Faith and Politics — The State of Their Disunion

A few years ago, I was scrolling my social media feed, and I came across a political argument. One of my friends — more accurately described as a friend-of-a-friend-I’ve-never-met — made a bold political statement, and the comments were starting to blow up. So, like any procrastinating Millennial, I decided to peek in.

I knew that this friend-of-a-friend-I’ve-never-met was a self-professed Christian. I quickly saw that one of the commenters believed the stated political opinion to be at odds with the attitude and actions of Jesus in Scripture, so he commented something along the lines of, “Don’t you think this opinion is unchristian?” And then came a statement that I’ll never forget.

Friend-of-a-Friend-I’ve-Never-Met replied, “My political views are my own and do not reflect my relationship with God. Don’t tell me about my political stance through the eyes of Christ.”

The brutal honesty produced shock. Yet, the more that I’ve thought about this statement and witnessed the political culture of today, the more I’ve realized that we all think like this at some level. There are deeply rooted human tendencies at play that cause us think, act, and live this way until we arrive at a place of complete polarization. So, how does this work?

Step One: Separation of Church & State

Let’s start with the context we share as 21stcentury Americans: Separation of Church and State. Woven into the fabric of our country is this notion that the government should not have power over the church, and the church should not have power over the government. The First Amendment guarantees that our government will not tell you how to worship, and the church will not tell you who to vote for. Even a short survey of history demonstrates the immense value of this idea. But what happens if we take it too far? Many have mistakenly interpreted this governmental principle as a prescriptive for personal life. A misguided interpretation of Separation of Church and State would believe that the Church must not only be separated from the State, but, in fact, God does not belong in political discussion at all.

Step Two: Compartmentalization

A natural next-step would be to the personal level — a justification to separate one’s faith beliefs from one’s personal political opinions. The end result is a people engrained to compartmentalize faith and politics. Compartmentalization of this type opens the door for political opinions, actions, and systems that completely conflict with our stated Christian values — without us even noticing. Once we consider something to be purely political (think economics or foreign policy) we give ourselves a pass from aligning it with the character of God. But make no mistake — we’ll still judge others’ political opinions by Biblical standards. Have you ever heard somebody complain that a moral issue has been “politicized?” That idea would only make sense under the assumption that faith and politics are indeed nonrelated entities and that the stated issue must “choose a side,” if you will. Compartmentalization leads us to pick and choose which political issues deserve a Biblical worldview. It also allows us to choose when we’d like to enforce that Biblical worldview and when we’d like to table it for later.

Built upon the foundation of compartmentalization, our culture has fallen prey to another human tendency: labeling. To be honest, labeling doesn’t sound very bad. It’s quite anticlimactic, actually. However, it is the very act of labeling that justifies the mountains of untruths, accusations, and judgments we place on other people. Once we’ve placed a label upon a group, we no longer see the people represented. Instead of people, created in the image of God with unique personality and traits, we only see a label. The irony is that we, the illegitimate judges, are the ones living as less than human. Jesus looked past every label of his day, yet in the political realm we often choose to resemble the Pharisee rather than the Savior.

Consider our very political structure and terminology: “right-wing” and “left-wing.” Upon this spectrum — a human-made label — all humanity must fall. And based upon where you fall on this line, I will decide within mere seconds whether I like you or wish you didn’t exist.

You can call that an exaggeration, but I’ve been on Twitter in 2018, so…

Step Four: “Us vs. Them Mentality”

Then comes the final plunge of polarization: “Us vs. Them Mentality.” Humans love to group things, places, and people. We’re constantly demarcating, classifying, and making sure lines of difference are visible. It’s what inspires the labeling. It’s not wrong in itself, but what can be used as a tool of organization is often coopted by sinful nature to become a tool of division. “Us vs. Them Mentality” is the culmination of compartmentalization, labels, and sin that drives us to treat those with different political opinions as pure evil. It drives us to treat people like dirt because we look differently than one another. It drives us to determine our distribution of compassion based on a difference in socioeconomic level. It drives us to put somebody in the hospital over a difference in what team we cheer for.

Once we’ve drawn the line in the sand, the only options are fear, hatred, or indifference. We hate what is other. We fear what is unknown. We’re indifferent towards what is peripheral.

Of course, we know that compartmentalization is incompatible with authenticity and honesty. We know that labels are not godly, helpful, or accurate measures of humanity. We know that “Us vs. Them Mentality” has no place in Kingdom lifestyle. This is a great spot for that perfect Scripture one-liner, but in this case, it’d be impossible to include just one.

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” — Matthew 22:36–39

”Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands — remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” — Ephesians 2:11–14

”There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28

“And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” — Mark 2:15–16

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” — Revelation 7:9

I know we often skip over familiar Scriptures, but I encourage you to stop for a moment. Read these passages. Dwell on what they mean for our life. For our faith. For our politics. There are countless more Scriptural examples of prioritizing others, the beauty of diversity, and our oneness in Christ. But, when we are led by our flesh instead of the Spirit, we open ourselves to this vicious cycle deception.

So, what’s the solution? I believe that it’s possible to find clarity amidst the mess and heal the divide between faith and politics if we would live by a few simple truths.

Jesus Transcends Politics

Sometimes, it’s important to state the obvious: Jesus does not belong to your political party. Jesus isn’t a Democrat, and He isn’t a Republican either. Why can I say that with confidence? Because our human-made political spectrum cannot contain Jesus Christ.

This narrative has become a broken record: we disagree, we choose sides, and we both try to yell, “you’re wrong!” louder than the other. Yet, we fail to see that in our fixation on the “other,” we create for ourselves a ditch of arrogance. It’s not a “Them” problem — it’s a “Me” problem. Meanwhile, Jesus walks a middle way of love that so transcends the ditches we’ve created. He’s inviting you and me to join Him in this middle way.

This isn’t to say that Jesus is apolitical. I used to believe that wholeheartedly. However, Jesus is simply apolitical when it comes to 21stcentury, American political labels. Jesus is certainly political in the sense that He has announced the arrival of a Kingdom. In fact, the central message of the New Testament is that the Kingdom of God has been inaugurated by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, is being established in and through God’s people, and will be fulfilled one day through a New Heaven and New Earth. Jesus simply transcends our understanding of what politics is and what it can be.

This truth provides us with immeasurable clarity. When Jesus becomes our lens for all of life — including politics — everything changes. When Jesus is our life source — when we allow our faith to inhabit our politics — we find that loving those we disagree with is not only possible, but preferable. Compartmentalization becomes an illegitimate way of life. We can let go of the divisive labels that have plagued our political landscape. We can choose to erase the lines we’ve created and reclaim our “Us vs. Them” thinking patterns. John 13:35 says this, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Political opinions are not exemptions.

Human Politics are a Dim Reflection of the Kingdom

Sorry to break it to you, Friend-of-a-Friend-I’ve-Never Met, but it turns out that your political opinion does reflect your relationship with God. For if humanity was created to praise God, steward His creation, and claim it for His glory (see Genesis 1:28) so that one day the Kingdom of God would be established as a New Heaven and New Earth become one (see Revelation 21–22), then all human political structures are, in fact, reflections of our vocational call from God to be Kingdom people. These reflections are dim, seeing as much evil has been produced from human politics, but they are reflections nonetheless.

If this supposition is true, it would change the way we perceive politics itself. Allow me to offer a radical idea… There are right-wing ideas that wonderfully reflect the Kingdom of God, and there are also right-wing ideas that do not honor God. Likewise, there are left-wing ideas that wonderfully reflect the Kingdom of God, and there are also left-wing ideas that do not honor God. Extreme statements and beliefs about the “other side” neglect the wonderful Kingdom reflections that both possess.

You might be thinking, “Calm down, Graydon. You’ve had a little too much coffee to drink today.” But I’m willing to bet that’s the “Us vs. Them Mentality” talking.

Allow me to offer another radical idea… this means that government can be good. The backdrop of Separation of Church and State has influenced us to consider these two entities to be foes. To be certain, Christians are called to influence the public sphere and produce change without government assistance. But arguments such as, “taking care of the poor is the church’s job, not the governments!” are simply out-of-tune. Next fiscal year, the U.S. Government is estimated to pay over $2.8 trillion dollars to fund welfare programs, social security, Medicaid, and Medicare. With an estimated 384,000 church congregations in America, that would equate to a contribution of $7.4 million per congregation. For context, the average yearly income per American congregation is just $450,000. Yikes. Perhaps rather than constantly complain of the government, we should be thankful for its dim reflection of the Kingdom and apply our energy towards increasing its clarity.

Jesus-Followers Belong in Politics

Incredible things can happen when authentic Jesus-followers merge their faith and politics and enter into the political system armed with passion and conviction. William Wilberforce, one of my personal heroes, is a perfect example of this principle.

When Wilberforce decided to give his life to Jesus in his early twenties, he almost gave up his parliamentary seat. In late 18thcentury England, political office was not viewed as an opportunity to “serve the people.” Parliament was an openly self-interested lot, as well as openly anti-Methodism, the new, radical branch of Christianity that Wilberforce had embraced. He thought it would be best to leave politics and pursue a career in the clergy. However, instead of leaving politics, Wilberforce felt that God may desire him to stay and use his platform to bring Kingdom values into British society. The result? Wilberforce led a 20-year fight that resulted in the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. Not only that, but after achieving the near impossible, he then led a 26-year fight for the emancipation of all slaves in the British Empire, ending in 1833.

Imagine if Wilberforce had left politics for full-time ministry. He might have given many great sermons. He probably would have written compelling arguments about the injustice of slavery. But it’s hard to imagine the incredible change occurring quite like it did.

If we want our world to experience all of the life, joy, and hope that Jesus brings (which you should) then we need Jesus-loving men and women who are deeply involved in the political world. Don’t opt-out. Lean in, for the sake of the Kingdom.

What could happen if we rejected the compartmentalization, the labels, and the “Us vs. Them Mentality” that so plagues our political framework? And I’m not referring to a return to our heritage as a Christian nation that so many mythologize. I’m talking about a much more complex alternative.

What if we, the ones who are secure in Jesus’ Kingship and know His heart to transform the earth, led the way in unity, respect, love, and conversation within American politics? What if we dared to merge our political beliefs with the person of Jesus, no exceptions? What if we treated every person, no matter where they fall on our political spectrum, with self-giving, others-preferring love? What if we repented of the lines we’ve drawn and resolved to walk right past them? What if, in every step of this process, we let Jesus be King?

I think we’d experience a thin place between Heaven and Earth. And I think we’d enjoy Thanksgiving and Facebook a lot more.

The Apostle Paul appealed the Roman church in Romans 14:20a, “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.” Frankly, I’m worried that over the past few years, people of faith have destroyed the work of God, for the sake of politics. For the sake of being understood. For the sake of being right. For the sake of “winning” an election.

When arguments used to arise between my older sibling and I, my dad used to ask a simple, frustrating question: “What’s more important, people or things?” Every time, we sunk our heads, dejectedly recited the correct answer, and ceased fighting over lesser things. I think our culture needs a father’s admonition: “What’s more important, people or political opinions?” The answer is clear.

I hope you find a glimpse of hope in the midst of a sea of disillusionment, and that you would make that hope contagious among your sphere of influence. There is a Way back from the chasm of polarization — and His name is Jesus.

Graydon Jones is a Youth Pastor in Fort Worth, TX whose passion is Jesus, the Church, and discipling the next generation. He’s fascinated by the meeting of theology and the public sphere, and he hopes his writing encourages you and leaves you wanting more of Jesus.

Originally published at graydonhjones.strikingly.com.