Why Christians Must Care about Politics
By Natasha Crain / June 16, 2022
There are few things more controversial than whether Christians should be involved with politics, and if so, to what degree and how that involvement should happen. In this episode, I break down two basic premises for thinking well about this subject:
1. Christians have the right, politically speaking, to advocate for our views in the public square.
2. Christians have the calling, spiritually speaking, to advocate for the good of others.
I then respond to seven common objections to Christian political involvement. These (errant) ideas are unfortunately found throughout Pastor Andy Stanley’s new book, Not In It to Win It, so I use quotes from that book as a case study to show the problems with such thinking. (To be clear, these are problems I believe there are with what he wrote, not problems he is presenting.)
The objections to involvement that I address are:
1. People don’t like the church when we focus on politics.
Response: If the church was primarily associated with secular leftist political ideology, this objection goes away. People leave because they think the church is too focused on political views they disagree with. If those views are consistent with a biblical worldview, however, we shouldn’t care whether nonbelievers take issue with us over it! Of course they will!
2. Neither party represents Christianity, so Christians shouldn’t be known to be affiliated with a specific party.
Response: We should affirm our identity is in Christ, not a political party. We are Christ-followers first. This being said, if the platform of one party broadly aligns more with a biblical worldview, it is not odd there is a correlation.
3. You can’t change people’s hearts by changing laws.
Response: We want to advocate for the good of others for the good of society to restrain evil and promote justice, as defined by godly standards. The gospel is the priority over social concerns and politics.
4. Nation changing wasn’t part of Jesus’s mission, so it shouldn’t be part of ours.
Response: Jesus wasn't out to save a nation politically - he was here to save people from all nations spiritually. Just because Jesus did or didn't do something, doesn't mean we are supposed to do or don't something. We are not him and we are to act in consistency with a biblical worldview, which may be different than Jesus' own very specific mission.
5. In “fighting” for our rights, we’re not putting others first.
Response: Christians should advocate for God-given rights, rights given to everyone. A right given to one doesn't necessarily mean someone else loses a right. The desire to put others first, while being biblical, doesn't mean we should affirm everything they want or believe if it is not based on a biblical worldview. We should determine all our views, including political views, from a biblical worldview.
6. Politics create division and division is the enemy.
Response: Unity requires truth around which to unify. The existence of disagreement is not the enemy; it's naïve that if we all stopped caring about politics, we'd all agree in the church. No, the problem is our fallen nature.
7. Politically concerned Christians just want to “get our way” or gain “power.”
Response: Wanting to get your way is not a bad thing if what you want is actually God's way. Certainly some politicians are in it for the power - disingenuous to characterize all Christians in this way.
There ARE unhealthy mixes of faith and politics, but that’s not the subject of this episode (though I do acknowledge those a bit as I address the above points). My purpose here is to address those who are cautioning Christians to stay out of politics in significant ways. I think that is a grave mistake.
