Why Believers Must Care About Politics (Part 2)

In my last article, I presented a few reasons why Christians should engage in politics. However, it is not just that Christians should engage in politics but also how Christians should engage in politics. You can do the right thing the wrong way. In this article I wish to provide a few ways Christians should think about the political engagement. 

Seeking the Lord's guidance and wisdom through prayer is the first place every believer should begin. Prayer keeps us humble in the process, it keeps us dependent on the Lord and not on politicians, and it helps us maintain a healthy Kingdom of Heaven first perspective. 

As I said earlier, this article is not intended to treat specific policy matters. Nevertheless, we must acknowledge the complexities of a biblical worldview on the day's political issues. We must be informed on local matters surrounding school districts, city councils, and local judges. We must know our state representatives and senators and what they stand for. We must know who our governor is and how he plans to lead the state in which we reside. Likewise, we must be prepared to vote for (or against) certain federal leaders, including the president. Christians need to think Christianly through issues of taxation, immigration, the sanctity of life issues, LGBTQ+ concerns, and even matters of justice (believe it or not, the Bible has a lot to say about justice). We must be educated.

In a recent panel discussion, Dan Darling (Land Center for Cultural Engagement) posited that Christians should be missionaries in the public square. He is correct! Another way of thinking about this is that Christians need to understand that they are Christian Americans, not American Christians. This nuance has profound ramifications. American Christianity tends to place what is best for America first and then place Christian convictions wherever convenient. A Christian American rightly understands his first allegiance is to the kingdom of Heaven and allows his faith to influence his patriotism. The latter produces a healthier kind of patriotism, a patriotism that honors King Jesus first. The late Foy Valentine (Executive Secretary of the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, now the ERLC) used a helpful triumvirate for cultural engagement. He says believers must be moral salt, ethical light, and spiritual leaven within secular culture.

In closing, a distinctly Christian voice is needed in the public square. By not being educated and involved in politics, believers essentially say this is one area in which the Christian witness is not required. Not only is this thought wrong, but it is dangerously naïve to believe that American religious liberties will be protected apart from the voice of Christian Americans speaking to the issues. Yet, believers must be acutely aware of the pitfalls of elevating partisanship over faith.

Leeman has written extensively about the role of the government and the church. The Lord has endowed the government with the power of the sword. He has also endowed the church with the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. The church is not competent to wield the sword, and the state is not competent to properly use the keys; here, the separation of church and state is established. When the state begins to cross over into areas the church must speak on, believers must let their voice be heard: protect the Imago Dei, defend the family, and preserve religious liberties. As believers, we must go about this prayerfully, be aware of the issues, and be faithful to herald the gospel of King Jesus in the public square. When Christians think Christianly about political issues, the extreme positions we see today will grow closer together. Disagreement can be had with brotherly love and Christian charity.