Politics In Public

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Politics In Public

by Eddie Turner

According to the Book of Proverbs, drinking alcohol is described as a very risky activity that Christians are urged not to do in public (or at all) for its ability to stain our credibility as proclaimers of Christ. Given the hostile nature of politics today, it’s a given that publicly aligning ourselves with political parties can have the same effect. Yet we are often outspoken and even drag Jesus into our claims that one party is “more right” than another. Is this really the right thing to do? Something tells me it’s not. And that something is the Bible.

Shortly before our most recent presidential election, I witnessed a heated argument on Facebook that erupted from a moderately civil discussion about politics between two outspoken Christians. The statement that lit the burner expressed the writer’s bewilderment over how a person could call themselves a Christian and yet support a political party that favors the pro-choice position concerning abortion. Not only did this statement give away the party that this person was loyal to, it questioned the salvation of others who supported opposing political parties. And, as expected, others began to join in the fight. When the smoke had finally cleared, disappointment over the tarnished witness of each person involved was all that was achieved. Instead of arguing from a biblical standpoint, right and wrong were attributed to human politics.

“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9).

Whenever you’re engaged in a political boxing match, know that God is not in the ring with you, nor is He fighting alongside your opponent. There’s no one political party that God considers good. How do we know this? It’s because God’s definition of “good” is perfection. To Him, a thing cannot be called good if it is even 1% not good. And so, being that you and I are among the things that are not good, we can be certain that the institutions we create based on our human ways of thinking are equally flawed. So while abortion is clearly wrong according to Scripture, being opposed to a political party that embraces it does not give us clearance to cast the first stone.

“There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).

In heaven, we will live and worship alongside people who voted differently than we did. Instead of being at odds with one another, we will behave like fans of a winning college football team whose common bond of victory causes high-fives and hugs to erupt between total strangers. As we anxiously await our day of redemption, may we love one another instead of attacking our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for their ideals that are just as imperfect as our own. While I do believe we should embrace the privilege of aligning our convictions with our votes at the polls, we would do well to remain mum about the parties we support and, instead, invest our energy in proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. After all, His is the only party that truly matters.