political action, and to pursue particular programs for community improvement. Again, it's a matter of respecting the "common" without trying to make it "holy." The commission of the church-as-institution is limited to the ministry of Word, sacrament, and discipline (which includes the physical as well as spiritual care of its members). The activity of Christians, however, is much broader as they engage in their myriad vocations in the world. And where God has not clearly directed our steps, believers have the Christian liberty to use their own sanctified common sense in the way that they raise their kids, vote, entertain themselves, and volunteer their time and talents.
Mike Horton
