How Christianity Can Transform Politics

Audio blog: How Christianity can Transform Politics

Secular politicians focus on public opinion polls to see how the wind of public opinion is blowing to determine policies and how to message them. They look for the easy win, the path of least resistance, and the low hanging fruit that require the least amount of effort.

It's more about "winning" than it is about content. It's more about a paycheck and career as a politician than it is about making any real or lasting change. It's more about personal popularity and power than submitting to natural and Constitutional law and putting forward truly God-honoring policies and fair measures. This is true for the secular politicians in office and the politicians getting paid to lobby them.

Politics has been reduced to personalities, popularity, and posturing. Universities teach aspiring politicians to be "downstream from culture", following behind culture rather than leading the culture with any kind of principles or truth. This explains why so many Christians have understandably disengaged from the process. It's much as Jesus described, "the blind leading the blind" (Luke 6).

Doing the right thing involves a conscious choice. Often the only reason to do the right thing is because it is the right thing to do. There are usually multiple temptations to do anything else but that.

Doing whatever seems easiest or most expedient is how women choose to abort their children and how politicians allow laws that condone the killing. "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

To use an example from my days as a mother of young children, it might seem like the expedient - and definitely easier way - to give the screaming child in the checkout line whatever candy they are wanting, but as mothers, we know that is opposite of what is best for that child and all subsequent shopping trips! Instead, we do what is more difficult and most loving for the child. We say "no". And we hold the line for a better child. And a better experience next time!

Christians have - for the most part - given up on politics as a dirty mess and left the voting booth and the policy making to politicians who follow the same rules that are making politics a worse mess! Using the analogy, we've let the screaming child have whatever they want. We forget that as Christians, we don't have to play by the world's rules, and in fact, we are instructed not to follow the world's rules and to govern differently than the world!

For those politicians being advised based on what they learned in college, you can almost guarantee they are not following God's instruction manual. They have been trained to manipulate people, rather than love them. They've been trained to leave a trail of breadcrumbs rather than invite people to the table. They are focused on making a name for themself rather than serving others for what is best for others, now and into the future.

The political playbook twists the truth and manipulates people, enticing them and tempting them away from the mark of what is right. Missing the mark of doing the right thing is what God calls sin. Rather than Christians being overcome by the political game-playing, Christians need to rewrite the playbook based on God's instruction manual.

We need supernatural wisdom that begins with a fear of God more than we fear the opinions of others or more than we love the money of donors. We need to decide which side of the fence we are on, because there is no: "I'm prolife but ...." We are either for life or death, blessings or curses. To even try to be somewhere in the middle is to be lukewarm! We will either be obedient to Christ, or we will be friends with the world. We can frame policy based on Biblical principles because it is the right thing to do, or we can follow the crowd and be no different than the world.

We must decide for ourselves which road we will choose. Will we be like the woman who chooses to abort her child for convenience, or the mother who chooses to put off her own wants, and risk her own reputation, to do the right thing that is best for her child?

Will we trust and obey God or follow the opinions of others?

As Christ followers, we apply faith in God's Word to instruct our behaviors in both private and public life, because we know God's wisdom is higher than human wisdom. We build our lives - and our policies - on the rock of obedience to Christ and His Word and leave the results up to Him. We even have the promise that we will reap what we sow if we don't give up!

When we apply Christian principles to politics, we transform the political landscape. Rather than manipulating the vote, we speak the truth. Rather than looking for the easy way, we look for what God is asking of us. We base our policies - not on polls - but on principles. We do what is morally right and loving toward others. We treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated. We apply the wisdom of God and mind of Christ to an otherwise dark place of compromise and egos. We become statesmen and public servants rather than rulers or people pleasers. We put the needs of others ahead of our own personal gain. We replace expedient compromise with disciplined obedience and leadership.

When we allow Christianity to inform politics - as in every professional arena and area of our lives - the Holy Spirit within us begins to transform "how things have always been done" to account for the Supreme King of the Universe (and our own frailty as human beings). We become the salt and light that Jesus talks about. We preserve the good and repel the evil.

When we get a win, it's not about the winning. It's not about taking credit for ourselves, or any organization. It's about glorifying God because God is the only one deserving of glory. Good law only comes from God. Success is defined by God. Leadershp is only worth following when under the Headship of Christ. Anything less is just politics as usual. Time is too short for politics as usual.

In the light of truth - when we act on what we say we believe - the deeds of darkness become exposed. Those who only claim to follow the truth - but their deeds do not reflect the truth - become very uncomfortable and antagonistic.

As with Gideon, Elijah, Joshua, Daniel, ... anywhere we see the forces of evil and good clashing, we are reminded that God can take care of the majority. He only requires our obedience to speak the truth in love, love our neighbors as ourselves, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, ensure justice, cling to what is good and stop tolerating evil. When we apply Biblical principles to any area of our lives, we become a part of the solution that transforms those processes and even the people involved. To apply Biblical principles, we must remain in the Word of God that instructs us.

When God's people influence politics, God's people will care to be involved in politics, and the world will be better for it.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)