Chapter 3: When the Common Good is Political
Our calling will inevitably overlap with the political process in some way
-Christians are called to advocate for righteousness on behalf of the common good
-Christians need a healthy view of what it can and should mean to be political
Clearing the Baggage:
-What do the words politics and politically really mean?
-What preconceived notions come to mind when politics and faith intersect?
-Does the Bible teach it is love of country or love of God?
-Will it be too painful to have controversial topics?
-Do we have to choose between discipleship or political activism?
-Is there a difference between voting when an election arises to a Christian being political?
Politics: is defined “the way that people living in groups make decisions.”
-politics is the way people decide on the parameters of how they are going to live together
-if we are going live together in communities then we have to agree on the parameters of how we are going to live together
-we have to define what life in common will look like
-this does include what we call formally the government
-we invest in the authority to make and enforce laws for a defined community
“Christians who live in countries with the opportunity to influence the governing structure toward making and enforcing laws that promote the common good should embrace that opportunity out of a love for others.”
Applying faith in politics:
-Christians fear finding common ground on politics because they only view the negatives of it causes separation
-Christians should embrace positive engagement when applying faith to politics
Ex. you wouldn't avoid teaching a child how to ride a bike because cars may not see them on the road. You teach the child how to ride the bike strategically in traffic. You stay engaged with the child and how they navigate the road when riding that bike
What Christians shouldn’t do:
-put love of country above the love for God
-nothing should be placed over truth (political or otherwise)
-never look to politics as your savior
-never engage in political discussions in uncharitable, ungracious ways
-do not disengage and treat all political positions as only state issues separated from the church
-do not be intellectually or spiritually lazy
What Christians should do:
-view all politics through the lens of Christ
-Christians should engage politically
-Christians use good conscience to bring their faith into the public square of the political realm
God’s purpose for government:
-the Bible gives very little specifics to how Christians should relate to and engage in influencing the governing structure under which we live
-this has led people to conclude that it’s forbidden, undesirable, or unimportant for Christians to be involved in the political sphere
***the Bible does teach about government or from an understanding of Jesus’s historical-political context
Where in the Bible:
Old Testament:
Genesis 9: 5-6 is considered civil government
-Noah and his family exit the ark
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood shed, for God made man in his own image.”
-mankind is responsible for executing punishment for certain actions
-God calls out nations for not practicing righteousness and justice
-there is an expectation that civil leaders are responsible for promoting what is good and restraining what is evil
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31: 8-9).
Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue” (Daniel 4: 27).
New Testament:
Roman 13: 1-7 point to 3 pivotal Biblical teachings on government that should shape our views today
1st: civil rulers receive their authority from God Himself, and as such His servants (vs. 1-4)
-this means that the institution of civil government is a good thing
-this doesn’t mean that everything government does is good
-this doesn’t mean Christians should be in limitless obedience to the government
-the Bible has many rulers doing evil in spite of their God-given role
-the role is good, but the execution of the role by sinful humans won’t always be
-the reality is we live in a fallen world
-there are examples in history where civil disobedience has been appropriate
***Especially when there’s a conflict between obedience to God and obedience to government
Scripture provides precedents:
-the apostles were commanded to stop preaching the gospel (Acts 4:18)
-there response: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
-the disciples knew their highest authority is God who called them to preach the gospel (Matthew 28: 16-20)
-when lower authorities contradicted that command, their allegiance was God first
-ex. the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1
-ex. Rahab in Joshua 2
-ex. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3
-ex. Daniel in Daniel 6
-ex. The wise men in Matthew 2
-civil rulers should be God’s servants for promoting good (Romans 13: 4)
-the term good is up for debate
ex. Should the government provide good healthcare for all? Or a good public education?
***there is a limit to what government can provide because financial resources are finite
-it’s a Biblical principle that civil governments should indeed promote the good
-Christians will disagree on how to prioritize individual goods their government should pursue
Civil rulers have the authority to bear the sword as avengers on God’s behalf (Romans 13: 4)
-God has given humans -through government-the authority to punish evil
-civil government has the role of restraining evil now until God’s return
-Christians sometimes point to Jesus when he stated to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)
-Jesus was talking about personal conduct not the role of government institutions
***when justice is necessary, civil rulers are God’s agents for carrying it out
Romans 13 provides a foundational framework:
-Christians are to advocate for government to function as God intended to promote good and restrain evil
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2: 13-14).
-the Bible is clear that civil government plays a vital and God-given role in our earthly communities
-civil leaders are to be in service to God
-the good they promote and the evil they restrain should be aligned with godly definitions of those terms
-we need to live in the historical-political context of the Bible
-we must use every opportunity to influence our government to promote good and restrain evil
-we should be advocating for government to function as God intended
Christians should not be involved in political influence is wrong:
-do not ignore Jesus’s historical-political context
-the day Jesus was born-the Roman Empire had ruled for 60 years
-the Jews desired political independence
***Look at the history-Jesus had reasons he didn’t specifically talk about the need for His disciples to influence government
-they had little opportunity to do so at the time
-Jesus was first the long awaited Messiah who would give his life as a ransom for all mankind (Mark 10:45)
-Jesus came for a purpose and his eyes stayed on his mission to die, rise from the dead, to give hope of eternal life to those who place their trust in Him for forgiveness of sins
-He had 3 short years for his public ministry (Luke 10:9)
-Jesus didn’t directly address subjects like racism, domestic violence, child abuse
***Don’t let his silence on a specific subject imply the subject is not forbidden, undesirable, or unimportant for Christians to care about and address today
-we have to consider the entirety of Scripture because all Scripture “is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching” (2 Timothy 3:16).
-the Bible, in its entirety, provides many relevant principles that indicate the vital role Christians should play in advocating for righteousness in the public square
***Both Old testament and New testament Biblical figures engaged with civil authorities and the broader implications of Jesus’s exhortation to be salt and light
Politics in Light of Church History:
-1st 3 centuries after Jesus lived on Earth, both Jews and Christians were oppressed by the Roman Empire for refusing to acknowledge the divinity of the emperor
-Christianity was illegal, and Christians had to practice their faith in secret
-political theology of how best to influence government for the common good or for the restraint of evil wasn’t a priority
-people were subject to Roman rule: obeying the law, paying taxes, and fulfilling the basic duties of being a good Roman subject
-Christianity was not only legalized in AD 313, but was also made the official religion of the Roman Empire in AD 380
-the church had the power to have almost unlimited influence in governing a wide swath of society
-Christian theologians like Augustin to prominent medieval thinkers like Thomas Aquino, and William of Ockham wrote expositions on natural law
-the next radical shift started when Martin Luther challenged the practices and teachings of the Catholic Church in 1517
-the time came to be known as the Protestant Reformation
-civil and religious (Catholic) authority had been intertwined and functioned closely together until the emergence of Protestantism
-the hierarchy of authority between church and state stated being questioned
-there was a split between the relationship between individual Christians and the state
***post-Reformation world was the degree to which Christians should expect to influence their societies now that the church and state were no longer interconnected in the same way
-Augustine and other post-Reformation thinkers were far more optimistic about the possibilities of Christian influence
-Christians can change society
-Christian theological traditions has recognized that God established civil government for the purpose of promoting good and restraining evil
-Christians have a role in advocating for righteousness in society accordingly
-societal changes took place in Europe after the Reformation
-a new set of political questions arose as Protestants and Catholics had to learn to live side by side
**now add atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, etc…
-worldview is at odds with now with the true Biblical worldview
America:
-we can’t say with any historical accuracy that we were always bound together by a steadfast commitment to the core doctrines of Christianity
-But, we can certainly say that for most of the history we were bound together by values rooted in the Christian worldview
***Americans are declining in beliefs consistent with the core truths of what the Bible teachers
-worldviews at fundamental odds with Christianity
-Christians sometimes consider politics to be an unnecessary distraction to the church, history begs to differ
When the Common Good is Political:
-people today lament the political polarization we see as if it’s just a function of no one wanting to get along
-seismic split that has happened in people’s underlying views on the nature of reality
-Christin views of reality are not only wrong but are often destructive when taken to their natural conclusion in the political domain
-ex. Those who believe that a pre-born baby is just a clump of cells will want to enshrine the right to destroy those “cells” at will in law
-ex. Marriage and parental rights is socially constructed and an obstacle to human freedom will want to tear down the nuclear family
-ex. Those who believe children are sexual creatures will seek legal ways to introduce sexually explicit content to public school kids at a younger and younger ages
-ex. Those who believe that moral disagreement is hate will advocate for greater limits on freedom of speech and restrictions on religious liberty
***We have an enormous and urgent opportunity we have to be light in this darkening culture
-the light we need to shine today often has nothing to do with politics
-we need to advocate for the common good
-we must be politically engaged
-many times the common good falls under the category of political
-take the opportunity seriously as we have to influence government in a godly way
**** “Not because we want to war with culture, but because we love God and because we love people.”