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TechnoratiIronically, it is the liberal who believes in the primacy of politics as the instrument of cultural and social change. For the Christian, it is the gospel! Ellul reminds us that “an unbiased and unprejudiced reading of the Bible shows that converting men to their Lord is the work Christians are called to do” (Ellul, 234).
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he encourages the young preacher to “endure hardship … like a good soldier of Christ Jesus,” pointing out that “no one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs…” (2 Tim. 2:3–4, NIV). Matthew Henry’s commentary on this passage makes the point that all Christians are soldiers in the Lord’s army and as such, we “must not entangle ourselves with those affairs, so as by them to be diverted and drawn aside from our duty to God and the great concerns of our Christianity.”
Again, I am not saying that being a Christian and having political interest or activity is incompatible; I’m not saying that Christians have no place in politics. I think theologian Donald Bloesch correctly delineates the “great concern[s] of our Christianity” when he writes, “The apostolic mandate is to preach the Gospel, not a political program, but this Gospel has tremendous social and political repercussions” (Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 2, p. 167). Bloesch is stressing that the political implications of Christianity are indeed important; however, they follow the gospel and the conversion of lost souls. The church must always remain focused on the latter, teaching converts to be disciples, with one dimension of discipleship being social service, which includes politics.
It may be that we are attracted to and over-reliant on politics because it offers a means of cultural engagement without hardship. It’s engagement in the world with ease and without personal cost. We can occupy ourselves so much so that we feel like we’re doing something; we convince ourselves that through this activity we are defending God’s honor and standing for truth. But it’s often just a diversion. In reality, we are standing at a distance from the battle. We’re not actually in it; we’re merely observing while others wade into the muck that is the fallen world. I spend almost every Tuesday in prison where I disciple men whose lives have been nearly ruined by sin and neither politician nor any political scheme can heal their affliction. It is here that light conquers the darkness—in the mud and blood and suffering that sin has wrought—and it is there that we bear witness to God’s amazing grace that transforms people and nations.
It is the Lord who determines the fate of the nations and it is in Him that we trust. Jesus is the Savior of the world, not any politician or political program. And our calling is to love the Lord, our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, to love our neighbors as ourselves and to make disciples of all nations. It is nothing less than the pursuit of that which Jacques Ellul says “seems impossible to us: the conversion of an entire population and its government” (Ellul, The Meaning of the City, p. 69).
So we will cast our votes this coming November. But in the meantime, let us not be diverted from our duty to God by an unholy reliance upon politics and politicians.
S. Michael Craven is the President of the Center for Christ & Culture, a ministry of discipleship and Church renewal that works to equip Christians with an intelligent, thoroughly Christian and missional approach to culture. For more information on the Center for Christ & Culture, additional resources, and other works by S. Michael Craven visit: www.battlefortruth.org
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Agree: 
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