The Politics of Christians and Politics
I believe the largest problem we face in the modern church, when it comes to actually engaging the political arena, is an accurate comprehension of authentic grace, as it applies to the dimension of civil justice. I can say, with reasonable authority, that few churches and church leaders seem to
accurately comprehend grace . [My brother, J. Chace Gordon, wrote an exceptional book on the subject, by the way.] The result of the church’s prevailing error concerning grace is a belief in what Finis Dake referred to as “super-grace” and “hyper-sovereignty” views, which are not in accord with the doctrines of Jesus Christ.
In short, there is a balance to be understood between the command to “turn the other cheek” and the promise that “the violent take it by force.” So often, even the good Christians who ARE politically engaged (God bless them all!) can’t seem to appropriately apply the warning of Ephesians 6:12, which says, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against…spiritual wickedness…etc.” This verse is used, very inappropriately to relegate OUR ENTIRE WARFARE to an 
EXCLUSIVELY SPIRITUAL ARENA. This is, of course, pure ERROR and lies at the very foundation of America’s one century of near-total neglect by the church. (When I read the old sermons once COMMONLY preached in this country more than one century ago and consider the very practical actions carried out by the congregants upon hearing such great truth…I weep.)
Understanding WHY the over-spiritualization of Ephesians 6:12 is contextually inappropriate provides the fundamental truth necessary for successful political activism.
If we are to succeed in politics, we MUST be able to clearly explain and apply the multiple New Testament commands to deal with flesh and blood problems with a very logical flesh and blood approach and do so with an accurate understanding of Ephesians 6:12. In short, Ephesians 6:12 was never meant to teach us to abdicate common sense and thereby neglect the natural world where ALL OF OUR BATTLES ARE REALIZED.
We were simply being admonished to fight our battles in BOTH dimensions, if we were to be truly successful!
In short, Paul, in Ephesians 6:12, reminded the believers in Ephesus that the ORIGIN of ALL their battles emanated FROM the spirit world. Clearly, the Ephesian people had erred as they waged their battle exclusively in the temporal world. This was a grave mistake that Paul wished for them to avoid in future battles. It was to be understood by the Ephesian congregation (and us) that the MANIFESTATION of that battle DID very much occur through, and in conjunction with, rebellious human beings. Our warfare was to include engagement in BOTH the temporal and the spiritual arena. Simple! Right? Well…apparently not simple enough for the church of our day.
What has the church done, particularly the Charismatic church? Most Christians seem to think praying is enough. Some think that voting is enough. I’m convinced that neither are entirely correct. Participation in a Republic such as ours requires much more than merely casting a simple vote once in a while. But don’t misunderstand me. Listen carefully! (If you aren’t biblically literate the next statement won’t make sense to you), ready? Here goes: “Prayer without votes is dead, being alone.”
Many have leaped from one ditch to another. All we need do is insert the contextually accurate word “only” when we read Ephesians 6:12: “…we do not wrestle [only] with flesh and blood.”
Consider the following analogy, with the hope that each would-be “political activist” in your fellowship will have a necessary paradigm shift BEFORE getting into the world of politics:
When I enter a military battle-field in the service of the United States Army, I also enter that battlefield “as unto the Lord” according to Romans chapter 13. I take a real gun, with real bullets (Romans 13 referred to a literal “sword”). I aim at terrorists with the intent to successfully kill them, NOT WITH THE INTENT TO GET THEM SAVED! The willingness of Christian soldiers to suit-up, leave their families behind, and head to war in Iraq, PRESERVES our ability, back in America, to enjoy a safe society where churches and individual Christians can evangelize the lost without unnecessary hindrances created by a lack of religious freedom.
Now, I will give you a little-known secret. Though no savvy politician will EVER admit this fact publicly, every savvy politician knows it is absolute truth, and the biblical record of history is replete with all the evidence necessary to constitute its proof. Moreover, every legitimate political science professor teaches their students this tacit fact:
Politics is simply “war without the bullets.”
If the political WAR is not properly managed, history has PROVEN that it will quickly become a WAR WITH BULLETS! (Just ask my friend, Bishop Mark Kariuki of Kenya.) Politics, which is a form of legitimate “warfare,” is NOT a place for the timid, mild-mannered, or even the “evangelistic” mind-set. Christian activists who cannot accept this fact need not waste their time (or ours) believing that they are “called to run for office.” Poor souls who cannot segregate the role of “evangelism” from the role of “war” do more harm in politics, than good. I could illustrate this with examples where the cause of Christ has suffered legitimate political set-backs at the hands of well-meaning ignorant Christians, but I digress.
Imagine with me… a real battlefield… with guns-a-blazing… (Can you see it in your mind?) Now, imagine some poor fool running across the “field of death” (having left his gun behind in the dirt), in a “faith-filled” attempt to hand-out a gospel tract. (Are you horrified or embarrassed yet?) Now, transfer that horrible imagery to the realm of politics… Can you see a lovely and well-meaning Christian trying to run for office, believing that “turn the other cheek” is the “appropriate Christian response” to a public campaign attack? Now you have an accurate picture of the same level of absurdity – transferred to a very similar battle-field of WAR.
Surely this imagery is sufficient? I’m chuckling right now, but I could get discouraged if I allowed myself to dwell on this issue too long. Christians waste time and money running for office when they don’t listen to this kind of instruction. We are not advocating “mud-slinging” and/or “dishonesty”, but simply rebuffing the wrong idea that “Christians should never give a terse response” of truth to public evil. The fact remains that Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, John, etc. each exchanged fierce words in a public forum when it was necessary.
AND IT IS NECESSARY!
They embarrassed and publicly shamed wicked men, calling them out by name – even pointing at them while rebuking them. My point is this: if they found it necessary to do this in a primarily religious field, we must realize the greater inevitability of fierce verbal exchanges in the political field. Politics is WAR WITHOUT LITERAL BULLETS! So what replaces the literal bullets in politics? SPOKEN AND WRITTEN WORDS!
Entering politics with the handicap of an ill-trained and overly sensitive conscience (formed in ignorance of biblical justice) is the equivalent of deciding to become a professional boxer and refusing to hit anyone when in the ring…because…you’re a Christian. It’s weird! It’s embarrassing! It’s flaky and unintelligent! Listen, if you already know that your conscience won’t allow you to strike someone, then don’t join a boxing club and harm the reputation of the rest of us who attend your church on Sunday! Contrary to popular opinion, public credibility is worth the reasonable efforts of protection. Maintaining public credibility does play a role in successful evangelism, according to the principle of 1 Corinthians 14:23. What do we glean after reading that verse? Well, let me put it this way: it is very difficult to lead someone to Jesus who secretly believes you’re the “village idiot.”
Publicly announcing that you’re a “Christian candidate,” and projecting the attitude that “I’m more timid and meek and Christ like than my opponent” might score points in the proverbial “reverse-pride contest” at your church, but you will lose your election, and it makes the work of politics that much harder for the rest of us who need public credibility so we can garner votes. People who write law should be as unwavering in their temperament as the police officer who enforces them after they’re written. The public-at-large may not consciously know that, but they do know it instinctively. So please…if… you’re soft, and you know it…clap your hands…[clap clap]! But don’t do anything in politics beyond faithfully voting and praying for those in authority. Fair enough? If you do believe you’re called to enter this arena, in any capacity beyond simply praying and voting, then I have a word for you: “Toughen-up! No sissies allowed! Think like a soldier!”
When we succeed in the WAR of politics, we cunningly undermine and remove the physical human beings who taunt God every time they pass a new man-created “law”…and by doing so, we PRESERVE the ability of our local churches to successfully evangelize. This is, after all, the ultimate point of political activism for a Christian warrior! Here’s what a God-fearing and Bible-believing activist needs to do: 1) Identify and isolate the “enemy target” recognizing that said enemy will be both a flesh and blood human being, as well as an influence-e of the spiritual world. 2) Use the power of prayer against his ungodly spiritual motivations. 3) Use the power of reason and expression to RUIN his credibility with the voters as a legitimate law-maker.
Diplomacy? Yes! Courtesy? Of course. Graceful? When appropriate. Just remember this: diplomacy is the soft clean cloth that is used to keep your “gun” clean. Courtesy is the cleaning agent applied to the cloth. Grace, is the ability to ready and aim your weapon with skill. The time WILL COME when you MUST fire that gun! This is war with verbal “bullets!” Remember? What is your primary weapon? Spoken and written words!
With this very crude battlefield analogy, I have just explained the rationale for Christians to get into politics, in the light of 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Salvation of souls is directly connected to political stability. If this were not true, then Paul would not have told non-citizens of Rome (who weren’t allowed to vote or be activists as we are privileged in America) to, at the very least…PRAY for the political arena and make it their top priority!
There is a grace from God for bringing the ministry of reconciliation to the world, but there is ALSO a special grace given to men who are called to operate in the Romans 13 arena of the ministry of retribution, and that wonderful grace can and must be applied to the arena of civil justice.
