Church & Politics
As we observe the heightened sense of political fever in the many discussions in the media about who will be our next president, we, too, can get wrapped up in the excitement of it all. That is not wrong per se. What is wrong is when we become so partisan in our fervor that we forget our true citizenship as children of the Kingdom.
How should I vote? What should guide my choices? For Christians that is easy. The Bible is our guide and should inform our choices. You may counter that with, “but the Bible doesn’t say anything about a Democratic or Republican Party.†You’re right, it doesn’t spell out who we should vote for, and that forces us to go deeper and look at the principles of the Word, and to compare God’s values with those that a particular party espouses. Romans 13:1 doesn’t say we must submit to a political party. It says we must submit to the “governing authorities.†(NLT)
You may say, “but that is hard. You mean I have to think for myself? I am used to just voting for my party and letting them make the choices of who to put in place as leader.†Wow, that is dangerous. Do you trust your banker to choose what you do with your money, or how to invest it? Do you trust your grocer to choose what you should buy to eat? You can’t even trust your doctor these days without getting a second opinion, right? So, why would you trust the politicians of a political party to make your choices for you?
The principles or values of the Kingdom of God as expressed in His Word should be my guide. Tony Evans, in his book, How Should Christians Vote? tells the story of the man who needed to have his shoe repaired. He headed to the shoe shop, but realized that it was quite late and it may be closed. He pulled at the door. To his surprise it opened. The shoe repairman was still there. “You came just in time,†the shoe repairman said. “I was almost ready to go home.â€
“I didn’t see any cars outside. How were you going to go home?†the man asked. “Oh that’s easy. Do you see those stairs over there?†the repairman said. “I live up there. I only work down here.†Philippians 4:20 says, “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives . . .†We, too, live up there. We only work down here. Heaven is our true home. Like Abraham, we live by faith as foreigners on this earth, for heaven is our home wherein there is a city whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:9-10).
I will continue this topic next month. Until then....