To my knowledge, although the battle between right and left has been around since the dawn of modern democracy in the Western world, it has never before been so intense and so polarising. Perhaps it has been a simmering away on low heat for decades and has recently started to boil over, although the heat has been turned up for different reasons in different countries. Each country appears to have had its own catalyst – in the U.S., Trump; in the U.K., the Brexit vote; in other European countries, what to do about mass immigration. Even if you don’t actually live in any of these countries (like me), you are likely to feel the heat of the battle from a distance, mainly through the media but also if you have friends and family who live in those countries (as I do).
The intensity and apparent importance of this ideological battle has led many Christians to think that picking a side and defending it is of crucial importance. If you have a side, then you can engage in the inevitable conversations that revolve around Trump (or far-right party representatives in other countries), Brexit, immigration, or a combination of these. Depending on which side of the battle you and your collocutor have chosen prior to the conversation, this will either be an argument or an agreement. In the case of an argument, it has less to do with trying to understand the other’s point of view, than it is to display which side of the line you have chosen.
This article is not about which ideology is better, and it certainly isn’t about which political party (or side of a referendum) one should vote for. Rather, I want to have a look at what is going on beyond this earthly political battle, and share some thoughts on how I believe Christians should react to it. Although it would be nice to stay out of it altogether, this battle has become so pervasive that Christians simply cannot avoid it. This is especially the case in the States, where the battle lines have acquired a distinctly religious flavour – to the point where one side is known as “the religious right” (“religious” meaning Christian). So Christians are expected to have a strong opinion on the matter – even those who aren’t American are imagined to show solidarity for their ‘brothers and sisters’ in that country. The battle affects us all, whether we like it or not.
When dealing with current day events and our attitudes towards them, it saddens me to see Christians ignoring what the Bible has to say about these things. After all, it was written thousands of years ago, so surely it has nothing to say about our modern problems and political debates, right? Wrong. The principles set forth in the Word are as valid today as they were when Jesus walked the earth during the heyday of the Roman Empire. In particular, we need to use the New Testament as a guide, because we are part of the Church, not the physical nation of Israel (the guidelines for how to run a country in the Old Testament apply only to Israel during the times of the kings – modern-day Israel is no longer a monarchy, so neither are they expected to govern following those guidelines).
So in the light of the New Testament, what should our over-arching attitude be towards Trump’s Republican party, or other right-wing parties in Europe? Or towards Brexit and mass immigration issues in Europe? Quite simply, in and of themselves, these issues are of absolutely no consequence. Whether one builds a wall or not, remains in the EU or leaves it, accommodates foreigners or rejects them, makes absolutely no difference to the eternal destination of your soul or of those around you.
All of these things are earthly, and therefore temporal. The global (or national) economic situation, the choice of where to live in order to have a ‘better life’, and other such concerns all fall under the category of “earthly treasures”, as described by Jesus in Matthew 6:19. Indeed, the very existence of any nation and its boundaries are temporary and ultimately irrelevant, as people from every nation on earth must decide if they will choose Christ as their King or not (1 Peter 2:9-10; Rev. 5:8-10).
The Jews tried to portray Jesus as a political figure who was trying to overthrow the Roman government in Israel, and His response to this charge should be exactly how Christians should view all matters of politics. Here is His conversation with Pontius Pilate, as recorded by John (18:33-38, emphasis added):
Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”
In this conversation, Jesus refused to be drawn into the politics of the day, where the Jewish nation was striving against Roman domination. At the time, this issue was all-important for the Jews, to the point where many were willing to risk their lives by rebelling against the Romans. Surely, as a Jew, one would expect Jesus to show some concern for the plight of His people? Given such a great political platform to speak with a Roman governor, other Jews would certainly have brought up the burning Jewish desire for independence. Why didn’t Jesus use this golden political opportunity to help His nation?
We can understand why Jesus rejected the opportunity by looking at two critical phrases from the above passage: “My kingdom is not of this world” and “for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” He refused to get side-tracked by local politics because He had a much greater purpose in mind – revealing His heavenly kingdom by witnessing to the truth. And now we can answer Pilate’s question – the truth Jesus was witnessing to was Himself as the Son of God and the means through which all humanity (not just His own nation) could be reconciled to God (John 14:6). Through His work on the cross, He would allow all people the opportunity to be part of His heavenly kingdom, if they willingly choose Him as their King (Matt. 25:32).
When seen from Jesus’ perspective, and with our current benefit of hindsight, it becomes glaringly obvious why He treated local politics with such flippancy – they simply paled in significance when compared to His ultimate goal of dying for the sins of the world. As followers of Christ, we need to take the same view by comparing the politics of our day with the Great Commission we were given by our Lord:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matt. 24:19-20).
Just as He refused the get embroiled in politics due to the far more important mission given to Him by the Father, we should follow suit for the sake of the mission He gave us to preach the gospel and make disciples of others. In the light of the incredible responsibility He has given us to reach the world, the earthly right vs. left battle is so petty and temporal that we should barely even consider it.
“But wait a minute!” I hear you exclaim, “If this battle is so insignificant, then why are you devoting a whole article to the subject?” I personally wish that I did not need to write this article at all, but my reason for doing so is because it has become a proxy for a much more important, heavenly battle. This is the battle between Satan and God, and specifically Satan’s attack on the Church of God.
Some of you may think that I’m about to show how right-wing ‘religious’ conservatism represents God’s way versus the ‘evil’ liberalism of Satan. That is how it appears when one reads anything from the “religious right” in the States these days. However, I actually feel that this viewpoint is one of the biggest weapons Satan is using against Christians. By sucking Christians into the earthly political battle of right vs. left, he is effectively destroying our witness for Christ, and ultimately hindering the Great Commission Jesus gave us. Let me explain.
This earthly political battle has taken our focus off the real battle, and hence the real enemy is left to walk about like a roaring lion without anyone in the Church really resisting his influence, despite the command to resist him in 1 Peter 5:8-9. Instead of putting on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, that we may be able to fight against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, we are instead focussing on winning a petty wrestling competition with people – flesh and blood (Eph. 6:10-12).
All Christians would do well to examine their current political stance and attitudes against the attributes of the armour of God, as described in Ephesians 6. For example, if you catch yourself railing against all those terrible foreigners flooding your country, and wanting harsher punishments for illegal immigrants, does that attitude fit in your “battle shoes” – i.e. have you shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace? When you are caught up in a debate with someone from the “other side”, is your primary defence your breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, or helmet of salvation? Or is it a sense of self-righteousness and contempt for those who do not have faith and salvation that shines through in your conversation?
Do you think that, in the midst of a heated argument over a wall between the States and Mexico, or the need for Britain to have a “hard exit” from the EU, that you can launch into an explanation of the truth (our belt) using God’s Word (our sword), and demonstrate the beautiful message of God’s love for all humans, irrespective of their race? If the one argument does not naturally lead into the other, then perhaps you need to think more carefully about your stance and approach to the political issue, as the message of the gospel is of far greater importance.
Here’s a challenge for you (and certainly me): if you find that when expressing your opinion to someone who disagrees, you cannot demonstrate Christ’s character in that conversation, then you need to seriously re-think either your opinion or the way you express it (or both). It may not always be possible to bring the gospel into the conversation, but your general approach to the topic should be such that Christ is revealed in you.
Please understand what I am trying to say here – I am not suggesting that all Christians should vote one way or the other, or that Christians shouldn’t vote at all, or that one shouldn’t have a stance or opinion on these matters. As I said earlier, this political battle has become so pervasive that it would be silly for Christians to run and hide from it. On the contrary, it is our responsibility to always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed (1 Peter 3:16). In today’s politically charged atmosphere, where Christians are labelled as ‘evildoers’ (a.k.a. bigots) for our beliefs, it is immensely important that we use every conversation (including ones about politics) to demonstrate and explain the hope that is in us.
If this earthly battle is viewed aright by Christians, then I believe that this obstacle that Satan has thrown in the way of our preaching the gospel can be used against him. This debate has become so intensely polarised, many unbelievers have cast all Christians in the same mould of the “religious right”, which for them, stands for all that is wrong in the world. If, by contrast, your conversation on these topics is driven by a genuine love for them, using God’s Word and Christ’s example, then ultimately you can show this battle up for its pettiness in the face of eternity. Such an approach is so rare these days that your unbelieving friend (who is well prepared for an antagonistic debate) will be caught so off guard that they may even be receptive to the message of the gospel! Remember that this is the real purpose of the armour God gave us, and it is therefore only effectively used to this end.
When seen from Jesus’ perspective, and with our current benefit of hindsight, it becomes glaringly obvious why He treated local politics with such flippancy – they simply paled in significance when compared to His ultimate goal of dying for the sins of the world. As followers of Christ, we need to take the same view by comparing the politics of our day with the Great Commission we were given by our Lord:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matt. 24:19-20).
Just as He refused the get embroiled in politics due to the far more important mission given to Him by the Father, we should follow suit for the sake of the mission He gave us to preach the gospel and make disciples of others. In the light of the incredible responsibility He has given us to reach the world, the earthly right vs. left battle is so petty and temporal that we should barely even consider it.
“But wait a minute!” I hear you exclaim, “If this battle is so insignificant, then why are you devoting a whole article to the subject?” I personally wish that I did not need to write this article at all, but my reason for doing so is because it has become a proxy for a much more important, heavenly battle. This is the battle between Satan and God, and specifically Satan’s attack on the Church of God.
Some of you may think that I’m about to show how right-wing ‘religious’ conservatism represents God’s way versus the ‘evil’ liberalism of Satan. That is how it appears when one reads anything from the “religious right” in the States these days. However, I actually feel that this viewpoint is one of the biggest weapons Satan is using against Christians. By sucking Christians into the earthly political battle of right vs. left, he is effectively destroying our witness for Christ, and ultimately hindering the Great Commission Jesus gave us. Let me explain.
This earthly political battle has taken our focus off the real battle, and hence the real enemy is left to walk about like a roaring lion without anyone in the Church really resisting his influence, despite the command to resist him in 1 Peter 5:8-9. Instead of putting on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, that we may be able to fight against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, we are instead focussing on winning a petty wrestling competition with people – flesh and blood (Eph. 6:10-12).
All Christians would do well to examine their current political stance and attitudes against the attributes of the armour of God, as described in Ephesians 6. For example, if you catch yourself railing against all those terrible foreigners flooding your country, and wanting harsher punishments for illegal immigrants, does that attitude fit in your “battle shoes” – i.e. have you shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace? When you are caught up in a debate with someone from the “other side”, is your primary defence your breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, or helmet of salvation? Or is it a sense of self-righteousness and contempt for those who do not have faith and salvation that shines through in your conversation?
Do you think that, in the midst of a heated argument over a wall between the States and Mexico, or the need for Britain to have a “hard exit” from the EU, that you can launch into an explanation of the truth (our belt) using God’s Word (our sword), and demonstrate the beautiful message of God’s love for all humans, irrespective of their race? If the one argument does not naturally lead into the other, then perhaps you need to think more carefully about your stance and approach to the political issue, as the message of the gospel is of far greater importance.
Here’s a challenge for you (and certainly me): if you find that when expressing your opinion to someone who disagrees, you cannot demonstrate Christ’s character in that conversation, then you need to seriously re-think either your opinion or the way you express it (or both). It may not always be possible to bring the gospel into the conversation, but your general approach to the topic should be such that Christ is revealed in you.
Please understand what I am trying to say here – I am not suggesting that all Christians should vote one way or the other, or that Christians shouldn’t vote at all, or that one shouldn’t have a stance or opinion on these matters. As I said earlier, this political battle has become so pervasive that it would be silly for Christians to run and hide from it. On the contrary, it is our responsibility to always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed (1 Peter 3:16). In today’s politically charged atmosphere, where Christians are labelled as ‘evildoers’ (a.k.a. bigots) for our beliefs, it is immensely important that we use every conversation (including ones about politics) to demonstrate and explain the hope that is in us.
If this earthly battle is viewed aright by Christians, then I believe that this obstacle that Satan has thrown in the way of our preaching the gospel can be used against him. This debate has become so intensely polarised, many unbelievers have cast all Christians in the same mould of the “religious right”, which for them, stands for all that is wrong in the world. If, by contrast, your conversation on these topics is driven by a genuine love for them, using God’s Word and Christ’s example, then ultimately you can show this battle up for its pettiness in the face of eternity. Such an approach is so rare these days that your unbelieving friend (who is well prepared for an antagonistic debate) will be caught so off guard that they may even be receptive to the message of the gospel! Remember that this is the real purpose of the armour God gave us, and it is therefore only effectively used to this end.
In this examination of the Christian response to the political battle, it would be remiss of me to not mention some of the greatest fears of the “religious right” if they allow the left to win. This is particularly true in the States (but is also found in Europe), where churches have become involved in politics in order to protect their religious freedom. If the left win and have their way entirely, then what will happen to people who refuse to bake cakes sporting LGBT messages? Or pastors who do not want to marry same-sex couples? Or any Christian who may be hauled before the courts on charges of ‘discrimination’, simply for standing by what they believe? The fear is that religious freedom shall be threatened and Christians shall no longer be able serve God freely and publicly. Whilst this is a real threat, the question is: what should Christians do about it?
To answer this important question – let us go back to the New Testament. Firstly, what did Jesus have to say about the threat of Christian persecution? Did He encourage all Christians to fight for their religious freedom? If we are indeed taken to court for His sake, should we feel aggrieved because our rights have been trampled under foot? Here is what He actually said:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:11-12)
If you ever feel like your Christian views and way of life are under threat, and wonder what you should do to those who are causing that threat, then re-read Acts 7. In particular, pay attention to the following points –
- The trial of Stephen was based on his faith and how he expressed it (by preaching) and thus a direct attack on his religious freedom;
- His defence was based firmly on the Word of God, rather than Roman law – he did not stand on his ‘rights’;
- His opponents couldn’t say anything against his character and actions – he helped run the ‘soup kitchen’ in the early church; and
- His execution was entirely illegal under Roman law and Jewish law.
Please tell me: which chapter and verse do you use in your Bible to demand your right to religious freedom? And where do you get the notion that a primary function of the Church is to influence governments such that Christians will not be persecuted? Or where is it written that when our freedom is threatened, we should respond with lawsuits? In contrast, if anyone is going to be dragged before the courts (albeit wrongly), it should be Christians for identifying with our Lord, who has outlined our appropriate response:
You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. (Mark 13:9b-11, emphasis added).
In this passage and throughout the New Testament, we find that God has a purpose for persecution against Christians. It is meant primarily to give us an opportunity to shine our lights for Jesus by presenting our case based on the Word of God in a manner that is graceful and loving towards those who speak against us. Whilst no one enjoys persecution, and it would be rather foolish to go looking for it, it is a great opportunity to glorify God when it does happen (1 Peter 4:12-16). This Biblical view is at complete odds with the “religious right” fighting tooth and nail for the religious freedom of Christians.
In light of all of the above, here are my suggestions for Christians who are feeling the heat of the earthly political battle.
- Re-gain your heavenly perspective, such that politics are relegated to their correct, lowly place;
- Have a closer look at how Jesus and His disciples dealt with political issues of their day, and especially the way they dealt with unbelievers;
- Examine your views carefully, so you can find and remove any plank in your own eye (Matt. 7:3) before you form opinions of other viewpoints; and
- Use the greatest source of strength for deploying the armour of God wisely – all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18) – to determine how the Lord wants you to act whenever political matters come up in conversation.
1 comment:
Thanks for your obedience, Gail.The Lord is speaking similar things here and we are thus encouraged.
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