There are several iconic contemporary proverbs that swirl around us. One of the most familiar may be, “don't talk about religion, politics or sex at the dinner table” or slightly modified for pastors, “don't talk about religion, politics or sex on Sunday morning if you want to keep your job.” While it's a sad statement on the openness and authenticity of today's American church, it's wise advice for some. However, The CENTER has never been about playing it safe. We're about growing the kingdom by risking the comfort of the familiar in exchange for risk of making an impact on one another, our community and maybe even western Christianity. The Status Quo Must Go!
So let's talk about politics. There are three reasons most pastors and churches don't talk about politics - Money, Job Security, Community influence.
Pastors don't talk about politics because if they do side with one candidate over another they risk losing their non profit status as a church which means donations would no longer be tax deductible, the church would have to pay property tax on its buildings including its parsonage and finally, it would have to pay sales tax on its purchases.
Pastors don't talk about politics because if they do, they run the risk of offending a person or subgroup in the congregation whose views are different than their own. The ramifications in some churches for the pastor can be fired without much notice - losing income, housing and reputation.
The third reason a pastor doesn't talk about politics because he can't be seen as standing up for anyone or any cause other than that of Jesus and his ethics. Anything else would come off as self serving.
Like I said before, if there is anything that will spark a spontaneous debate, if not an outright argument, it is a discussion involving politics—even among believers. As followers of Christ, what should be our attitude and our involvement with politics? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot. The Bible gives us two truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.
The first truth is that the will of God permeates and supersedes every aspect of life. It is God’s will that takes precedence over everything and everyone. After all, it was Jesus who said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33).
Another scripture that really helps to make this clearer comes from Paul's treatise to the church in Rome in the 13th chapter beginning in verse one. If you have a bible or a bible app, please turn to Romans 13.
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
The second truth we must grasp the fact that our government cannot save us! Only God can. We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles expending any time or energy schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. It might actually be futile to resist. As Paul writes:
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Canadian politician and judge, in 1840 said, “Never discuss religion or politics with those who hold opinions opposite to yours; they are subjects that heat in the handling, until they burn your fingers.”
While it may be sound advice for a career politician, Bruce Ashford, former Southern Baptist Seminary President, encourages the opposite. He believes Christians can not to separate religion and politics (even though they should separate church and state). After all, human beings are deeply and inescapably religious, and “religion” is not solely “the worship of a supernatural deity.” The Bible purports that all people will embrace someone or something as their ultimate guiding force. That someone or something sits on the throne of a person’s heart, commanding their loyalties, shaping their life, and offering some sort of salvation. As that 70's poet, Bob Dylan would one day sing,“We all are gonna serve somebody.”
Which brings us to a second truth, we cannot separate our private self from our public self. Politics are actually a series of value statements connecting our heart to the hearts of others. It is why we must be willing to approach politics with the same strategy as we would a non-Christian.
To help us, let’s open our bibles to Romans 13:1
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Paul is being clear. We are to act in accordance with the government He has placed over us. We know these powers are corrupted by their very nature. However, God is ultimately in control of everything. Nothing escapes him. When we are struck by an injustice in the world, we must be willing to stand up for those being disenfranchised.
Just a few examples from scripture come when:
Hebrew midwives disobey Pharaoh when told to kill the male babies.
Daniel refuses to eat the king’s meat and prays even when prayer to God is prohibited.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow down to a statue of Nebuchadnezzar.
Paul is jailed numerous times for preaching a religion in violation of Rome’s law.
In Mark 12:17 “...Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.”
A statement that places God above all human government while creating a hierarchy of responsibility for us to navigate as Peter and some of the other apostles said. “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
Let’s be real. There will always be a culture outside the doors of our Christian communities that disagrees with our christian moral stances. It can be disheartening. It makes us want to give up, not participate and run away to an isolated place. It's one of Satan’s greatest plans. Make us believe we can't do anything so we let cultural morality and godly looking politicians and government officials control the narrative. I believe the church has made a mistake if it thinks that it’s the job of politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values. There will always be a clash between our theology and the world’s ideology. All you have to do is look at the current hot topics: rights of the unborn, abortion, gender identity, same-sex marriage, assisted suicide, immigration, and even free speech. Our bible based Christian stance has been clear. However, the culture and even whole denominations within the American church have shifted.
The lesson for us is clear. Believers are commanded to "submit" to earthly government (Romans 13:1), but that is not always the same as "obeying" government. Peter and the other apostles live in a world filled with contrasts and best detailed in the early chapters of the book of Acts. Whenever there is a conflict between the commands of Jesus and the rules of men, we are to follow Jesus and accept the civil consequences of our choice.
The end of Romans 13 couldn’t be any clearer. Take a look at 13:10b
The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Putting on the Armor of light and clothing yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ gives a perfect opportunity to expand Charlie Brill’s engagement exercise from last week. With each issue, we should:
SEE, IMMERSE, CONTEND, & RESTORE (SICR)
See: the issue as a human issue with real people dealing with a real troubling issue - the root of which may be bigger than the headline on CNN or FOX
Immerse: into the life of a struggling person by walking beside them. This is a no judgment zone where we choose to practice the ministry of presence without judgment. The ministry of presence is simply when:
We listen.
We watch.
We learn.
We inquire.
We wait and wait. Until the solution is clear and the person we are immersed with is willing to do what is necessary to overcome. It is only then we begin to:
Contend: to help the person to overcome their problem with their help.
Brian Fikkert, in his famous book ‘When Helping Hurts’, tells story after story of well intentioned Christians rushing into fix a problem(s) they thought they knew the answer to only to be baffled at the failure and/or the greater reliance the solution created in those they were supposed to helping or freeing from an issue. Contending with a struggling person does not enslave them to a different problem.
We do more harm than good when we rush to aid before we SEE, IMMERSE and CONTEND with the issue because we hamper the Holy Spirit’s ability to restore with power where only God can get the glory..
I know this process of SEE, IMMERSE, CONTEND and RESTORE is more time consuming than just googling some facts and expert opinions. However, we are dealing with humans created in the image of God who we’ve been called to serve in His Name and for His Glory so shouldn’t we be willing to invest a little more time than just a google search?
As you have heard me say a thousand times, Jesus' disciples were knuckleheads. They were boys. They didn’t really become a force for the expansion of the kingdom until after Jesus' death, resurrection, ascension when they had to practice everything they had been taught. They all were martyred for their faith in Jesus. Knuckleheads become evangelists when they become willing to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit. The same power given to each one of us willing to surrender, commit and submit to the leadership of Jesus. It's only then we are restored.
References:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-politics.html
https://gbcbowie.org/blog/when-jesus-calls-us-to-disobey-human-government/#:~:text=Mark%2012%3A17.,God%20has%20established%20
https://www.believersmagazine.com/bm.php?i=20110806
