In the middle of a desert, where the winds blew sharp, and the nights were bitterly cold, a man found refuge inside his small, but sturdy tent. It was only a tent, but his modest shelter was a blessing from the frigid elements outside. As he lay upon his mat, bundled under thick blankets, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Not far from the tent, his camel stood tethered to a post. The animal was accustomed to the desert’s harsh nights, but even camels can feel the stinging discomfort of the cold wind. The camel shifted uncomfortably. Seeking relief, the camel moved closer to the man’s tent.
With the most subtle move, the camel pressed its nose ever so slightly into the edge of the tent flap, where a faint bit of warmth seeped out for the camel to enjoy. The man stirred at the sound of the rustle, but saw only the camel’s nose sticking slightly into the tent. He thought to himself, “It’s just the nose. It’s doing no harm.” He rolled over and quickly slipped back into sleep.
But the camel didn’t stop there. Enjoying the warmth and encouraged by the man’s inaction, it pushed its head further inside. The tent flap fell open slightly, and the camel’s large eyes peered into the tent, surveying what was inside. The man, startled by the intrusion, woke again. “What is this?” the man said to himself, now seeing the camel’s head fully inside.
He considered shooing the camel away, but being so snug and comfortable under his blankets, the man reasoned, “It’s only the head, and it’s cold tonight. The cold drift of air won’t bother me since I’m under these warm blankets.” With that, he turned over and closed his eyes.
Only a few minutes passed, however, and the camel, emboldened, pressed further in. It’s long neck and front legs slipped inside, causing the tent to pull sharply as the small doorway stretched to accommodate the large creature. As the cold air rushed in the fully open flap, the man woke, now cramped, finding no room to stretch. “Enough!” he cried, sitting up.
But it was too late. The camel didn’t stop. Inch by inch, it pulled its entire body into the tent. The man struggled to fight back, pushing on the camel and yelling for it to get out, but he and the tent were now completely overtaken by the animal. The camel’s hefty bulk pushed on the tent poles, stretched the fabric, and then finally, the tent collapsed into a thin layer of canvas draped over the huge animal’s back. The man sat, shivering, wide-eyed, realizing too late what happened. Now finding himself outside in the bitter wind, he realized he should have never allowed the camel to stick its nose in the tent.
Beware of Incrementalism
What begins as a small, seemingly reasonable concession sometimes leads to dangerous compromises. The camel’s nose illustrates how small compromises, when left unchecked, can lead to significant, dangerous, and sometimes unintended outcomes.
This is especially important to remember when it comes to matters of Christian doctrine. Compromising on the clear teachings of Scripture, even in response to seemingly reasonable hypotheticals, can lead to a slow, but significant erosion of truth. Consider the following argument:
“What if someone on their way to the church building to be baptized dies in a tragic accident? Surely a just and loving God wouldn’t condemn such a person to eternity in hell.”
The reasoning seems compassionate and reasonable. But once we allow for exceptions to God’s explicit command of baptism (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.), it is easy for the reasoning to progress further.
“If God can save someone in extreme circumstances without baptism, perhaps baptism isn’t necessary in other situations either. Maybe it’s not essential at all, as long as someone has faith and good intentions.”
Soon baptism, an act consistently taught and practiced throughout the New Testament, is reduced to a mere symbol. The necessity of following Scripture’s numerous teachings regarding it’s importance are discarded.
To avoid such a collapse, we must remain resolutely committed to Scripture, even when faced with difficult hypotheticals. While we can certainly acknowledge God’s mercy and grace, and wrestle with the implications of God’s character in exceptional cases, our responsibility is to uphold His revealed commands.
The Camel’s Nose in Political Engagement
The principle also applies to Christians and political engagement. The argument often begins innocently:
“It’s not sinful or idolatrous for a Christian to vote against a policy that harms their neighbors. It’s not idolatrous to desire rulers who fear God. We can care about church and politics. We can align with a political party and still trust in Jesus.”
Perhaps this reasoning holds in theory. But what follows? Political involvement has a way of drawing the heart deeper and deeper into the world’s systems, fostering a reliance upon human solutions rather than divine provision.
“If voting is permissible,” the reasoning often goes, “why not campaigning? If campaigning, why not encouraging churches to work together to wield greater political influence?”
Soon, the focus and efforts of the church shift entirely from proclaiming the unshakable gospel to promoting the shifting platforms of political parties. Loyalty to Christ mingles with loyalty to earthly rulers. The priorities of God’s kingdom are overshadowed by earthly agendas. The real world power of the gospel to transform the world is minimized in exchange for what feels like the more practical and efficient methods of earthly kingdoms.
The Bible warns against trusting in human rulers (Psalm 33:16-17). Jesus commanded his disciples to refuse to seek power the way the unbelieving world does (Matthew 20:25-28). Jesus rejected the devil’s offer of worldly kingdoms (Luke 4:6-8). When he was on trial before Pilate, he declared that His kingdom is “not of this world,: evidence by the fact that his disciples refuse to fight for power in the ways that are characteristic of earthly kingdoms (John 18:36-37). Paul encouraged Christians to avoid being entangled in civilian affairs, likening them to soldiers stationed in a foreign land (2 Timothy 2:3-4).
Perhaps we can look at the camel’s nose pushing slightly into the tent, and to accept that a small, measured degrees of political involvement are not idolatrous. But as followers of Christ, we must remain vigilant. Our ultimate allegiance must remain with Jesus, whom we confess to be the world’s true Lord.
Know The Boundaries
This is not a call for legalism so that Christians can begin making laws about political engagement (or any other matter of doctrine) in areas where Scripture remains silent. Nor is this an excuse for avoiding sincere, but difficult questions. Westling with the implications of Scripture and its application is good and important. However, we must recognize the danger of allowing worldly reasoning to undermine God’s clear teachings.
Far too often, conversations about Christian doctrine shift from honestly wresting with the implications of Scripture to a question of how far we can let the camel’s nose into the tent. Perhaps we should pause and reconsider whether it is wise to allow it in at all. As disciples of Christ, we have made a commitment to hold fast to the teachings and examples of our Lord. Let us hold fast to Him, trusting His wisdom, and resist the temptation to compromise, even in seemingly small ways.
The Christian Exile 