In thinking through the matter of Christian involvement in politics, it's important to ask the question, 'Why should Christians be involved in politics?' I am going to answer that question in another post, but think it's important to first explain what is not the answer: that America has strayed from its Christian roots, and that it is our responsibility as Christians to ensure that our nation's public policies favor Christianity as opposed to other religions, or atheism. In essence, believers need to get active in politics so that America will be reclaimed for Christ. To be as clear as possible: I do not believe that is the proper motivation for Christian political involvement. I trust that for many who desire to 'reclaim America for Christ', they are well-meaning and have good intentions. They desire to see Christ honored in our nation. And of course, I couldn't agree more! The question is, by what means is God seeking to honor His Son? I believe the answer is not, 'Through political activism that ensures our public policy reflects Christian values,' but rather, 'through the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ's unmerited mercy and grace to hell-bound sinners.' Putting our hope in public policies to turn America around for Christ might be an implicit denial of the power of the Gospel to change lives, and through time might cause Christians to weaken their grip on the fundamental message that Christ has called us to spread.
Ethical conformity to Christian values is no sure mark that any individual or nation has been reclaimed for Christ. The Pharisees in Jesus' time make that very clear. Here was a group of people who had all their ethical, moral values perfectly in line with Christian values. No doubt they were against fornication, they despised same-sex marriage, they were pro-life, etc. Yet Christ's most scathing words were reserved for them. Their lips honored God, their behavior often conformed to the right values, but their hearts were far from Him. Likewise, seeking to reclaim America for Christ by cleaning up the moral behavior of our nation is no assurance at all that Christ is really reigning supreme.
In John 18, Jesus said that His Kingdom is not of this world. When Christians cite Psalm 33:12 and 2 Chronicles 7:14 with reference to God's blessing on America, I fear that we are dangerously close to substituting our earthly nation for the heavenly, eternal Kingdom which Christ says is not of this world. God's 'nation' is not an earthly, political power, but a diverse multitude of people from every tribe, tongue, nation and language who have joyfully bowed before Christ as Lord and King. He cannot be forced on people through political jockeying; He must be freely received. And so, I believe, Christian involvement in politics as a way of taking over America for Christ will always end in failure, and may well cause the Church to minimize or abandon her true calling. If we try to use the government to do the work that the Church has been called to do, we end up confusing God's design for both government and Church.
As I often write, these are simply my musings, and are therefore open to critique and refining. I don't claim to have all the answers, but am simply thinking through these matters in a public forum. So feel free to weigh in on things you agree or disagree with.
In my next post, I'll try to answer the question of why Christians should be involved in politics. If it's not to reclaim America for Christ, then why should we be involved? I'll try to tackle that subject tomorrow.
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