Let’s Talk Politics

(I don’t want to either, but we need to.)

Politics. Even just writing that word sparks some kind of internal reaction in me. I’m guessing reading it might for you, too.

Maybe when you clicked to read this post, you entered in with some trepidation. Normally you would have skimmed past a post with politics in the title; but because we’re friends, you went ahead and clicked it against your better judgment. You might be just hoping I don’t say anything really stupid.

Or maybe you clicked ready for a debate? Just mention the word politics, and many of us raise our defenses. You’ll be weighing each word I write, looking for places to cheer or sneer. The question you might be looking to uncover: Is she in our camp or theirs? 

I don’t know what reaction you have to politics, but if you live in the United States of America, it’s almost impossible to avoid the political melee. It seems every week we are confronted with a divisive political topic. And here’s the thing, as Christ-followers, I don’t think we should ignore politics. Politics has to do with how a society is organized. It answers questions like: How do we live together? How do we deal with offenses? How do we deal with money? How do we deal with enemies and violence? How do we arrange social structures? We should be engaged with these questions.

What I find concerning is how we are wrestling and engaging with these questions. And I’m not talking about the tone of our arguments (although, there is something to be concerned with there too); I’m talking about the substance.

To be clear, I am writing this post to Christ-followers, and here is my caution:

When our political arguments sound no different than typical Democratic or Republican rhetoric, we should step back and open ourselves up to the possibility that we might have lost sight of the Kingdom.

So, let’s take a moment to bring the Kingdom back into view.

2000 years ago, God wrapped himself in human skin and lived among us. Jesus came announcing that something was about to change in the world, heaven was breaking through to earth, and his announcement sounded like this:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” -Matthew 4:17

When Jesus says that the Kingdom has “has come near,” he uses a verb that indicates a past and completed action. He’s telling us that with his coming, the Kingdom has arrived. In effect, Jesus is announcing an opportunity for a new way, a better way of living in this world has now been opened. It is a way of human flourishing that is to be lived out in every area of our lives, including how we engage in politics. It is life in his Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God is present anywhere the will of God reigns. One of my favorite theologians, Dallas Willard, put it this way:

“Now God’s own ‘kingdom’ or ‘rule’ is the range of his effective will, where what he wants done is done. The person of God himself and the action of his will are the organizing principles of his kingdom, but everything that obeys those principles, whether by nature or by choice, is within his kingdom.” (The Divine Conspiracy)

The Kingdom of God is a present reality, but it is not a completed reality. Obviously, God’s will is not done everywhere. This is often described as the “now and not yet” of the Kingdom. When Jesus returns, his Kingdom will be fully restored. In the new heavens and new earth, we will experience life as God always intended it to be. But for now, the kingdoms of this world are allowed to remain. Other kingdoms are present, and they want us to conform to their will.

The Republican party is a kingdom of this world.
The Democratic party is a kingdom of this world.
America is a kingdom of this world.

It is critical as followers of Jesus that we recognize this! There may be beliefs and practices in each of these kingdoms that do conform to the will of God, but there are definitely beliefs and practices in each of these kingdoms that stand in opposition to the Kingdom of God. Only one kingdom is in alignment with the Kingdom of God and that is the Kingdom of God.

I say this with the loving concern of a sister-in-Christ: If you can’t see both the good and the bad in each of these earthly kingdoms, it may be time to put yourself in a political time-out. 

And an even greater caution:

Never give your allegiance to any kingdom other than the Kingdom of God. 

I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul to followers of Jesus in Philippi: “...our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20). Paul wrote these words to a group of Christ-followers who constantly faced pressure to give their allegiance to an earthly kingdom. Philippi was a Roman colony, meaning its residents were expected to adopt the customs, values, and practices of the Roman Empire. They were expected to give their allegiance to Caesar. But once people decided to follow Jesus, they were to sever their attachments to empire. Sure, they still lived in this world, but as Jesus said in John 17, they were no longer of it (v. 14-16). They now had to learn how to navigate the worldly kingdom they found themselves in as citizens who belonged to a heavenly Kingdom.

We belong to a Kingdom that transcends every kingdom of this world. Why give your heart to a kingdom that is fading away when Jesus extends an invitation to the Kingdom that will never end? Let me remind you once again of Jesus’ call:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” -Matthew 4:17

To repent means “to have a change of self (heart and mind) that abandons former dispositions and results in a new self, new behavior, and regret over former behavior and dispositions” (Logos). We all could use some repenting. As Christ-followers, it is time to turn off the cable news, log off our social media feeds, confront our previous assumptions, and instead immerse ourselves in the teachings of our Kingdom. Our leader is King Jesus. Our Constitution is the Word of God. 

And when I say “immerse,” I’m not talking about cherry-picking a few verses that can be twisted to support our political positions, I’m talking about soaking ourselves in the words of Scripture so that we come to know the heart of our King.

The Bible isn’t a reference book where we can look up direct answers to policy questions. The Bible is a door through which we can come to know our King and learn the ways of his Kingdom.

Don’t know where to start? I might suggest the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. It’s a collection of some of Jesus’ most important teachings. Don’t just read it. Meditate on it. Reflect on it in a journal. Read books and listen to teachings that help explain it. Memorize it (yes, go old school!). Ask yourself: What do these teachings reveal to me about the heart of Jesus? How do these teachings guide me in the ways of his Kingdom? 

And then allow the Holy Spirit to take what you learn about the King and his Kingdom and teach you how to apply it to political life in this earthly kingdom.

The political questions we should be most concerned with are questions like these:

Would Jesus support this policy if he were me?
Does this policy reflect Kingdom values as taught by Jesus?
Does this policy bring more of his Kingdom to earth?

The only way we can answer those questions with real integrity is if we truly come to know the heart of King Jesus and the ways of his Kingdom.

That is the journey I am committed to taking. And I pray that I will be willing to adjust or surrender any political opinion I hold if (or when) he shows me it is not in line with his Kingdom.

Will you join me?

Together, may we become a Kingdom Community laser-focused on this prayer: “Father, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10).