Political affiliation must be secondary to our affiliation with the people of God.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you” (2 Corinthians 1:12).
It’s election season again/still, and 2024 promises to be the most challenging in recent memory. Just when things in the US couldn’t be more divided, something new happens, and divisions grow deeper, wider, and embedded in stone. While it is tempting to out-talk, out-argue, and out-meme those with whom we disagree, doing so is almost always counter-productive.
It’s human nature to create hierarchies of power; look no further than the book of Genesis for examples. But Jesus did not come to create hierarchies, but to demolish them. It’s not a “DEI” ideology, but rather a return to God’s design for community, collaboration, and cooperation toward one goal: glorifying the Father who created all things. The Kingdom of God is inherently inclusive, equal, and diverse. People of all nations, all abilities, all intellects, and all societal positions are destined for death and redeemed by faith in the blood of the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Galatians 3; 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 6). When we turn our focus to the Great Commission of Matthew 28, the call is for the disciples and those whom they would teach, not to take up positions for or against governments, but to grow the Kingdom. Jesus was neither Republican nor Democrat (nor Independent, nor Libertarian). He said that His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18) and for those who follow Jesus, our priority is His Kingdom, not current governments.
This is not to say that Christians should simply ignore elections and procedures of governing. Nor should they balk from public service as representatives. Local, regional, and national governance needs the influence of godly men and women to propose and enact laws that protect the inalienable rights of all citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, those who serve and those who vote for them must remember that the governors (whether local or national) of this world are temporary and filled with ego, power, and often an insatiable lust for control. The divisions and tribalism of Donkey and Elephant in the U.S. are a direct result of people forgetting that they are elected to be public servants, not purveyors of influence to the biggest donor. At the same time, Christians who expect their governments to “be Christian” trick themselves into the same attitude as the Babylonians who constructed the Tower of Babel to reach God. It is utterly impossible to legislate ethics and morality.
C.S. Lewis (1941) explained the danger of any kind of Christian nationalism (on both the right and the left) saying,
“It is not reasonable to suppose that such a Christian Party will acquire new powers of leavening the infidel organization to which it is attached… The principle which divides it from its brethren and unites it to its political allies will not be theological. It will have no authority to speak for Christianity; it will have no more power than the political skill of its members gives it to control the behaviour of its unbelieving allies. But there will be a real, and most disastrous novelty. It will not be simply a part of Christendom, but a part claiming to be the whole. By the mere act of calling itself the Christian Party it implicitly accuses all Christians who do not join it of apostasy and betrayal” .
C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock (196-198)
There is a place for Christians to participate in the processes of government, but those acts must be grounded in the knowledge that political affiliation is secondary to our affiliation with the Kingdom of God. Before we are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Socialists, or Libertarians, we “are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Our primary allegiance and affiliation to Jesus draws believers together toward unity in a way that politics cannot. The higher way of faith glorifies God and enjoys life according to the Spirit, living in harmony with others in love and grace.
Resources
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Jason Cook (2024, January 28). “Belong: Go” [Sermon] Belong: Membership at Fellowship Series, Fellowship Bible Church, Roswell, GA. https://fellowshiproswell.org/sermon7/belong-go/
C.S. Lewis (1941) God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. Walter Hooper (Ed.). Eerdmans.
Defaulting to Grace 