Politics is not our gospel, and no politician our savior. So, do we stay away, abstain from civic engagement altogether, share the gospel, and leave politics to the world? What political issues are off the table? Abortion? Transitioning minors? Religious freedom? Are not these first moral issues?

At a time when everything of weight is political, Christians must consider their role in society and their civic duty. This month, we are looking at why and how Christians should engage politically. Today, we ask, “How can you not?”

Theologian, pastor, and author Dr. Kevin DeYoung of Christ Covenant Church in North Carolina warns Christians and their pastors of the pitfalls of both isolating themselves from politics, or contrarily, making politics an idol. He says, “If a pastor is better known for his views on COVID-19 or for his analysis of the latest shooting than he is for his views on the Trinity, the person of Christ, and the gospel, then something is wrong.”

But trying to separate faith and all of politics is impossible, especially for the individual Christian, says DeYoung. “There is no category called ‘politics’ that can be safely quarantined from the category we call ‘religion’ … Insofar as politics touches on human government, human nature, human flourishing, ethics, law, rights, duties, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, Christianity will be—in the ultimate sense—inescapably political.”

Theologian and former research professor at Phoenix Seminary Dr. Wayne Grudem wrote a book on the subject called “Politics According to the Bible.” Grudem is referenced in a related article pointing out that when the gospel transforms people, it changes everything around them, “Families are renewed. Schools are rejuvenated. Businesses reorient their mission and purpose. What’s more, the gospel of Christ, because it changes hearts, changes the course of civil government.” He says it is part of loving your neighbor holistically, “That means we’ll care about laws that protect preborn children. We’ll care about policies that defend marriages and families. If we love our neighbors, we’ll naturally be concerned about the corrupting moral influences that creep into public schools.”

The late Charles Colson of the Colson Center believed that, through political involvement, “Christians reflect the love, justice, and righteousness of God’s kingdom.” And through those ethical standards, “Christ’s kingdom breaks the vicious and otherwise irreversible cycles of violence, injustice, and self-interest … equip[ping] them to be the best citizens in the kingdoms of man.” Quoting Augustine there.

Colson points to the necessity of God as the ultimate reference point, “Removal of the transcendent sucks meaning from the law … without [it] there’s no just cause for obedience, and that means the state must seek more and more coercive power.”

Christians engaged in civil government can then be a sort of restraint on culture. The late James Boice wrote, “Religious people are … the only citizens who actually advance the nation in the direction of justice and true righteousness.”

David Closson, Director of Christian Ethics and Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council (FRC), says that, “[T]hough ‘sojourners and exiles’ (1 Peter 2:11) in this world, [Christians] are nevertheless citizens of the ‘City of Man’ as well as the ‘City of God.’ Christians ought to endeavor to be good citizens of both cities.” Closson warns our engagement in the political process must be biblical, “This requires that we be prepared to grapple with the moral issues of our day, the reality of our two-party system, and follow our Christian convictions to their logical end by voting for candidates and parties that support clear biblical values.”

Dr. John Frame, most known for his 31 years at Westminster Theological Seminary, says Christianity puts politics into perspective as God places us as stewards over what ultimately is His.

“[O]nce we put our faith in God, in Jesus Christ, then we can see that government has an important role. Christ gives us freedom from the tyranny of arrogant government, but also the freedom to get involved in politics, in order to seek a better society. And most of all, He gives us freedom from sin, so that God will hear our prayers for justice. Our faith in God helps us to see politics for what it really is- not idolizing it, not dismissing it as unimportant, but treasuring it as a gift from God. There is no place here for political fanaticism or political despair. God is on the throne.”

Join us Tuesday, July 16 for a virtual discussion with Center for Arizona Policy’s VP of Policy Greg Scott about why Christians can look at influencing the public conversation about law, policy, and culture not as an option, but as a duty. Register here for the link and join via Zoom on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

 ICYMI

• Read here why Gen Z is the most pro-family generation in 50 years.
• Read here how the abortion industry is trying to con several states, including Arizona, into thinking their goal is to ‘protect women’s health,’ when their goal is really ‘unrestricted abortion.’
• Read here how it took public outcry for an Australian art gallery to remove a painting mocking Jesus with ‘Looney Tunes’ characters.