“I say, your faith must govern your politics, or you can’t really call yourself a “Christian”. If your politics cause you to do something that Christ would not do…you have violated those limits.”

This is the perfect lead-in to the next leg of this conversation. The rub with mixing faith and politics is not in the idea that a person’s faith should determine political positions. I don’t think any person of faith has a beef with that. The rub is that people who share the same Savior can differ drastically on how to apply their faith to societal issues as Jesus might. For instance, in November, 2008, I had many passionately committed Christian friends who were sincerely trying to discern how to vote in the presidential election. Although they all would agree, almost categorically, on important spiritual issues, they came out on both sides of the vote. I think it’s a good assumption that we could translate this reality across the entire country: followers of Jesus agree that their their faith should determine their political stance, but they can’t agree on what is good and what is bad when it comes to our country’s approach to governing. If government policy was left totally in the hands of Jesus’ followers, we would still have conflict and disagreement.

This tension goes way back, but it didn’t always exist.  Originally, in the Garden of Eden, humans were content to know God and to allow Him to determine what was good for them. It was a paradise where, as far as our first ancestors knew, it was “all good.” They didn’t even have a definition of good because they had no knowledge of it or its opposite. They were just immersed in God’s goodness like a goldfish in water. But Adam and Eve were coaxed into believing that life would be better if their eyes could be opened, making them like God, knowing good and evil. With the first bite of that tempting fruit, mankind went on a compulsive binge to place everything into one of two categories: good or evil. It made us binary thinkers. Since that moment, the power of discerning good from evil has given us the sensation of being God-like and has made our individual interpretations of good and evil sacred and superior in our own eyes. Now, when I, with great conviction, determine something is evil, and you, with equally great conviction, determine it as good, there is a great crash of wills that often results in conflict. That conflict has a tendency to lead us to being judgmental toward those who don’t see it our way. And judgment can lead to all kinds of evil. That is the essence of the Fall of Man, and that is the tension we feel deeply in every aspect of life.

If you read the Story laid out in the scriptures, it doesn’t take long to get the idea that God was frustrated and challenged by our inability to avoid this tension.  One of the first accounts of a human relationship sees Cain killing his brother, Abel, over conflict resulting from Cain misinterpreting what was right. And it seems to go downhill from there. Later in Genesis, God, in his disappointment over Man’s tendency to see evil as good, destroys everyone but Noah and his family, hoping for a pure re-do. Then He reaches out to Abraham to offer a new promise of life where relationship-with-God once again is to override Man’s obsession with good and bad.

Man still doesn’t get it, but now that God made a promise, He is determined to keep it. So He helps Moses deliver His people from slavery in Egypt and sends them packing for the Promised Land. One of His first orders of business is to give in to His people’s lust for definition of good-and-bad in a way that still maintains His plan and will. Laws are born! Through the Ten Commandments, God shares with Man a glimpse of good and bad from His perspective. He also provides a constant reminder, through the Law, that we can’t earn Heavenly royalty and relationship through the Law. The Law becomes (and continues to be) a guide to inject Godly good into society, and soon godly judges are called to help people responsibly live out the law in the way God intended. The Judicial System is born! It was meant to direct Man toward good as God conceived it.

And then, because God’s people still don’t get it, they demand that the judges, by way of Samuel, give them a king (1 Sam 10:19). I have a feeling that God is seeing a trend here, again, and gives the people their way while still trying to use the situation to steer them toward His view of what is good. When Samuel sees Saul for the first time, God tells him “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.” And the first example of the Executive Branch of government is born! Saul is anointed with the task of representing God’s character in the ongoing tension of right and wrong that will inevitably bring conflict among God’s people.

All of that history points out that, while He preferred a different existence for us, God has establish different elements of government in order to lead us to awareness and expression of His goodness in our world.  Scripture speaks to this many times. Government is not inherently an enemy, but is meant as one way through which God can be revealed to many people who have different ideas on good, and evil. Government mediates the conflict that was brought on by The Fall.

In this framework we see why politics is inevitable and vital. As long as massive groups of people are setting up governments and determining good and bad for themselves and others, balance is needed. Politics is the societal process of finding the proper balance within the governments God has allowed to exist. While there are many interpretations of good and bad, the idea that we can pursue a proper balance assumes that the picture of God’s brand of goodness is the goal for society. This is where our heavenly Kingdom and our nation overlap.  Followers of Jesus are called to influence the American framework of government to reflect the goodness that God intended for all people and for all of His creation. We are to be agents of balance, where balance reflects Kingdom values.

In a pluralistic government such as ours, the government wasn’t established to force a particular balance. It was crafted so that anyone is free to influence that balance. Followers of Jesus, followers of L. Ron Hubbard and followers of No One are equally invited to participate in the process of finding balance within government at all levels. Our country is beautifully open to the influence of its citizens, no matter what their background or philosophy of life is. Christians are part of this equation, but are not given any more weight or authority than any other group in the mix. It is up to us to create that weight and authority by actively engaging in the process. We can bring the proper balance by representing the goodness of God and His Kingdom and by refusing to resort to any actions or means that do not reflect God’s goodness.

In order to be a influence for the common good, as God sees it, we first of all need to know God and His character. We need to have a good feel for citizenship in His Kingdom and a sense for how to respond when the borders of His Kingdom and this fallen one don’t line up. God’s goodness has to be such a part of us that we act out of it, and lean toward it, no matter what else opposes us or tempts us.

We also need to know the difference between bad and evil.  An outcome of the Fall is that even we Jesus-followers disagree on which political policies and approaches are good ones and which are bad ones.  We have been given the freedom to interpret a political philosophy or method as bad, but too often we judge those who embrace the “bad” political stances to be evil. When it comes to politics, bad does not always equal evil, yet we are quick to villainize those who disagree with us politically, even if they share citizenship in the Kingdom. A Kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Because of The Fall we followers of Jesus may choose different approaches to influence our world for the common good, but we cannot fall to the temptation to judge as evil those believers who don’t share our political approach.

A more useful way for Christians to influence our nation will come out of a better understanding of rights and liberty, as God sees them. Just as government attempts to mediate differing views of good and evil, an understanding of true freedom and rights should mediate poitical differences among those who are called to represent Jesus in this nation. We will get to that in the next two posts.  Stay tuned. In the meantime I invite your comments and conversations.

Bloggers note: The opinions in this blog do not represent an official position of Park St. Brethren Church. They are correct, but they are my opinions, not necessarily the church’s.   Also, when I refer to “Church” from now on, I am referring to the whole community of Jesus-followers, not a particular congregation or organization of believers.

Over the past year, ever since the Presidential Primaries, I have become more and more frustrated and disappointed with the political landscape in America. Along with that comes a similar frustration with the Christian Community and its general confusion about the roles of government and Church.  Last night I was listening to both sides of the debate on the “Cap and Trade” bill and my frustration came to a hard boil as I realized how badly we’re missing the point of government in America. I feel like the beauty of the Constitution, and its foundations, are slipping away and that we will never be able to restore it. I also feel like the beauty of the Gospel, and its power that is independent of national boundaries, is being misrepresented and placed in a cage. Both of these prospects bring great sadness and discouragement to my heart.

As I’ve listened to Christian young adults’ views on government, as they relate to faith and life in America, it has occurred to me that most of you are sincere in wanting to live out your faith in a Godly way in all areas of life and there is a new “passive activism” among you. The activist part shows a heart-felt interest in areas of justice, compassion and renewal in society. The passive part is that you haven’t always invested yourselves in seeking out an understanding of the foundations of Christianity and American government to grasp the complexities and hard work that go along with becoming Christian-Americans with influence. In my opinion, this passive activism is resulting in a handing-over of our God-given role to others whose motives aren’t the same.

There are many people who lack the nerve to mix politics and religion. Some think that Jesus’ lack of direct teaching on the mix sets an example for us to be silent as well. I am compelled to believe that much of his silence was not a signal to keep silent on the mix, but more a sign that He saw all parts of life as related to all other parts. Too many specifics from Him defining separate roles of politics and spirituality would make them seem too disconnected.  I believe that His silence gives us a chance to freely represent him within the messy stew of politics and religion that changes with each age and form of government.

Others are too eager to directly link American political patriotism to Jesus.  Because America has been known as a culturally Christian nation, Americanism and Christianity have become interchangeable for some. Some preachers and authors confuse the two and make Jesus out to be an American.  Other editorialists and politicians use Jesus as the poster child for their programs and positions without really embracing the heart of His message.

Over the next two weeks I need to seek some balance and bedrock in this mess. I want to invite you along in the process as I think aloud.  I believe that there are a few areas where politics and our faith have t0 coexist.  I believe that we spiritual people are called to be political as well when it comes to some very key ideals. I want to put it out there right now that the two, politics and Christianity, come together in a place called liberty (a.k.a freedom). If we understand the spiritual source of this ideal, we will understand our political role in the world. A shared understanding of liberty should unite the Church in its political sense of direction and should make activism not only social but spiritual…and never passive. If young adults can begin to grasp the idea of liberty from God’s perspective, mission and activism will go hand in hand.

Here are some themes I’m going to dice up in the next two weeks:

Good vs. Bad vs. Evil - Before the Fall it was “all good.” The Fall opened a tendency in us to categorize everything into two basic groups: good and bad.  As each of us is decides for ourselves what is good and bad, it creates conflict between us when we don’t agree. When this conflict is left to its own, it’s the seed of all kinds of evil. Laws and governments exist to mediate these conflicts. Politics is about bringing balance to these laws and governments for the common good. Politics is unavoidable.

Rights vs. Privileges – Rights come from God. They define the things in life that He has provided for all people everywhere. They remain the same no matter how a government interprets them or ignores them.  They are not subject to people’s preferences. Privileges are the things in life that we are permitted to enjoy. They can change based on circumstances. They can be given and taken away. We become disappointed when we confuse rights and privileges.

Freedom and Liberty - Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Freedom and liberty are the states of being 100% able to pursue what is good in life.  Since the Fall has created conflict between people and groups as to what is “good,” God’s brand of freedom calls on us to look out for other people’s rights, not our own. When we reverse the Fall and act on behalf of others’ freedom, our motives are redeemed and good emerges.  The problem is that those that aren’t playing by the same rules create conflict for those who are selflessly looking out for others. While those people can take away our privileges, they can’t kill our freedom. This kind of freedom changes worlds. This is the ideal upon which the Gospel is based and our country was founded.

I hope you’ll be patient and process these ideals with me. I look forward to tons of conversation!