Politics: The Landscape
OK, let’s talk politics.
We live in a very contentious time in the United States, with yet another history-making election just weeks away. Our Canadian friends are experiencing their own on-going political drama, with an expected election in the not-too-distant future.
I am sure that you, like me, are exhausted by all the political rhetoric and rancor rampant around us. I certainly do not want to add to all the noise, but this is an appropriate occasion to consider where the Church of God fits into all of this. In this new series, I will examine our historic understanding of and participation in political systems, and propose a response that takes seriously our holiness roots.
Before advancing too far, I am compelled to clearly state my own political persuasion, a necessary step at a time when full transparency is essential for healthy dialogue.
In short, I am an avowed independent, committed NOT to affiliate with or endorse any political party. I have come to the personal conclusion that this best represents the way of Jesus. (My upcoming book will make a strong case for this position). So, to be clear, I am neither Democrat nor Republican.
I have to admit, however, that this rejection of partisanship has not always been the case for me. As a younger man, I was deeply engaged in politics, believing that there were significant national and global problems that could only be solved by electing politicians from my party of preference. I did not just cheer from the sidelines, but became active as a volunteer, and was on a first-name basis with some nationally prominent politicians of the era.
While most in the church would hardly bat an eye at this past behavior of mine, I have since repented of political partisanship. My understanding now of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God requires me to renounce this approach. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
Politics itself is not evil. In essence, it is the way we structure ourselves to get things done. We commonly think of it in terms of governments, nations, states, counties, cities, etc., but it incorporates all efforts to coordinate the development and maintenance of systems involving people. This is evident throughout society, such as in business, but also includes what happens in the church. Ecclesial polity, congregational structures, the role and respect of leadership, and our regional and General assemblies are all examples of where politics is expressed. At its best, politics enables us to work effectively. At its worst, politics can be dysfunctional, divisive and destructive.
The current challenge with politics is that our secular, national version of it has become the lens through which we view our relationships, and the template for how we conduct ourselves in our various settings. This is particularly problematic for the church, which should have a biblically informed, Kingdom-oriented politic. Today, our preoccupation with civics is shaping the way we address the issues of the church, and arguably even faith itself. Christians are aligning themselves with parties and politicians, convinced that electing the right ones will save the nation and relieve us of all our ills. We have become obsessed with obtaining and holding power, and in doing so make deals with the devil, tacitly admitting that Jesus’ approach is not really workable.
This inversion of order is driven by the ubiquitous presence of media, including its most recent incarnation, social media. Christians today are shaped more by these forces than by the congregations they attend. A steady diet of cable news and social media echo chambers is a daily occurrence for far too many people who claim to follow Jesus, and overshadows the few touches they have with their local faith community each week. Compound this with the increasing likelihood that pastors themselves are influenced by these same voices, resulting in sermons and teachings that sometimes uncritically parrot the agendas in political rhetoric over Scripture.
It is to the point today that a growing number of Church of God congregations are divided over politics, and our movement, at least in North America, finds itself shattered along the same fault lines. Certainly, there have always been differing political perspectives within the church, and also regional peculiarities that reflect their unique culture and socio-economic conditions. This was largely muted in the past when we did not see ourselves needing to be caught up in the worldly concerns of government politics. Over the past half-century, however, that has shifted, leading us to hit bottom during the 2016 Presidential election. We have wallowed in the pit ever since as Christians have ramped up their political allegiances, compromised on their expectations of politicians, and have joined in the vehement denunciations of those who see things differently than themselves.
I am sure we are all familiar with real-life situations where the nastiness of political partisanship has poisoned the church in recent years. For example, there are pastors who have resigned and even left ministry altogether because of their frustrations and disillusionment with the congregations they have served. Many have felt the pressure either to affirm the political winds within their congregation, or to refrain from calling out political ideas and behaviors that are blatantly un-Christian. COVID-19 added to the confusion as people took sides on vaccines and lockdowns, typically in keeping with their political leanings. Social issues, like immigration and sexual ethics, have likewise been weaponized due to the same forces. And, today, we see the rise of Christian Nationalism, a dangerous and heretical political movement that has sympathizers within the Church of God.
We cannot ignore the gravity of the political climate in which we now find ourselves. It would be irresponsible for us to hope this simply disappears, and thereby carry on tentatively in our churches so as not to rock the boat in the meantime. Perhaps a look back at our Movement roots will be a good starting point for framing the solution. I will examine that in the next installment.
