The unholy mixture of politics and Christianity

It should be apparent that politics is a secular endeavor, riddled with lies, corruption, and greed. The United States is no exception to this rule. There is nothing particularly grand about the shenanigans required to get elected, whether that is smearing your opponent or selling your soul for campaign contributions. There is certainly nothing sacred about it.

Make no mistake - the Lord does not care what candidate or political party you vote for. There is no political scorecard in the eyes of God. Anyone who suggests otherwise is not led by the Holy Spirit.

Some Christian leaders cannot resist the temptation to mix the sacred and the profane. They stand in the house of God and preach the inherent goodness of a political ideology and imply that God will treat your vote as an act of faith. Neither are true.

There is a thoughtful piece by Mark Deymaz in the Christian Post about the issue.

And therein lies the problem: the deep animus between American Evangelicals (or more specifically Evangelicals "...for whom American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life") and an otherwise secular society. Sadly the hostility is today harming our collective cause, hurting our witness, and hindering Gospel advance which is, after all, the very real purpose and mission of the Church.

Make no mistake, when winning or losing on one issue or another becomes more important than representing Christ well via social media, demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit in civil discourse, or remembering that we have been called to make disciples of all men (Republicans and Democrats, alike), Christ is not honored. 

To be clear I am not at all suggesting that Evangelicals should refrain from political debate, social engagement, or running for office. I am suggesting that such involvement is more a civil right afforded to us as Americans than a biblical one; and that we should understand it as so. In other words political victories should not be publicly construed as spiritual, or necessarily moral, in a non-theocratic republic. The continued blurring of this line is not leading to more people being saved, but less; not to more people being attracted to our message but repelled by it; not to more people coming into the church but avoiding it altogether. 

It is true. When we wallow in the divisive muck of partisan politics, we stop serving Christ. We are privileged to have the freedom to participate in the process but must remain vigilant to separate the sacred and the profane.

There is also a mindset problem when you believe that "American politics and patriotism are the center of Christianity, at least as communicated in public life." Sorry but Christ is not at the heart of American politics and nationalism. If waging political war is central to Christianity, then the body of Christ will wither.

What is particularly unsettling to me is the sight of Christian leaders singing the praises of politicians that promote greed, materialism, war, vengeance, contempt for the poor, and the desecration of God's creation. Those are from Mammon, not God. You cannot reconcile those attitudes and beliefs with the teachings of Christ. In fact, when I see politicians championing greed, violence, and self-centeredness, I refuse to believe they are Christians. When I see pastors and other Christian leaders telling me it is my sacred duty to support politicians that serve the rich and increase the suffering of the poor, I have to fight the urge to throw up.

The comments to this article were telling. Most defended the mixing of politics and Christianity rather than taking the concerns raised by the author to heart. In their mind, Christians are being forced to do something immoral in our society. For example, the Hobby Lobby case is treated as if good Christians like the Green family were being forced to cover contraceptive methods that they considered immoral. The Greens were not forced to use these forms of contraception; neither were their employees. Imagine if the Greens had raised their concerns about these contraceptives and encouraged their employees not to take them even though they are legal in our secular society rather than fighting a multi-million dollar legal campaign to exempt themselves from the law.

Paraphrasing Deymaz, political victories are not spiritual or even moral victories. We have the luxury to participate fully in our society's political process as Christians. Christ, not political ideology, should be the focus of our concern. When politics become divisive to the body of Christ, then it is time to throw out the politics. Think of it as divorce from unholy matrimony.

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Today I Give Thanks for a reminder of the past uncovered deep from beneath the street. A lot of time and energy went into crafting that old brick storm drain.