Politics: Our Past

1880 Republican National Convention

Part two of a series. Read part one here.    

The beliefs and practices of the Church of God did not arise out of a vacuum. Nor are they static. Our unique perspectives and contributions to the larger Body of Christ come out of very specific circumstances and times which have shaped us immensely. Despite what some might want to believe, our positions have evolved over time, some for the better, some for worse. Nevertheless, understanding where we were will not only help us make sense of today, but will enable us to better assess whether we have truly lost something in our development. If we have changed, is it because of theological engagement or accommodation to the pressures of the times?

Politics was not a preoccupation of our movement’s founders. With the United States still reeling from the aftermath of the Civil War, there were no illusions about whether the political system could solve the bitterly divisive issues of the day. Instead, the hope of the quick return of Christ focused their efforts on building the Kingdom and the new vision of the church that had captivated their imaginations.

The evidence from the Gospel Trumpet over the first few decades is that political topics were seldom addressed. When they were, it was usually because of questions submitted by readers, many of whom were trying to resolve the secular landscape with holiness. Publication authors were clear, however, that we had no business participating in the systems of the world. Politics was seen as worldly, and not something to which we should give much attention.

Let us examine some prominent examples of what was taught (all emphases mine).

In the early years, politics (including voting) was looked down upon. E. E. Byrum wrote:

If he will search the word and ask the direction of God, and follow it, he will find that the whole political party business is a worldly affair; and while one party may be a trifle better than another, there is not one of them fit for a child of God to be clamoring for, and contending for…

Mark my words, this government will never be renovated of its evils by the votes of the people. If people would work earnestly and with as great of zeal for the salvation of the lost as they do for political men, the change in people would be almost astonishing... Leave your political party voting for worldly people to do, and let us be about our Master's business, and abide in our calling, keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world." (Nov 24, 1892)

A few years later, clarification was provided (likely by either Warner or Byrum) ceding that it was not a sin to vote, but nevertheless advising against it:

All voting in the elections of this world is below the plane of Bible holiness. We are not of the world even as Christ is not of the world. John 17:14. And like Christ, we accept what favors, and endure what wrongs, governments bestow on us, without complaint; pray for them in authority, but do not help to run the affairs of this world. However a person may sincerely think it is a duty to vote, … it would not be sin to him nor should we regard it as absolutely a sin for any one [sic] to do so, it not being directly forbidden. But the soul that walks with Christ in holiness simply has no inclinations in that direction. (Aug 22, 1895).

Similar sentiments were shared in subsequent years by other Trumpet contributors, although note that partisan politics was becoming the enemy, and not so much voting itself:

No saved person can participate in politics and keep a spiritual experience. (Apr 23, 1903)

As sure as we mix up in politics and drink of the party spirit and talk and plan for the electing of a man because he is of a certain party, regardless of his principle … we have not the Spirit of God. (Apr 20, 1905)

Salvation destroys partisanship whether it be in religion or politics. … We have duties as citizens that can not be ignored and that will somtimes [sic] cause us to support one man and oppose another as a moral matter but not as a political partisan. (Jun 18, 1908)

When the Lord saved me, he took all party spirit out of me, and since he has called me to the sacred office of a gospel minister, I consider it a sin and a reproach to my calling to mix with the spirit of worldly politics … God’s ministers have no right to do so, and I would question the spirituality of one who did. … There may be times when we can use our vote to the glory of God, but we can not have a party, nor political spirit and keep spiritual at the same time.(Oct 24, 1912)

Certainly, as time went on, views and positions shifted, although gradually at first. C. E. Brown, writing in 1939, took the matter beyond individual holiness, and expressed concern about the church’s relationship with the political systems:

… Having the church… make direct use of the instrumentality of the state … is to put the church on a level with the state and to exalt the political state to a place where it poses as at least a part of the Kingdom of God itself.

I hope that first and foremost we will be Kingdom people, lovers of truth and doers of justice, and not allow ourselves to be defined by any political, cultural, or religious agenda. Political parties, cultural movements, or religious affiliations should never set our agenda as a church fellowship. … no organization, movement, or affiliation can ever count on us to be one hundred percent in their court. (The Church Beyond Division)

Generally, the above views, while evolving, were not largely challenged for many years. This is in keeping with the overall place in society of conservative, non-mainline denominations. These Christians were largely on the fringes of political power, and were not actively engaged in the political process, apart from isolated regions, years, and issues. The 1960 U.S. presidential election, however, gave an occasion for a growing number to pay closer attention. The candidacy of John F. Kennedy concerned many Protestants since he was Roman Catholic. Even the Gospel Trumpet expressed its implicit opposition to Kennedy on these grounds.

Of course, the real turning point for us in the Church of God came in the late seventies with the rise of the Moral Majority. As I have detailed elsewhere, this latter movement was part of the development of modern American Evangelicalism, a growing phenomenon into which we did not really fit, but found affinity. Sadly, our own confused identity played into the growing political interest and tone of Evangelicals. Soon, Ronald Reagan came along as a messiah who courted and mobilized this previously latent religious demographic.

Illustrative of this change of mood is the 1983 Church of God General Assembly. A resolution was passed to

notify the President and the Congress of the United States, that this church body does strongly support the President of the United States, and all concerned members of Congress, in their efforts to turn this country back to God.

On the surface, this motion seems straightforward and innocuous. Considering the historical context, however, it represents a much deeper shift for our movement. We had entered the culture wars, and were now caught up in the new populist, political conservatism that we believed was essential for fulfilling the purposes of God in our nation. Our early pioneers would have shuddered at these actions and suggestions.

Fast forward forty years, and the political influence on the Church of God is much greater than it once was. Today, most of our North American constituency is politically opinionated, if not outright active. It is common for our people, including pastors, to proudly declare their party affiliations. Increasingly, congregations demonstrate clear partisan leanings, sometimes explicitly. Those who deviate from the accepted political norms can find it difficult to assimilate into or remain in these churches. Pastors can be pressured to toe the line, and some have left either willingly or unwillingly.  

I present this far from exhaustive historical summary to simply remind us of where we have come from, and how we changed over the past 140+ years. Again, despite what some among us might suggest at times, we are not slaves to our past movement perspectives. Our pioneers did not always get it right, and on a number of issues we have come to clearer understandings as we probe deeper into Scripture. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore our history. And, in fact, there are times that we need to learn from it, and perhaps consider how we can reimagine the convictions of the past for the world in which we currently live.

In my next installment in this series, I will present a holiness approach to partisanship that I hope will be helpful as we live through these politically toxic times.