An interesting article was written in Christianity Today titled “Why Black Protestants and Evangelicals Still Preach Politics”.  We thought the topic of religion in politics is relevant and it’s something that is of interest to practicing Christians who want to comprehend Christ’s teachings on the “salt and light” and its implications on our interaction in society.  

Let’s define religion in politics and truly understand the interconnection.   First, we must define Christ’s influence on the believer and how He is supposed to permeate from the individual to the greater society.  Jesus has called us to be His ambassadors, and to represent Him in all aspects of our lives. Every interaction we have with the public should be conducted in a manner that brings glory to God.  We can’t live dual lives; being a Christian with believers and a non believer in the secular setting. A dual nature is not welcomed by God, and in the Book of James 4:4, the Apostle states “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”.  Supporting scripture is also found in the Gospel of John 17:14-16, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it”. Thus, we can’t have one foot in the world and one in the spiritual.  There is only one position and one worldview; the Christian worldview.    

How does this impact our stance in society?  Well, the internationally popular form of government is a secular representative democracy.  In this system, all are equal under the law with the supreme law of the land being the constitution.  Furthermore, the People determine what laws are enacted and the courts interpret the laws to ensure its strict adherence to the constitution.  It’s satan’s objective to utilize this system against believers by introducing many religions and immorality into society while justifying it according to the freedoms granted by the constitution.  Thus, “freedom” has become a weapon used by satan to collapse society.  An example of Satan’s tactics is the ongoing battle of removing Christian symbols from government grounds in the U.S.  The Satanic Temple offered to erect the statue of baphomet alongside the Ten Commandments monument on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds as protest to the Christian symbol.   Simultaneously, another group challenged the same Christian monument in court and after lengthy litigation, the Oklahoma State Supreme Court ordered the removal of the Ten Commandments.  Once the main objective was achieved, the Satanic Temple withdrew its request to erect their statue.   In this instance, freedom of speech and religion is utilized to remove combat Christianity.   Satan works in a clever manner, and as more Christians retract from civic involvement, Satan gains a greater foothold in society.  

So what should be our stance regarding government?  We’re told in Romans 13:1-7 to be obedient to government, however we also know when government steps out of line and enforces ungodly legislation, we are not obliged to follow it.  An example of this disobedience is outlined in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel chapter 3.  In this instance, three Jewish young men,  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who worked in king Nebuchadnezzar’s high court refused to bow before the statue of the king and openly defied him.  As Christians we must represent Jesus in government with the highest honor and with a loving approach. We must make sure that our demeanor is based on representing the Lord, not our egos.  Essentially, we must live by the words we speak to show our devotion to God.  Thus, we can not speak with authority when we are hypocrites, and Jesus says the following in Matthew 7:5; “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”.

In the case of politics in religion, we have the following suggestion.  Preachers should not represent a political party or favor one over the other.  Rather, the focus should be policy and legislation that violates our Christian faith.  This is a topic that is justified and is a topic that must be preached from the pulpit, not partisan politics. Therefore, we believe that Christians should actively serve in their communities, participate in government and preachers must speak about matters that affect our faith.   In the absence of Christians from our communities and government platforms, we only allow for the void to be filled with non believers. So, be careful in what is preached at church, and please analyze all topics of discussion carefully.