Don't mix politics and religion?

They say don’t discuss religion and politics. Politicians are increasingly using religion to justify their policies. The Church has a clear mandate to promote social justice. Bishops are members of the house of Lords. The Kingdom of God is above every nation.

I want to examine in this blog if, when and how the Church and Christians should get involved in politics.

Jesus preached the Gospel, Gospel literally means good news. But the Greek word it came from euangelion was originally used in the 1st Century to announce the arrival of a new emperor. Good news Ceaser is the new leader. Good news it’s Ceaser’s birthday.

This is an inscription found on a stone tablet in Priene, now Turkey but then an ancient Greek city inscribed around 9 BC. So before Jesus, this was an official document aligning the local calendar with the Roman calendar.

Since Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good news [εὐαγγέλιον] for the world that came by reason of him,” which Asia resolved in Smyrna.

That definitely has echos of Biblical writing, some people actually believe that it inspired the first part of Mark’s Gospel.

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the good news [εὐαγγέλιον]  about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

This language isn’t coincidental it was deliberately chosen to echo political literature of the time. Jesus came to offer a new type of hope, hope that politicians couldn’t offer. Christians must realise that the Kingdom of Heaven will never be fully restored through worldly governments, but it will be restored through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

But does that mean Christians should just ignore political debates?

Let’s start by looking at Jesus’s involvement with politics. The headline here is Jesus didn’t endorse politicians or parties but he was very political in his message. Love your neighbour is a political statement, if we look at Jesus’s message and indeed the Bible there is a golden thread of social justice running throughout it. Championing the oppressed, cheering for the underdog, promoting radical inclusion.

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." — Matthew 20:25-2

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." — Luke 4:18

Matthew 25

 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Get your head round that, treat the weakest as you would treat Jesus. If as someone in power you expect people to treat you better than the cleaner, you’re missing Jesus.

Help the poor, clothe the naked, welcome the foreigner, feed the hungry, love your enemy are all commandments Jesus explicitly gives us. Yet somehow many Christians act very differently.

The group Christians for social action ask a few key questions on their website.

·       How did helping the poor become so politicized?

·       How did accepting the foreigner and outcast become so debatable?

·       How did providing aid to the poor become so objectionable?

·       How did welcoming refugees become so argumentative?

·       How did providing hope and assistance to immigrants become so divisive?

·       How did things like justice, equality, and charity become so contentious?

·       How did Christianity become so un-Christlike?

Are these political statements? Well perhaps they shouldn’t be, but when you have politicians deporting migrants and shooting people trying to provide hope to migrants these become political statements.

Unconditional and extravagant love is the Gospel, the Pharisees and the leaders that Jesus butted heads with didn’t see that, for them imposing power through a strict moral code was more important. Is this sounding familiar?

I think so much of the Church has gone back to this way of thinking.

Jesus had one very famous conversation with a  political leader which is useful here:

John 6:

28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

Jesus didn’t antagonise Pilate, but spoke honestly. He said that he is a King but not of this world. His kingdom is above that of Pilate. His purpose is to testify the truth. Pilate may not have known the truth, but we know the truth is the good news of the gospel that all are loved extravagantly and unconditionally by Jesus who is God.

We should follow the laws of the land we live in, we should pay our taxes. But Jesus was executed because he stood up to political leaders in defence of the weak. Because they saw him a threat to their power structure.

I don’t see how as someone who aspires to be Christ like you can ignore the plight of the weak and oppressed and say none of my business. That’s politics, we shouldn’t get involved in that.

So from what I see in the Bible, Jesus didn’t want political power, in fact he actively avoided it. He didn’t endorse any politicians in particular but he was political in his message and he wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to the powerful and to protect and give hope to the oppressed.

If Jesus was in Minesota in the last few weeks, would he be the armed masked agent ripping apart families, instilling fear into communities? Or would he be more like Reneé Good and Alex Pretti, defending the marginalised and standing up to the powerful. Putting his own body on the line, risking his own life to protect others?

We read earlier that Jesus said how you treat the weakest in society is how you treat me. Politicians have deported Jesus from the country and sadly also from their hearts.

I do think it’s crucial that there is a separation between church and state. Politicans should run the country, pastors should focus on loving people. The most damaging shifts in church theology have been caused by the powerful using the Gospel to increase their own power. It never ends well when a religious body tries to be the government.

My own idea of how I personally approach this, is I will give my thoughts in a personal capacity on politicians and their policies. I’ll happily say who I’ll vote for and explain my reasons. But I’ll never say this is who God thinks you should or shouldn’t vote for. The church shouldn’t endorse or otherwise politicians.

But what the Church should do, must do, is what Jesus did and speak out in defence of the weak and powerless who are loved and valued by God equally as the strong and powerful. Especially when the powerful use Christ’s name to do things that are clearly not Christlike. If that’s mixing religion and politics then that’s OK because that’s what Jesus did.

If you don’t like it when people challenge power and stand up for the weak then I don’t think you’d have liked Jesus.