In Pursuit of Utopia

There is an interesting shift that is occurring around our world.  While nations such as Iran and Venezuela are demonstrating a thirst for freedom, a big-city U.S. mayor is demonstrating his contempt for it.  Freedom can be elusive when our dependence is on government to meet our needs, but there is One who has come to satisfy the need of our hearts and bring us true freedom.  In Psalm 146 (ESV), we can read:
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free...

New York City has a new mayor and he is bound and determined to remake the city in his image.  The Washington Stand reported: "He was sworn in twice, first just after midnight at a private ceremony in a defunct subway station and then again at a block party in the afternoon."  New mayor Zohran Mamdani is quoted as saying during that block party: “We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe,” adding, “I was elected as a Democratic Socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic Socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

Not only is he devoted to socialism, but to Islam, as well.  The article, by Casey Harper, related: "Mamdani forsook the traditional Bible and instead was sworn in on a Quran. Muslim mayor governing non-Muslim populations is a picture that has become increasingly common in Western Europe and has finally reached the shores of the U.S."

Perhaps the line from his opening salvo early on New Year's morning that has received the most traction is this: "We will replace the fragility of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”  But, as we know, to implement and enforce this collectivist, socialist philosophy, a greater, expansive government is necessary.  That is why socialism, or communism, morphs into authoritarianism.  Mamdani stated: “Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously...We may not always succeed, but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try. To those who insist that the era of big government is over. Hear me when I say this. No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.”

But, the Bible presents clear principles about how government should operate - and the false utopia of Zohran Mamdani is not it.  Another Washington Stand piece states: "In the 2025 off-year elections, ...mistrust led voters in cities like New York and Seattle to elect openly socialist candidates — a strange irony, as these candidates propose to solve voters’ problems with even more government intervention."  It poses the question: "In America’s perplexing political situation, Christians should seek biblical wisdom. What does the Bible have to say about how government should operate?"

According to Joshua Arnold, who wrote the piece, the Bible provides the framework to promote and enact political, economic, and religious freedom.  That's right - freedom.  With regard to religious freedom, Arnold writes:

This last theme illustrates how a biblical view of government promotes broad-based freedom, but not lawless libertinism. According to the Bible, human government works best when it leaves people free to pursue the lives God created them to live. But this view of freedom should not deter government from restraining dangerous, destructive, or exploitative vices, such as pornography, gambling, hallucinogenic drugs, or even illegal street racing.

Many of the failures in American government are caused by the government deviating from these biblical principles. In various times and ways, America’s governing officials have strayed into an overly rosy view of what government can accomplish, godless views of freedom, and even old-fashioned oppression. The solution lies not in an extra helping of government intervention, as the socialists offer, nor in merely doubling down the current vices and errors. Instead, the solution lies in recapturing a biblically informed view of what real freedom looks like: one that spans across the political, economic, and religious spheres.

Again, authoritarian leaders such as the mullahs of Iran and the former leader of Venezuela have met their match recently.  Mamdani promises to be for the people, but his rhetoric shows that he is really for himself and the consolidation of his power.  True servant-leadership, demonstrated by Jesus, promises to empower people to fulfill the individual calling upon their lives.  Our Savior calls us to serve one another in love and to apply His principles of morality, righteousness, and obedience in order to reflect His glory.

When selecting leaders, in a constitutional republic in which we have been blessed to live, we can seek the face of God and determine how those leaders, their ideology, and their governing philosophy line up with Biblical truth.  We have a template for good decision-making - now we, as the body of Christ, following the directives of Scripture, can be used of God to make our voices heard.