Christians and Politics

One of my primary concerns with politics for the Christian is how they engage with the conversation of politics. As Christians we balance a delicate world. We must both be able to articulate the truth of Scripture, which is firm and offensive to many, but also act out grace and compassion. We must speak loudly and firmly for absolutes that we believe in, but also understand that we live in a country that allows everyone to live by their own beliefs.

We must balance living by and upholding biblical values for rules and policies, but also standing back at arms length so that we do not legislate our beliefs. We do this by focusing on the Church.

Our primary focus when it comes to culture and politics is to live out a proper life as Christians and be so present in the public sphere that we are changing culture through our very actions, and bringing others to Christ by our life example. This means that we must speak kindly to all beliefs that uphold the value of human life.

Our difficult part is when we have a belief against or for a biblical truth, but that we should not legislate because it would be enacting a religious belief as law. The hardest part of it is discerning what is and isn’t okay to legislate. Therefore, we must walk and speak carefully, understanding that we could be wrong. But the primary focus for us as Christians is making sure we are living rightly first and foremost before we try to change others.

Anger and Politics

With the new health care plan[1] coming into effect this coming month many are going to be in full political indignation. The angry speeches, 21 hour long ‘filibusters’ (Ted Cruz), rallies, and heated family discussions are revving up for the start of Fall. Much of this anger comes from the conservative Christian Republicans and Libertarians.

Unfortunately anger and indignation is the last response that Christians should have to a universal health care system, or any political decision that is not legislating evil. Though many may claim that universal health care is evil, I challenge those that think so to show me from Scripture.

The response of anger to political policy is problematic on two levels. First, as followers of Christ, Christians do not have their hope in this world. This world is broken and so are the people in leadership, whether biblically minded or not. No one will fashion a perfect system. All governments are fallen and no government will work perfectly with imperfect people. Therefore to much indignation, especially indignation that is usually not fully thought through, shows to much hope in this world. Usually the reason for anger is because those that are angry believe that laws or legislation are messing up the U.S.A. Why be angry over the breaking of a broken system?

Second, and I say this carefully, those that look carefully will hopefully see that there are people who have more education, lived longer and had more experience than us and believe differently. As those seeking after truth we should humbly admit that we can’t know everything and that some differing positions may very well be right, and not ours. Humility does not give rise to anger.

Also, being angry over what other people think is a good way to help people is not a good witness to the gospel of Christ.

However, I do think there is a place for anger, but it is not when we are face to face with others. We may show indignation in writing, or show irritation in speeches, but this emotion must always be tempered with humility and civility. The goal is to win people to your side, not say your point as loudly as possible.

We should be angry over what God is angry about. We see this example in Scriptures. God is angry when the Israelites did not help the poor, the widows and the orphans. He was angry when they tested his goodness. He is angry when governments punish good and praise bad. But actual bad, not just the bad that is contrary to our opinion.

If we do not learn to speak softly, then this fall will be a double entendre.

[1] (I refuse to call it Obama Care as that would imply he wrote it or had significant input. I cannot believe he had significant input on a 2000 page document that was written the night before).

Christian’s Response to Homosexuality

A few weeks ago Minnesota became the 13^th state to legalize gay marriage. Today the Supreme Court gave marriage rights to already married homosexual couples and declared prop 8 in California unconstitutional. A rally against the legalization of gay marriage by Christians will most likely begin with new fervor. Unfortunately, that outcry will fly under the claim that homosexual marriage undermines heterosexual God ordained marriage.

We as Christians must be careful how we talk about the issue of homosexual marriage and the Christian biblical view of marriage. If we say that allowing two men or two women to marry undermines our biblical perspective of a man and a woman marrying, we are the ones responsible for undermining our marriages, not homosexuals.

As Christians, we believe that God has ordained marriage as a covenant between a man and woman. It is specifically an irrevocable covenant in which we have the opportunity to be like God in how we keep our promises and be like Christ in his relationship with the church. It is set up by God, and therefore no human action can undermine what God has ordained. If God has made something good, it is good regardless of actions that are counter to God’s character surrounding it.

Homosexual marriage has no relation to marriage in the church. Even secular heterosexual marriages are not completely like ones in the church. They may represent God’s character in their commitment to the covenant, but they do not carry with them the implications of Christ and the church. Christian marriage before God is irrevocable and permanent. Contrary to culture, divorce is not an option.

In Matthew, Christ says that, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (NIV). At first glance it may appear not to make sense. How can a woman commit adultery if she is divorced? But that is precisely the point. The only way it would be adultery would be if she is still married. In God’s eyes, she is still married to her husband even if the paperwork says, “divorce”.

Man’s actions of divorce do not change God’s view of the marriage. They are still in a covenant. There are two implications of this. First, that the biggest thing that undermines Christian marriage is Christian divorce. When we divorce we are not like God in keeping our covenants in that action. We have not been like Christ and his church.

Second, is that God ignores man’s view the marital status. Regardless of man’s divorce certificate Christ still sees the marriage the way he made it. In the same way we as Christians should not be concerned with what the world calls marriage. Instead, we should be concerned with our relationships and how they reflect on Christ.

So as you dialogue and talk about marriage with those for and against homosexual marriage as it relates to the church, remember that our first concern as Christians is the state of our own marriages and how we honor God through them.