I’m not old enough to remember much about politics in America before the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. But as a kid growing up in a Christian family in the 1990’s, I knew that I was supposed to like George H. W. Bush and not like Bill Clinton. I was told that Bush was good and Clinton was bad. There was no discussion about why one was better than the other. It was just the way things were.
The purpose of this article is not to debate the political or moral merits of Bush or Clinton, or any other politician. Much could be said about any politician, and I have opinions about things just like anyone else. But there is something happening in the church in America that disturbs me and many other pastors. At an ever quickening rate, Christians (and entire churches) are marrying themselves to a political party or candidate or politician to such a degree that it is not readily discernible if they think people who disagree with them can actually do so and still be faithful Christians. This is unfortunate and it is hurting the cause of Christ in this generation.
The culture that we live in is increasingly divided over politics. There are sharp and clear lines drawn between Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. From what I can tell, people used to disagree about politics and still be friends at the end of the day. I am not sure that happens much anymore.
Even Washington D. C. itself used to be less politically divided. The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in an interview in 2013 that he remembers when Republicans and Democrats used to socialize together in the 1970’s and 80’s. He said, “That doesn’t happen anymore,” concluding, “It’s a nasty time. It’s a nasty time.”
In a September 30th interview on “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley asked Senator Jeff Flake if he would have called for an FBI investigation into Brett Kavanaugh if he were seeking reelection. Senator Flake said, “Not a chance…There’s no value to reaching across the aisle. There’s no currency for that anymore. There’s no incentive.” Let that sink in. A U. S. Senator said that there is “no incentive” for our government to work together. Flake said that doing something like he did can only be done by someone who is on their way out. That is a sad picture of the current state of American politics.
Unfortunately, these deep divisions over politics have crept into the church of Jesus Christ. Instead of being distinct from the world (i.e. “holy”), the church looks more and more like the world. Republicans prefer to worship with other Republicans. Democrats prefer to worship with other Democrats. Christians and churches have allowed politics to become more unifying than Jesus and his word.
As author Jonathan Leeman puts it, “Many Christians in America continue to invest their greatest political hopes in the nation.” Too many unbelievers are convinced that Christians love political parties or presidents more than Jesus. How can that be possible? Because we have idolized our nation and our political parties and our leaders. We should pray for and submit to the authorities placed over us (1 Tim. 2:1-2). But we must not put our hope and trust in them. We must not idolize them.
Christians are the ones, of all people, who know that this world is not our home and that we belong ultimately to another King and kingdom. I love how Mark Dever says it, “Before and after America, there was and will be the church. The nation is an experiment. The church is a certainty.”
We must, therefore, in this election season, hold our politics with an open hand. It is good and right to engage in the political process and have good, biblical reasons for why you hold the positions that you hold. It is not good or right for our identity to be defined by the political party of our choice. Or to view with suspicion brothers and sisters in Christ who hold different positions. Or to be more invested financially, intellectually, and emotionally in political work than kingdom work.
There is only one King and kingdom worthy of our full support and trust, worthy of our total allegiance. That King is Jesus Christ. That kingdom is his. All nations will bow before him. All kingdoms will perish before his.
Praying, With You, For Jesus’ Kingdom to Come,
Pastor John
*To think further about how Christians can live faithfully in this politically divisive culture, check out these books in our church library: Russel Moore, Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel and Jonathan Leeman, How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age.