Christian Case for Political Engagement

Many Christians today don’t feel the need nor want to engage in the political happenings of the day but is the refusal to engage in the political sphere Biblical?

Here are some perspectives for you to consider from someone who has worked in various levels of government, as well as in the political sphere as a Christian:

WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS CARE?

The Bible describes the governing authorities as “ministers of God” (Romans 13:1-7) and places upon them the responsibility for administering justice as seen in Genesis 9:5-6 . Simply government is meant to do two things: to promote good and restrain evil and this is what causes God’s people and those around them to rejoice (Proverbs 29:2).

It is our duty, as citizens of whatever nation you are reading this from, to engage in the political process and that includes voting. We are meant to be the preserves of society whilst also being the light (Matthew 5:13-16). Salt preserves while light exposes, leads and directs.

God, in His sovereignty, chose to use governments to carry out His will. Government was ultimately God’s idea, and it serves an important role which is seen throughout Scripture, this is one reason Christians should care about politics.

The second reason (out of many) is that the political realm affects the needs of man. If those who follow God shouldn’t be active in government, we never would have heard about Joseph or Daniel or Esther, all of whom served in foreign governments and used their influence to usher in policies that benefited massive societies.

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

Some of my brothers and sisters in Christ believe that if God is sovereign and controls the heart of the king (Proverbs 21:1), why risk compromising our witness by involvement in a sphere that is plagued with corruption and division? Others also believe that we shouldn’t get too close to those in public office as it distracts from the church’s responsibility. I beg to differ on both counts. After working in government for several years, I found myself pleading with Christians to be more engaged because I saw how active and pushy others were with politicians and how wicked counsel was adhered to because there was never a counter to it.

The Bible doesn’t just apply to the church but to society. It addresses every aspect of life including politics. The Bible doesn’t tell us we must run for office although it showed us several people who did, it also doesn’t tell us to disregard politics all together. So what do we do? We bring solutions by applying Biblical principles to the political challenges our countries face.

We cannot use God’s sovereignty as a scapegoat to get out of our Christian duty. In fact, God’s sovereignty should encourage us to be more bold in our stand for righteousness and truth and justice within a realm he established that has gone astray!

POLICIES OVER PERSONALITY

Something every voter needs to hear is that we shouldn’t look at a candidate’s personality to decide our ‘Yea’ or ‘Nay’ vote, but instead, we should be looking at their policies.

A primary example is Donald Trump and his use of Twitter. Many people heard about his “angry tweets” from the mainstream media and decided this was the reason why they wouldn’t vote for him even though they agreed with the policies he proposed. Personalities aren’t what impact voters in the long run, policies do. Keep this in mind during election season.

In a society hyper fixated on feelings, we cannot be moved by them.

Policies affect our lives and those of our neighbors. If we neglect our duty to be engaged in the political realm by refusing to cast our vote based upon a person’s personality, we forgo a major element of claiming territory (Joshua 1:3-6). We know that “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” Proverbs 29:2.

No politician will be perfect, and thankfully for Americans, there is a system in place that places the citizenry in the seat of power and gives us the authority to instruct our public servants (politicians) what they should or should not do. If we don’t like how they vote, then there is a means of removing them so those who seek to do what is righteous can fill their place. BUT! The only way we can replace those with wicked agendas like the sexualization of our children, is to cast our vote in the ballot box.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE

1. Educate yourself on your political candidate’s policies and then vote!
2. Volunteer on a campaign (sometimes there is also compensation) and form relationships with other volunteers and the candidates themselves as this is one way of building a relationship for long-term influence.
3. Write articles for your local paper (letters to the editor, submit articles, start a blog, etc).
4. Show up to school board meetings and bring others with you.
5. Learn about what your local government is up to and inform others online.

At the end of the day, we are called to love others and one way of showing love is being engaged in a system that seeks to exploit and harm. Just as the church is the force on earth holding back the antichrist, so must we stand up and engage to hold back the wickedness invading the political sphere.

We are the resistance.

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