Christianity and Politics

So here I sit. Pondering. I am a preacher. I am a political activist. I am thinking, wondering. As being involved in politics, and preaching, I have made some people unhappy, not the least several in my congregation. I have made some people wonder outside the church. I ponder. I wonder.

Earlier today I had a typical discussion with one of my critics. “I was reading Romans 13 yesterday. I realized that if I were to be in politics, fighting Caesar, then I would be fighting God. That is not the position I want to find myself in.” This seems to be the mantra of those who want to remain clueless, who don’t mind seeing the country they may have even fought for, changed and destroyed.

So the question is: Is being against the rules coming out of Washington DC, and actively speaking against and trying to change such laws disobeying what the Word of God says? Let’s break the passage down. “Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13.1-2 - Christian Standard Bible)

The first phrase is: “everyone must submit to the governing authorities...” What does this word “submit” mean? Simply, it means to yield. Do we pay taxes? Do we buckle our seatbelts? Do we follow the laws to the best of our ability? Do we pull over when we see reds and blues flashing in our mirrors? If you answer yes, you are indeed submitting to the governing authority. Ah! Now it gets sticky. What is our governing authority? The President? The Governor? The Sheriff, the Mayor, the Constitution? Yes. Now at each time, there will be conflicts that arise. Who wins? According to the Supreme Court, 1997 Mack vs. US Government, the Sheriff is the supreme leader. The President does not have the power to influence the Sheriff in his own county. So when conflicts arise, take a look at the Constitution to see who reigns.

The second phrase is: “...for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.” We can agree this seems cut and clear. It is a bit of a challenge to know that God has allowed and allows some less than desirable systems to be instituted. Yet, Paul wrote this as Caesar outlawed and put to death followers of Jesus.

The last phrase, which is verse 2, reads: “So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.” The key to this phrase is the word, “resist”. Some version have rebel. Am I rebelling against the Caesar of this time and locations? Absolutely Not! Am I advocating rebellion against the Caesar of this time and location? Nope, not happening. Why, one might ask?

I am able to be a preacher and be able to be active in politics because I understand the framers of our great nation. Our system is set up differently than any system prior to it, or any that will be set up after it. Yes one may say that Rome was a Republic like our nation, but our nation was a better Republic. Our nation was a Republic that had set up a checks and balance against Caesar. It had built into the system the expectation that her citizens would be active believers who also served. Congress used to meet for a few weeks, usually winter time, for the good of the nation. (Now they take a single month vacation, for the good of the nation.)

Somewhere along the way, the government stepped in and took over most of the social care that the Church provided, as to help. Since that time, a lie was sold that said that those of Christian Faith do not belong in politics. A quesiton naturally arises. If you remove the influence of the Christian Faith, which bought & brought all our freedoms, then what can one expect to happen in the vacuum that is then created? Do we not now see this very result of the Christians saying, “It’s not our place to be involved”?

As an American Citizen, I am obligated to work for the solutions of this nation. As a Christian, I proclaim the only solution that will work. If perhaps we were in any other nation, I may not be able to reconcile politics and Faith. But praise to our Heavenly Father that we were born here in the United States. We have not only the freedom, but the duty to be involved in government and politics, first as citizens, and most importantly, as Christians. So I close with this thought. Brother, Sister, get involved. Staying out only helps those who hate us because of Christ.
--smh