This is the first part of a two-part series called “The Political Christian”
Part 1: 10/14/20
Part 2: 10/28/20
It is finally everyone’s favorite season and no, I don’t mean Autumn; I mean election season! Within a few weeks, the nation will either reshape its government or choose to maintain the status quo. Regardless of the outcome on November 3 (or whenever the election is called), there are going to be consequences. Many of you may be asking, do I really need to take part in all the shenanigans over the next few weeks? Is voting actually important? Do I need to debate my grandma on Facebook? Do I need to verbally assault everyone who disagrees with me? The answer is kinda yes, but kinda no.
Yes, it is true that as a Christian, you cannot hide from the realities of the world around you. There is a letter from the 2nd Century often referred to as “Epistle to Diognetus” where the sender writes,
“To sum up all in one word — what the soul is in the body, Christians are in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world.”
So yes, whether you like it or not, you are obligated to be a righteous citizen and take part in the moral duties that are associated with that role. As a citizen, you pay taxes and you benefit from taxes in the form of education, military protection, and other amenities. Christ teaches us to “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). While the level of engagement in the political realm may differ from person to person, the Christian has no choice but to be a political being.
That being said, the Christian does not cease to be Christlike when engaging with the rest of society on political matters. What follows is a few dangerous practices I urge you to be wary of. First of all, your demeanor matters just as much as your policy choices. Too often, when engaging in political discussions, Christians are self-righteously angry and vitriolic. The Christian must choose to be gentle as He is gentle. Even when you feel as if you are personally being attacked, the Christian maintains composure. When Christ Himself was unjustly struck on the face He answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?” (John 18:23 NJKV). If the divine Himself does not lash out when he is unjustly assaulted but speaks with grace and poise, who then are you and what is your honor that you speak out against a brother or sister with angry words?
Another dangerous practice is the demonization of those with whom you may disagree. We fail to find satisfaction or progress in the political realm because we fall in love with the morality and correctness of our own arguments. When we speak, we only speak to convince others of the rightness of our position. If your position is intrinsically true, it does not need your heated defense or your degrading of other people and their positions. If it is true, then it will become known through calm and logical demonstration. If logic and reason will not convince the person with whom you are speaking, how much less likely is it that your anger will convince them? Learn to truly listen for the sake of understanding people on a deeper level. Not only will you be more likely to have them listen to you, but you yourself will have a deeper understanding of your own beliefs. The inability to be gentle and courteous with someone you disagree with suggests you care more about the argument itself and very little about the human being with whom you are interacting.
Furthermore, please do not become a political preacher. His Grace Bishop Angelos puts it very nicely: “There is nothing worse than a ranting Christian” or as King Solomon puts it “a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” (Ecclesiastes 5:3) The last issue about our demeanor that I would like to point out is that one of our most important obligations as political Christians is to pray for our elected officials. You may not like them. You may view them as immoral and corrupt. If that is true, then it is even more of an obligation for you to pray for them that God may cleanse their hearts. Please do not go on crying about the immorality of politicians today when you have not yet begun to pray for them.
While we have shown the importance of the Christian being civilly engaged, we must not become obsessive with fixing the world around us. It is important for the Christian to hope to alleviate suffering and mitigate injustice. However, it is also important to remember that injustice and bad policy is not unique to America in the 21st century. This is a reality of the fallen world. Thousands of years ago, Solomon witnesses the same problem when he writes, “Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there.” (Ecclesiastes 3:16). The goal of the Christian is not to establish an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly one. Therefore it should not bewilder the Christian to see the world falling into chaos. “If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.” (Ecclesiastes 5:8) Solomon’s answer is not to become obsessive over the lack of justice in this world but he remembers that God, the Pantrocrator, is always watching. As such, the Christian should not attempt to build a utopia in this world for it is not possible. Rather, he should accept the sober reality of injustice in the world and try his best to be an advocate for the victims of injustice.
Lastly, while we should expect our politicians to have good moral character, we should not hold them to much higher standards than we do our fellow man. We should avoid idolizing these men and women whom we hope will save our nation or return it to former greatness. Rather we should remember who our true King is “For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.” (Psalm 47:7)
Sources:
Letter to Diognetus
First Apology – Justin Martyr
HG Bishop Angelos
Fr. Antony Paul
Fr. Michael Sorial
Fr. Matthew the Poor