As a pastor,
I view my calling as an ambassador of the kingdom of Christ of greater
importance than my being a citizen of a great country, a land for which I am
very grateful. I often feel uncomfortable with some of the prominent forms
of Christian political activism that I see, and I believe there is a real
danger for the Church to become overly politicized. But I also believe
there is such a thing as Christian citizenry. I'd like to address the
role of love as a motivator for voting, communicating with our representatives,
& engaging in other forms of social action.
Throughout
history there have been many different forms of Christian involvement in
government & politics. Many of these have been wrong or imbalanced. A
fair amount of contemporary Christian political action seems to be motivated by
anger, fear, & power. Anger
often arises over the country's loss of its Christian moorings; fear may
develop from a concern over the surge of humanistic ideologies; and power
is often sought as a means of abating that fear & anger. Obviously,
there are grave matters of concern in our culture, & concern is a
legitimate motivator so long as it does not degenerate into angry, power-hungry fear.
Yes, there’s a time for moral outrage. But Christians are taught by the gospel
to be motivated primarily by faith, hope, & love. Love in
particular is a far greater motivator for Christian citizenry than fear.
Consider how
love can motivate us. Firstly, we are to love God & His truth. Thus
we will seek to lift up God's truth so that others might see the goodness &
wisdom of His ways. This is not building a theocracy--only the return of
King Jesus will ever bring about the direct rule of God in this world.
But when laws fail to promote righteousness & justice, we should
care. God is the originator of the principle of human government, &
He designed it to reflect His glory. Poor government reflects poorly
on God's glory in the earth & can contribute to a twisted understanding of
His authority. Our desire should not to be to gain power so we might
subdue our own fears but to exert positive influence so that God might be more
glorified.
Secondly, we
are to love our neighbors. We will be better motivated to vote &
engage in other forms of social action if we see these actions as an
opportunity to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our love will show itself by
endorsing values, legislation, & leadership which promote the common good,
righteousness, & justice. Of course, many of our neighbors may not
agree with us on all points as to what is the common good. Love for one's
neighbors is not always understood or appreciated for what it is. But we
must love even when we are hated.
Thirdly, we
are to love the Church. Voting & other forms of political involvement
give us the opportunity to preserve freedom which is beneficial to the
promotion of the gospel & the ministry of the Church. While early
Christians were left with little legal recourse under the evil whims of Caesar,
we have the Sovereignly-given privilege of a democratic republic whereby we can
influence “Caesar” for the better & so care for one another.
In
conclusion, we must remember the role of faith & hope in all our
socio-political activities. Our faith & hope do not rest in our efforts,
our laws, or even our republic. Our faith & hope lie completely in King
Jesus. Regardless of what may happen to America, we are citizens of the
Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ---a kingdom which will never fail. We
need never worry about elections turning out badly in that realm. The
Kingdom of God must always claim our first allegiance & our greater
energies, but we should still seek the common good as an expression of gospel
motivated love.
"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the house-hold of the faith" (Galatians 6:10).
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