Politics and the Church
By Pastor Craig Harris, Edited by Jennifer Harris
I know that I haven’t made any overtly public statements about the current election, but I felt it important to say something on this important topic that relates to our public theology (how we live out our Christian faith in the public sphere). This became more apparent to me when I saw an article from Christianity Today telling Christians they don’t need to engage in politics by voting (if it isn’t clear from what I write below, I think this sentiment is awful reasoning).
Before I write out a few thoughts I want to make a couple clarifying statements. First of all, these are my thoughts as your pastor and are not official positions of the church. This means that you are free to disagree and engage with me on this topic. As the political discourse has devolved in the secular sectors of society, I think the church has an opportunity to play a unique role in creating spaces for healthy debate and dialogue. Secondly, although it is popular to say “keep politics out of the church,” it is impossible because the gospel is political (it is about a kingdom and a king… that’s politics!). Pastors throughout history have often had political opinions and desired to see their regions governed by godly laws. One easy example that comes to mind on Reformation day is what Martin Luther and the other reformers did. The protestant reformation wasn’t just religious, it was political. This doesn’t mean we want the Church running the government, but it does mean that as the gospel transforms the world, it transforms politics too. If anything, when someone tells us we can’t speak to something (like many do when it comes to the church and politics), it tells us that it is an area in need of discussion. It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or won’t be wrong at times, but there is no part of our lives that the gospel doesn’t affect. This is me attempting to wade into these mirky waters.
With that in mind, I'd like to make two short arguments about the Christian’s responsibility to engage in the political sphere:
First, our hope is not in the outcome of this election, or the prosperity of America.
““Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,””
There are a lot of passages about hope in scripture, but 1 Peter 1 clearly reminds us that our hope is in the surety of the resurrection. Through the finished work of Christ, we can be sure that we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. Our hope is more stable than the ebbs and flows of political and national prosperity. This means that if ‘our guy’ wins or loses, our hope in the resurrection remains the same. In any political season, it can be easy to let our hopes rise and fall with preferred candidates. The hope of scripture sets our feet on much more solid ground. No matter what happens in November in America, nothing can touch the hope of eternal life waiting for you. As the cover of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reminds us, “Don’t Panic”.
Easier said than done though. If you’ve read anything online, everyone is losing their minds over this election. More so than any in my memory. Why? Because as our country becomes less religious, the hope of its citizens rises and falls with its material prosperity. It's all they have. If you don’t have the hope of the resurrection before you, then all you have is your present reality. The result? If you don’t think things are going well, you lose your mind (or, you “panic”). We don’t need to take the bait of the world. We can be at peace in chaos. We can have hope amidst suffering, because our hope is sure. This is the first and most important part of our witness. Hold fast to your hope.
Second, because your hope is sure, vote.
Some may say that because our hope is in heaven, then that means what we do here and now doesn’t matter all that much. But it is precisely because our hope is secure that we labor for God’s glory on earth here and now. What does that look like? It looks like obeying the second greatest commandment, which is to love our neighbor.
Although, “loving your neighbor” is a statement that can be used in ways that manipulate people into just agreeing with their position, as if to say, if you don’t agree with me, then you aren’t loving your neighbor. But how does scripture frame this? It frames it around the parable of the Good Samaritan. Which is to love and serve the needy around you. To care for the weak and helpless. As Romans 12 says, “to abhor that which is evil and hold fast to what is good. “
There are many places for us to do that in our lives, and at least one of those places is politics. As we engage in politics, we are pursuing and voting for laws that either promote evil or goodness. For instance, in the Democratic party platform, they promote gender transition surgeries for minors, as well as the murder of the unborn (to name just two obvious awful aspects of the party platform). Your engagement with politics has an ability to directly abhor that evil, and promote the good and dignity of life. Most Christians throughout history had no ability to impact their laws. I believe it is irresponsible for us to ignore the profound power we have in our government structure. We have a chance to stand for those that can’t speak for themselves.
Now there are people who may be a bit more pessimistic about our political system and argue that while they agree in principle with me, they don’t think our voting really affects much. Or others might argue that the choices we have all stink, and are all morally corrupt so what’s the point. There could be a degree of realism to this kind of sentiment. Our choices aren’t simple. Life in the public sphere, especially in a country that has largely turned away from its Christian roots, is messy. In trying to keep my post here from growing too long, I will say two quick things about that:
The life of the Christian is a life of faithfulness even when the odds don’t look good. Imagine if after the ascension of Jesus, the 12 disciples were like… man this is too big of a job, it will never work, let’s go back to fishing. Nobody would have blamed them (except Jesus maybe), but God used them as a mustard seed which has grown and expanded around the earth. Our faith is the faith of a mustard seed which says that the smallest of good acts, the smallest of act of restricting evil, the smallest civil engagement, has the capacity to reap profound fruit. It is because our hope is sure that we go out engaging this world, and yes, that includes political life. This is true because of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus gives us peace even in moments where we experience defeat and death. Faithfulness looks like engaging even when it feels like we are filling an ocean one spoonful
To those worried about the quality of our candidates, David and I recently interviewed Os Guinness who gives a lot of wise counsel on this. He readily points out that there are no ideal options available for the Christian to vote for. He encourages the Christian to vote against the greater evil. I take this to be the way that protects the most life, and allows our faith the most opportunity to continue to flourish. Now maybe that sounds a little selfish, but in Jeremiah 29 the Israelites in exile are told to seek the flourishing of the city, because the city’s flourishing is their flourishing. True flourishing happens when God’s laws are obeyed. God’s laws are the definition of goodness, truth, and beauty, and we don’t have to be ashamed to pursue them, because it is for the good of our neighbor that we do it. I will say I believe he also makes a good argument that voting third party isn’t the best option… but you can listen for yourself to see if he convinces you of that point.
At the end of the day, God alone can bind your conscience. My final encouragement in this season is to engage with the hope of the resurrection. That while we pursue holiness on this side of eternity, it won’t be easy, or simple, and it will require much wisdom. It will require rigorous debate, and courage from us all. My prayer is that we can find ways in our church community to foster good conversations around these important topics. May God lead us and guide our country. May he bring revival in our day, and may he guide our leaders in the way of justice and truth.
In Christ,
Pastor Craig