Politics

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

                           Matthew 28:18

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

                           Daniel 2:21

The political aspect of my Facebook feed increased dramatically following the swell of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests that resulted from the George Floyd murder, and continues at the same or perhaps even an accelerated pace the closer we get to the election. As I’ve written before, I tend to abstain from posting anything political because I am less than equipped to argue or defend my position, and it would be ridiculous to do so on social media, because it’s…well, social media and the internet and you can never win an argument or change someone’s mind on social media. It’s simply not worth the headache.

However, some of the points that both sides (let’s go with progressives and conservatives, which tends to translate into Democrats and Republicans, respectively, but I’m not getting political right now, even though that’s the title of this devotional) of the socio-political spectrum make sense. Regarding immigration, I’ll see Bible verses from one side: “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19) and “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35). You’ll also see the contrasting verse that calls for the obeying of the law: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1). On the topic of the protests, I saw posts that stated that Jesus supported peaceful protests by citing the example of when Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple (Matthew 25:12), and in support of the call of “Black Lives Matter”, people used the example of the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18). Countering the latter, I saw posts like “Two thousand years ago, Jesus ended the debate on which lives matter. He died for all.”

And then there’s the issue of politics, with citations about biblical character, morals, and leadership qualities, or lack thereof, in our current commander-in-chief, again from people on both extremes of the political spectrum, with a lack of voice from the moderates, all peppering my Facebook feed.

If you’re like me, though you long for a world in which things can be black and white and operate best in such an environment, you see 62 shades of grey in virtually every situation. I see applicability of most of the examples that I listed above, and agree with them, to a large degree, even those who seemingly contradict each other. And because I can see those variations, it’s difficult for me to take a stance on a topic, and I’m left a bit confused and concerned as to the correct side to take. What adds to that unease is the loudest voices of my progressive friends are of those who are retired ministers and church laity—does their involvement in the church make them more “right” than anyone else? What is the Church’s stance on social and political issues? Should there even be a stance?

I’ve pondered this question so many times, and have prayed about it a couple of times, longing for an answer. I was pleased to hear an answer this past Sunday, in a sermon I heard at the church I attended with my in-laws. My in-laws live in Frankfort, Kentucky, the state capital, where politics is a way of life. The pastor felt called to preach a series on the topic, and titled his sermon “Politics v Faith”. I listened raptly, as this seemed to be an answered prayer. He started off explaining that he was confident that one week he could explain how the Republican party was the party of Jesus, from its policies and programs, and the next week he could preach the same about the Democrats. He said that both sides choose scriptures that support their platform or agenda as well as getting Jesus “on their side” (Amen!). He then gently suggested that instead of starting with an agenda and fitting Jesus into it, we should start with Jesus, regardless of where that takes us. He reminded us of what Paul tells us in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, as well as what he said in his letter to the Corinthians: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Christ should be the source of our decisions and voting habits. He exhorted his flock to have their faith inform their politics rather than their politics inform their faith. He also shared a quote by Tony Evans, a popular pastor and author: “Jesus did not come to take sides. He came to take over.” Lord Jesus didn’t come to set up anything that would support your political position or mine; He came to “set up a kingdom that is infinitely more important than anything we fight about here.” The pastor also said that “it’s foolish for the Church to be divided over political issues or any political party, because one day, those parties will all be dead and Jesus will be still be king.”

Friends, we are called to be different than the world; we are called to be the salt and the light in this world. We need to remember that we while we are in this world, we are not of this world—our citizenship resides elsewhere. Let us show the world what it truly means to follow Jesus—to have Him lead us into all truth. Seek to understand how the Lord will have you think, act, and vote on key social and political issues, and how the Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth.

 Prayer Requests

·      For the Santillano family in their upcoming PCS to Washington, DC, and for their family who will remain in the San Antonio area

·      For those families whose children are starting new chapters in their lives, from kindergarten to college

·      For those who are lost right now—may we be lights that shine as beacons to them

·      For pastors and leaders in the church, as we experience inevitable change with the pending [tremendous] absence of the Santillanos, the resumption of our in-person services, and whatever other changes we may encounter

So, I am not 100% sure if I have a fully informed understanding of my original question, as far as the Church proper goes. However, since we are the Church, figuratively, I have the answer I was seeking for me. I’d be curious to know your thoughts on the matter as well.

Quotes

“There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.             C.S. Lewis

“Why do bad things happen to good people? That happened once, and He volunteered.”    R.C. Sproul, Jr.