Render to Caesar

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt 22:21). A few weeks ago, one of my baptismal candidates from Iran (19 years old) said: “Pastor, I have three questions.” “Go ahead,” I replied. He pulled out of his pocket a beautiful necklace with a cross on it. “May I wear this?” “Of course,” I replied. “That cross is a powerful witness. Especially in your refugee camp here in Hamburg, which is full of Muslims.” “Good,” he said and hung it around his neck.” “Next question: May I go to clubs and discos?” “Yes,” I answered. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” He grinned. “Here’s my third question. I recently walked by a…uh…a sex shop. There was a doll in the window dressed up like one of those Catholic women… What do you call them…?” “You mean nuns?” “Yes, a nun doll… in a sex shop… Isn’t that illegal?” Whoo boy… “You just hit on a really good point,” I remarked. “Things like that are indeed offensive to any believer. But Europe and North America have a Christian culture with what we call a ‘separation of Church and state.’ That means that the Church should not butt into the government’s business—and vice versa. And even if the country is no longer really Christian, that tradition continues. Sadly, our Christian freedom is sometimes abused by people who do awful things like in that sex shop. Iran, on the other hand, is a Muslim country. There, the government and Islamic religion are one system. That is why the leaders of Islamic countries are often Muslim clergy. And Islamic laws apply to all of society. And so, even though that doll is offensive to Christians, it is not illegal here.” “Wow,” he said. “That’s weird…” “Indeed, it is,” I replied. “Yet here you also have the freedom to wear your cross in church and on the street, even in front of a sex shop. You couldn’t do that in Iran… So, wear your cross boldly—and be a good witness to Christ.” He nodded—with a resolute smile.