DENVER (BP)–If you want to impact a state for Christ, why not gather 20,000 Christians and move to that state?
Although the “Free State Project” wasn’t initiated by a religious organization, its planners seek to have a special impact. It is a plan to move 20,000 Libertarians and likeminded folks to New Hampshire, according to a Libertarian Party-supported website, to reduce the size and scope of government, reduce taxation, reform state and local law — including a “roll back” on “drug prohibition” — and end federal mandates. All of this, according to the Libertarians, is to demonstrate the benefits of liberty to the nation and the world.
We have seen church-planting techniques that select 50 to 100 members from a congregation and point them to an area in which they will grow their influence into a stable and autonomous church. Now it seems the Libertarians have hatched an idea that will jumpstart an entire state to move in their direction.
With state legislatures and the political arena sensitive to the influence of small minority groups, the possibilities for the Free State Project are endless. If you take a group of 20,000 Libertarians and send them to a state to do whatever they want — where the courts are listening and you have the ear of Republican Gov. Craig Benson, who, as CNN reports, says, “Come on up, we’d love to have you” — your stomach starts to turn.
Once there, their influence will grab hold of the locals and begin to change the environment and climate into a form of Libertarianism. If Libertarians are successful, you know they will turn around and do it again in another state.
The Libertarians hope to demonstrate what can be done with a well-organized approach to changing government and society. Activists are not just joining a group; they are making life commitments to become citizens of another place with the promise of changing it for what they perceive to be the greater good.
Extreme? Absolutely!
And thought-provoking for us Christians as well.
Think about applying this to Kingdom principles. Take a fired-up group of newly regenerated believers who are new citizens of the Kingdom of God, and put them where they can change the environment of the place where they live.
The only difference is — they already have freedom. They are Kingdom libertarians for Christ! All they have to do is share the truth and from there “the truth shall set you free.” This indeed, is freedom with an eternal perspective.
As I scanned through the Libertarian website and thought about their plans, I pondered the thought of putting the Kingdom of God to the same 20,000-person challenge. We need a mass migration of believers — multitudes of believers everywhere — to make the transition from being an earthly family into a Kingdom family with Kingdom homes, Kingdom churches and a Kingdom agenda.
The Southern Baptist Convention is on track when it comes to promoting a Kingdom agenda. The opportunity is great to impact our society for Christ. All we need to do is sign up. Are you ready?
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Michael Romero is pastor of Iglesia Comunidad Cristiana, a Southern Baptist congregation in Denver. Brad Hopkins provided initial editing for this column.
