We live in a politicized nation – a nation filled with agendas, platforms, and aisles not to be crossed. Every major social, ethical, and even religious battle is not fought in peaceful protests and marches or behind church pulpits anymore. Marches on Washington have been replaced by federal courtrooms, and sermons have been replaced by filibusters. It is impossible to take a position on any given social or ethical issue without declaring a political party and throwing support to a candidate or agenda. In the church, we have been more than okay with this for years and have always been more than willing to declare party if it supports the same things we do. This isn’t so anymore.
Now, we face rapidly changing parties which have candidates who are frankly unacceptable morally for Christians on either ticket. It is, needless to say, a less than ideal scenario for Christians (and America as a whole). However, it reveals some deep issues with full-fledged party support as Christians and what that means morally.
There is a natural migration of political ideology that is constant. We can look at the world around us and nations in history past. In most of them, they become increasingly “liberal” over time. They move from “traditional” values toward more liberal ones. It isn’t universal, but it is virtually so. This is happening in America today and has been for a long time. The Republican party will become increasingly liberal and the Democratic party will become increasingly socialist. This is the natural order of politics in our world because we don’t exist in a world, even in America, that is using something solid to guide off of. Republican, Democrat, or Independent are all guiding off of the natural “personal morality” that the world around us promotes. This always leads away from tradition.
We pretend that we live in a baptized America. We act like America isn’t a secular nation driven by a culture that wants nothing to do with Jesus, or at least that’s not the way it was founded. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say that America is a Christian nation that needs to turn back to God. But we aren’t Israel. God didn’t choose America and its people to be His chosen people. We read the passage of God speaking to the nation of Israel as if they are written to us directly. However, there’s no guarantee that God won’t destroy America whether we worship Him or not. We could have a nationwide revival and God still might let America fall.
That’s why we shouldn’t panic at the sight of dismal political situations. When God decides it’s time for America to go, it will go. And it will have to go sometime. But sometimes we honestly believe that America will be the new heaven – that when we talk of the Kingdom of God we really mean the USA.
I don’t say all this to tell you to give up on politics and our nation. We should just give up on politics as we know it. America is a great place to live – the greatest in the world. But this is because we have the freedom to worship who or whatever we want without fear. It’s time to let go of political conformity and get rid of the aisles. We should be fighting for principles, not elephants and donkeys. That’s the beauty of those who have championed change in the past. We don’t remember Martin Luther King as a Republican or a Democrat, we remember him as a man who fought for what is right in the eyes of the Gospel regardless of who or what party, if any, stood by him. That is what this country needs. It doesn’t need a Republican or Democrat, it needs a Christian who will stand by an unchanging Gospel – a Gospel that doesn’t migrate over time; a Gospel that doesn’t have regard for the political agendas that be; a Gospel that only fights for what is right and good in eyes of God no matter what anyone says. This Gospel is unflinching in the face of change and political turmoil. This Gospel can’t be manipulated for political advantage.
Our political ideology shouldn’t be defined by red or blue colors. It should be defined by the red blood of Jesus that flowed for us, and our only agenda should be an unrelenting pursuit of Jesus and what He deems right and good because, ultimately, the issues that are discussed on Capitol Hill reach out from Washington into eternity. These things are bigger than America. That’s why we fight for them even if it may be a losing battle. That’s why we fight for them even if no one or no party stands beside us in that fight. We fight because they’re worth fighting for. We fight because we may be the only voice for the homeless, the widowed, the hurting, and the marginalized, not because we want to use them as leverage to get our man and our agenda in the White House.
The zeal for the sanctity of human life in light of abortion; the parameters of biblically defined sex and marriage; the necessity of intentional and proactive care of the orphaned and widowed; the stewardship of the world we inhabit; the destruction of racism; the hatred of human trafficking in all its forms; and a plethora of other social injustices in our world is not hinged upon any political ideology or a tie to any political party. Rather, it is hinged solely on the Gospel. As such, it is crucially important that we not pursue any political agenda without first consulting our Kingdom agenda. That is the point of the church and our existence after we come to saving faith in Christ. We exist only to promote Christ and His glory in every aspect of our life and world.
The Gospel does not solely inform us of our sins and shortfalls. That wouldn’t be “good news.” A message of good news must go further than to merely tell us we fell short and deserve an eternal hell. It also informs us of the One Man who had no sin. This Man modeled perfectly the ethical, social, and political pursuits we should seek. And He eventually died for our sins and rose from the grave. It is in light of His life, death, and resurrection that we view the world. There is no platform or agenda we seek other than to see more come to know Him and to bring His Kingdom closer. That is why we proclaim loudly and clearly that the Gospel is the one way to God. This proclamation shapes everything about our lives. And through our proclamation, we can begin shaping our world – even in Washington.
