on politics…
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and acceptable before God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2.1-4)
Choosing to blog on politics may be an exercise in self-sabotage… I was sharing with a friend that I was going to write on politics this week and he asked, with incredulity, “Why?! It’s like intentionally sticking your finger in a light socket!” Well, I am a little more optimistic. My “why” in writing is that I hope this might create a framework for understanding that might lead to discussion, not division, community, not polarization, encouragement, not incitement. I guess only time will tell… Here we go!
The word “politics” in today’s context of the Church, her mission, and our culture is incendiary. In most of our churches, any political discussion threatens to divide friendships and fellowships. We have become so binary in our perspectives that any differences breed contempt and mistrust in our leadership and relationships. Differing political perspectives cause us to feel indignant, making dialogue nearly impossible. Unity appears to be one conversation away from disunity—not to mention the anxiety that many pastors feel that they are one sermon away from causing a split or emptying the congregation they love and serve.
The reality is that “politics” are unavoidable for a biblical pastor if for no other reason than the Gospel is the Good News heralding the arrival and future consummation of the Kingdom of God. If that is not political, what is?! I think there are 4 fundamental questions we need to answer to diffuse our dread, avoid division, and distract us from the Kingdom mission we are called to engage. In answering these 4 questions, I hope to provide you with a framework, not an agenda and to de-escalate our polarizing instincts…
1. What do we mean by the words “politic” and “political?”
2. What is the relationship between the “social” and the “political?”
3. What cautions must we be aware of if we consider political engagement?
4. Who is responsible for engaging politically?
What do we mean by the words “politic” and “political?” My understanding is rooted in the origin of the words themselves. These words originate from the Greek word polis, referring to the life of a city/community and polites, referring to the responsibilities of a citizen (politeuma). These words are used broadly to address and describe the entirety of our lives within the society we inhabit. In other words, they describe the art of flourishing together in a community that scales in experience from the “local” to the “national.” The challenge in our day is that these words are narrowly understood to describe the science of government— the parties, elections, platforms, policies, and laws that are codified and deployed through advocacy and legislation. More crassly, they describe “the will to power” and control. The goal is to be the “party on top.”
In light of this, it is fair to ask: was Jesus involved in politics? If we define “politic” and “political” narrowly as the “science of government,” the answer is clearly “no.” Jesus never aligned with the political “parties” of his day, adopted a political program, or participated in a political protest. He showed no interest in advancing or influencing the political agendas of Caesar, Pilate, Herod, or the Zealots. Quite the contrary – He renounced a political career when he knew the people wanted to make him king (John 6.15). However, in the broader sense of these words, His entire ministry was political. The Incarnation we preach testifies that God was in Christ, reconciling the world (people and nations) to Himself. The Kingdom of God he inaugurated and proclaimed was a fundamentally different and radically new rule that challenged the rulers and realms of his day – and every kingdom since. His message, promise, justice, love, and law challenged every religious and political order. Ultimately, He was crucified for sedition because there can only be one King and in Jesus’ day, “we have no king but Caesar” (John 19.15).
What is the relationship between the “social” and the “political?” Historically, the Church has always engaged in social service. We have always endeavored to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal/care for the sick, provide for the widow and orphan, etc. However, across the centuries, the Church also discovered that she could not socially care without engaging in social action. So, for example, we want to provide for the poor, but would it not ultimately be more beneficial to address the cause(s) of poverty if we could? I had a friend who, as an attorney, sued his city to put in a stop light at an intersection that had the highest number of vehicle and pedestrian accidents. While the city cared for the community by sending ambulances, why not take preventative “action” that might prevent the need in the first place? Or consider slavery; the Church could care for those harshly treated, but slavery had to be abolished for the harsh treatment to cease. In fact, in some cases, continuing to simply care without confronting the cause through social action may actually appear to condone the injustice itself. If we truly love our neighbors and want to serve them, our service may obligate us to engage in social action on their behalf – this would be “politics” in the narrower sense. (Hold this thought… I will return to it later.) Love, a deep, compassionate, and compelling love, is what inspires our activity. Anger, hostility, judgementalism, bias, xenophobia, wealth, slander, and violence are not options for those endeavoring to fulfill the second great commandment through social action (Matthew 22.39).
What cautions must we be aware of if we consider political engagement? I think there are mainly three. First, we must be cautious that any political emphasis will eclipse our central emphasis. We preach the Gospel of the Kingdom – the incarnation announces it; the crucifixion secures it; the resurrection testifies to it; and the Church extends it by multiplying God’s Kingdom presence through the apostolic preaching of the Cross. History is filled with the lamentable, tragic, and destructive political engagements of the Church who allowed her political engagement to eclipse her mission and corrupt her message. Our mission and message cannot be relegated to our worship services and small group gatherings. This mission and message is our 24/7 passion and preoccupation. It must not be compromised, confused, or contaminated.
Second, history teaches the consequences of what Scripture warns when Israel wanted a King so she could be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8.19-20). This usually means that every iteration of the “contemporary Church” historically and culturally frequently (normally?) aspires to preserve, protect, or propagate the moral and political idealism or status quo of the surrounding culture she finds meaning in or support from. So, the 19th-century Southern Church justified slavery, the German Church justified Naziism, the American Church justified many things in the name of “manifest destiny,” and the Russian Orthodox Church justifies Putin today.
Third, we must remain cautious because political engagement frequently reflects the delusion that we are co-workers with God in His sovereign capacity rather than solely co-workers with Christ in His redemptive activity. We, like the disciples, are quick to exercise (with certainty) God’s sovereign right to call down fire from heaven (Luke 9.54) rather than lean into our redemptive calling to which we have been called co-workers with Christ (1 Corinthians 3.9). This “sovereign certainty” on our part blinds us to our own fallibility and slowly disintegrates the humility that is meant to mark our lives. The Incarnation and the Cross obligate us to live perpendicular lives that redemptively collide with our world with a message and a means that will be deemed folly in the eyes of every culture (1 Corinthians 1.18). We must be wary of any (every?) political engagement that renders us crossless.
Finally,, Who is responsible for engaging politically? I think that avoiding this question contributes to the current confusion over Christian political involvement. First, within a participatory democracy, every follower of Jesus should be politically active in the broader sense, briefly discussed above. In the broader sense of being political, we are to endeavor to seek the redemptive flourishing of the city/community in which we live as exiles (2 Peter 2.11-25; Jeremiah 29.4-9)— live honorably, do good works, seek the peace and prosperity of the city you live in, and pray for it. Within this broader sense, we might also consider that, as a conscientious “exile,” we will vote, stay informed, write letters, etc. However, this broader sense of engagement is never at the expense of God’s Kingdom; it is the local expression of God’s Kingdom.
Furthermore, I think some individuals, in the narrower sense, are called by God to give their lives to political service. Those who share particular moral, social, and environmental concerns should be encouraged to form or join together with others (Christian or not) who will consider issues more deeply and consider strategic engagement. My one caution here is that these individuals must not expect or demand that everyone shares, mimics, or endorses their passion any more than every pastor should expect and pressure everyone in a congregation to be a pastor! No church or individual can be passionate about every cause and issue. Our beauty is in our diversity and the relational recognition that values this. I think what Paul says about gifts is true for those whose callings extend into political arenas – “if the whole body was an eye, where would the hearing be?!” (1 Corinthians 12.17) Our diversity would suggest that individuals will differ in their passions, policies, and proposed solutions. Being united in Christ will not spare us from disagreement, but it also should not threaten our unity or affection for one another.
However, whether our engagement is in the broader sense of the narrower understanding, I do not believe we can “toss our crosses” aside and adopt means that are antithetical to the cross we are called to carry and the manner in which we are commissioned to carry it. We are all under the same call, we all stand under the same cross, and we are all expected to express the same fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Dear ones, in Christ, we have a different King, and we are citizens of a different Kingdom. We must be on our guard to not let culture, corporations, or nations coopt our citizenship with their brand or hide us in their flag and think that they can own and/or represent us.
Ultimately, the question is not whether we should engage; it is how we should engage. If that engagement comes at the price of obscuring or hiding the love of Christ and His cross, comes at the cost of casting aside a cruciform life, dividing Christian communities, or requires me to “buy in” by engaging and/or tolerating methods and behaviors that express the works of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit-filled life, then that is an engagement I cannot commend or embrace.
I want to live a life that
confesses Jesus Christ crucified, resurrected, ascended and returning;
I want to embrace His call to follow, surrender, obey, and carry the cross he gives me;
I want to be a person who grows to count gain as loss;
considers my weaknesses as space for his strength to prevail;
and truly believes that by losing my life, I will find the key to the new life He promises.
Therefore, I pray I will find the courage to confess before the powers clearly, compellingly, and without compromise
Jesus Christ
Savior and Lord
Son of God and Son of Man
Lamb of God and Good Shepherd
King of Kings and Prince of Peace
Our Ransom and Redeemer
Healer and Deliverer
Suffering Servant and Mighty God.
Dear ones, I pray that during this election cycle, we might worship our God, rediscover our unity, and celebrate our community in Christ. Then, let us scatter into the world with the redemptive love and presence of Jesus Christ… I believe in God… I believe in the Church…, and I believe we can and must live and love better…
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
— Hebrews 13.8 —
