After reading the recent articles I wrote about Christians and politics, at least a couple of friends have asked me whether I think it’s possible for Christians to be involved in politics at all. Am I advocating for a total retreat of Christians from the public sphere?
It’s a good question, and I thought it was worth trying to answer in this format.
Principles
I’ll start at the top: I believe that Christianity provides us with a total and complete view of reality. It is not just a private religion or spirituality that we practice off in a corner, sealed off from the rest of the world. Instead, as C. S. Lewis said so well, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
This is because Jesus is Lord of all. All. Kuyper was right: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” This means that we can (must!) look at anything and think about it like Christians. Jesus is Lord over all that we do—not just the 15 minutes we spend reading the Bible in the morning, but also every hour worked, every diaper changed, every meal prepared, every little league game watched, and every evening spent on the couch. Biblical principles can (and must) shape how we structure a household, earn an income, watch a movie, practice a hobby, feed a pet, and govern a nation.
And, in fact, they already do so in more ways than we realize. Thanks to centuries of Christian influence, Biblical principles are the “air we breathe,” whether we know it or not. People are valued, freedom is celebrated, and progress is made because the teachings of Jesus took root and shaped the values of whole cultures. Biblical principles have had a significant and unmistakable impact on much that we hold dear in our modern world.
Priorities
That being said, it must be recognized that when we read Scripture—and the New Testament in particular—we don’t merely find a collection of principles for Christians to take and apply at will. The gospels and epistles are not just fodder for our theologizing. Instead, the New Testament gives Christians a specific set of priorities that should shape their life and direct what the New Covenant people of God focus their efforts on.
These priorities centre around the words of our risen Lord in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Making disciples is not a single-track activity, and our witness to the reign of Christ should be comprehensive. Good words are to be paired with a whole life of good works. But make no mistake about it—the goal of our good works is the advancement of the gospel message. A thoughtful read through the epistle to Titus shows the tight connection between our actions and our message about the once-crucified, now-risen, and soon-returning Jesus. Christians are to behave such “that the word of God may not be reviled” (Ti 2:5), “so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us” (Ti 2:8) and “so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Ti 2:10).
This unabashedly evangelistic shape to the Christian life is chronically missed or under-emphasized by many Christians, sometimes particularly by those interested in the whole-life implications of the Biblical worldview. When I read Andy Crouch’s Culture Making or Tim Keller’s Every Good Endeavour a number of years ago, I came away thinking, “Okay, fair enough—but what about the Great Commission? What about the day God has fixed on which he will judge the world in righteousness?” Vague notions about the cultural mandate cannot be used to displace the specific priority to make, baptize, and teach followers of the risen Christ who is our only deliverer from the wrath to come (Acts 17:30-31, 1 Thess 1:10).
So yes, there are all kinds of things that Christians should do as we seek to live a life of good works that draw attention to our Lord (Matt 5:16). We should mow our lawns and brush our teeth and pay our taxes and shovel our neighbour’s driveway and feed the poor and serve cheerfully on our tenant’s association. Christians should work in all kinds of jobs, serving the Lord Christ (Col 3:23-24) as they pick up garbage and teach students and pave roads and write software and raise children and film movies and drive tractors. Doing these things will have a positive effect on our immediate surroundings. Like salt in a meal or a lamp in a dark room, Christians should get into all the nooks and crannies of our world, being noticed when they are around and missed when they are not (Matt 5:13).
But none of these things, in and of themselves, constitute our primary objective. Good works will provide temporary benefit, and demonstrate love to our neighbours, but without the hope of eternal life, they are ultimately meaningless—just like everything else under the sun (Ecc 1:2-3). “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Some have suggested that the salvation of souls is a lesser goal than the transformation of societies, and Jesus does not agree. Our Lord has given us clear priorities, and it’s our duty to maintain those priorities: “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Tim 2:4). The alternative is disaster. “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me” (2 Tim 4:10).
Politics
Because God places Christians in various vocations (1 Cor 7:17-24), we should expect to see the people of God in all kinds of jobs, offices, and positions, making a difference for Jesus just like he told us to (Matt 5:13-16). Politics is no exception. Indeed, even before the New Testament was completed, numbers of government employees and officials were being impacted by the gospel (Luke 3:12-14, 8:3; Acts 8:27ff, 10:1, 17:4, 19:31; Phil 4:22).
When Christians in politics serve the Lord Christ, there is no doubt that they will benefit their constituents, and this is something to celebrate. We’d have to be blind to miss the hand of God working through William Wilberforce—and others like him—who spread lots of salt and light through their political vocations.
But from everything I can see in Scripture, a Christian who finds themself in politics is in basically the same spot as a Christian in any other vocation. They have before them particular opportunities within their particular sphere of influence to do good works that glorify God and adorn the gospel. Their sphere of influence may be larger than others, which is why it’s good for a country when its leaders are disciples of Jesus. We should cheer for godly politicians, and encourage young people so inclined to pursue political careers for the glory of God.
And yet, it remains a fact that not a single New Testament passage instructs the people of God to pursue cultural transformation through direct political involvement. This truth can’t be drowned out by theological catchphrases or witty rhetorical questions. Cultural transformation through politics is simply not a New Testament priority.
That should give us pause when we feel the temptation to overemphasize the importance of politics, compromise Biblical standards for political ends, or hitch our hopes to a partisan agenda. It should give us pause when we start to forget that we are sojourners and exiles (1 Pet 2:11) with no lasting city who instead are to be seeking the city that is to come (Heb 13:14). It should help us remember that we will inherit the earth not by pulling the levers of political power, but through meekness (Matt 5:5).
Practicalities
What does this mean for Christians who are involved in politics? It means that, at the very least, they should be faithful and courageous, devoted to unchanging righteousness instead of questionable party platforms, and willing to call out wickedness whichever wing it’s coming from. Like Daniel and his three friends, they should be ready to give up their influence—and even their own lives—for the sake of their true allegiance. It means that they do their jobs to the best of their abilities for the glory of God, adorning the gospel without ever confusing their work with the gospel.
What does this mean for the rest of us? I’ll offer two suggestions. First, while we should be thankful for Christianity’s influence on our society, we shouldn’t treat this as our expectation or birthright. Christianity exploded in the first three hundred years of its existence despite being culturally weird and politically powerless, and it’s thriving around the world today under similar circumstances. Although, perhaps “despite” is the wrong word to use. According to 1 Corinthians 1 & 2, the weakness and strangeness of the gospel is a feature, not a bug. God loves to save people in ways that anchor their faith in His power instead of man’s wisdom (1 Cor 2:5). Cultural Christianity had its benefits, but the costs have been high, and returning to a world in which the gospel seems strange may not be the catastrophe many make it out to be.
Second, as clichéd as this sounds, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. The gospel is our priority, and no, this doesn’t mean we neglect politics any more than we neglect other non-gospel responsibilities like brushing our teeth. But if every second sermon given in your church talked about bad breath as if it were the great plague of our times, you’d be right to ask questions. If your pastor started a weekly podcast about missional dental hygiene (maybe called “Cross Brushing”), I hope you’d ask more questions. If he started to publicly recommend which brand of mouthwash you should use, and hosted a conference at your church about why Christians should get their silver fillings replaced with composites, you’d be right to assume that the cart was pulling the horse, and gospel implications were supplanting the priority of the gospel itself.
If you left to join another church, his devotees might pity you. “There goes another grungy-mouthed dupe of the processed food industry. Don’t they understand it’s either Christ or cavities?”
Lest you think I’m just being sarcastic, the truth is that oral health is a really big deal and a legitimate avenue for global missions. It’s something Christians should care about—and that’s exactly my point.
So vote for good politicians, and do what you should to establish righteousness in your society. And along the way, don’t forget that Heaven and Hell are forever, Jesus is coming back, and that “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
Also, don’t forget to brush your teeth.
