Politics Today

I got an urgent email from someone in our church who is dismayed over the current debate raging in our land and wanted some advice. I will not mention her name or what side of the debate she felt she was on. Her questions were legitimate and passionate, and I felt I needed to respond right away.  I spent so much time in responding that I just had to find another use for what I wrote, thus this post.  Let me know what you think, as I hope she will as well.  Here goes.

Dear,

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:1-3).

Thanks for writing me at this point in your life and congratulations on your new position.  How cool is that?  God has opened a door for you and I am glad you are there to represent the Kingdom of God in your daily work.

God used politics to bring me to Him and then shut the door.  I dreamed of going into politics, but God gave me a better job and career, and I have never looked back.

I am always amazed that Jesus came while a corrupt, despotic dictator ruled the world.  Not once did He address the political ills of His world.  In fact, when before Pilate in John 19, He said He was more upset with what Judas had done than with Pilate who had the authority to kill Him (and would soon give the order; see John 19:8-11). 

We are a curious mix of politics and "religion" in this country and it has always been so.  That, combined our value of free speech and with an explosion of free-speech platforms via the Internet, has given rise to a host of experts on both sides who tell us what is right and wrong. You have heard many of those voices.  Therefore, it is important to hear His voice in the midst of the mob, and my focus in these days has been Micah 6:8:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

I had a wise man tell me once that we should not be Republicans or Democrats but speak as the people of God prophetically to both camps, for they are both flawed systems filled with people who need to repent.  I have heeded his advice, developed my personal values and sought to walk them out in the world (not just this country) as God has given me the chance.

So my dear sister, my advice, which may indeed disappoint you, is to chill out, go do your job, do it very well unto the Lord, be true to your personal governing values, your God and your church, listen to everyone and no one and be compassionate to all, whether whining liberals or arrogant conservatives.  That has been my philosophy and it has worked pretty well for me.

Feel free to respond and to accept or reject all or any part of what I wrote with which you may disagree.  You won't hurt my feelings, for I realize that these issues are very contentious and urgent at this moment. I learned a long time ago, however, that we are not here to represent our government, I am here to represent my God and His government. His government is not of this world and truly does focus more on love, compassion and service.  Is it fair to say that we have a higher calling?

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13).

In Him,

Pastor John

Comments

[Ron Beckman]

Dear John,
Since you asked for a response to what you wrote ... here it is. I don't know what side of the issues this woman's represented, or even what those issues were. Indeed that is not germane to the over all core message that you seem to be putting forward. That message, if I understood you correctly, was to back off. I think you phrased it "to chill out." You prefaced your opinion with scripture about Jesus before Pilot and how unconcerned he was in politics.
I do not agree with your conclusion, nor do I think that Jesus life and involvement or noninvolvement should be an example for us today. I realize some would take great issue with my stating this. But, let me explain my thoughts in this regard.
Jesus came to this earth with a very unique mission. No one else will ever come to earth with that same mission. After all He accomplished His work and now sits on the throne. We do share in doing His work or maybe more precisely, using and applying the authority He reclaimed. You are correct that he didn't concern Himself with politics. But, I believe that was true because or the narrow confines of what he specifically needed to accomplish. One could note that Jesus also didn't concern Himself with science, or with mathematics, or with economics, or with construction, or engineering, or shipbuilding. But would you counsel a Christian to not concern themselves with those areas because Jesus never did? You mentioned to this woman that she should just go do her job (to which she was newly promoted) and to "chill out". What job is it that she does? Did Jesus concern Himself with that line of work in which she presently is employed? Probably not! But that would not be a reason for her to not be doing it.
It seems to me, that many people are of the opinion that Christians should be above the political fray, and only involve themselves in the higher calling of "Christian" work.
I am not of that opinion. I think what you said about listening to all individual was good advise and that we need to be compassionate to all. Well, put. But I also think that we should be educated and well informed concerning issues of the day and that we should be involved politically. You also are correct that we need to come from a Christian world view and with an understanding that these things, no matter how presently important, are temporal. There is a bigger picture. Yet at the same time, these may very well be a time of demarcation. This could be a day where we as a country will go in one direction or the other, and the consequences quite different.
I for one am glad that the founding fathers of our country didn't just chill out back in the 1770s. I am glad that they were passionately involved in the issues of that day. I am grateful that they leapt into the political arena and immersed themselves into politics. I think that even with a cursory and rudimentary look into history will convince one that God used America to greatly bless its citizens and even the world. What if those men had just "chilled out"? You are a precious brother and certainly God has blessed you with great wisdom. But in this regard, I cannot be in agreement with you.
Sincerely,
Ron Beekman

[Tom]

When our heavenly Father brought Jesus Christ into my life, He delivered me from so many sins; one was total cynicism regarding politics. However, it is how we humans relate to each other through the use of power, rather than love and mercy. But at my age, I agree that to render on to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s is really the best advice.

Warmest Blessings
Your Brother in Christ,

Tom