This is part four of a series of posts on the state of the church: mainly, what has gone wrong among younger generations and their relationship to the body of Christ. So far, I’ve talked about the impact of COVID and the pervasive presence of screens and other kinds of media. Today we’re talking politics.
Specifically, I want to reflect on the politicization of the church. This isn’t just a recent trend. It goes back at least to Constantine in the fourth century! However, a long history of closely tying Christian faith to political power seems to have recently caught up with the church. A recent Barna survey asked a variety of groups of US adults what, among 20 terms, they would most associate with evangelical Christians. For non-Christians, the term they associated most with evangelicals was religiously conservative, followed closely by politically conservative. Rightly or not, when non-Christians think about evangelicals, they do not make a connection with words like encouraging, hopeful, generous, or good-humoured (actually, those were the least-used descriptions). Instead, one of the very first things they think about is their political inclination. Another very influential Barna survey 15 years ago found that 75% of non-Christian millennials (roughly 1980-1999 in terms of birth years) believed Christians were “too involved in politics”. In a recent Gospel Coalition article about what frustrates GenZ Christians (those born 2000 and after) the most, the number one reason given was that partisan politics have come to shape faith.
This isn’t just an American issue, either. That was brought home to me again on a recent Sunday when someone commented about how the legacy of residential schools. These schools featured the Canadian government working hand-in-hand with a few Christian denominations. This person mentioned how that history has challenged their faith. It was also highlighted by the “Freedom Convoy” protests earlier this spring, where various media outlets reported on a perceived Christian element to the protests (eg. GiveSendGo hosting the fundraising efforts). Unsurprisingly, that reporting was almost entirely negative.
My intention here is not to give my position on various political causes or issues. (Sidestep landmine here!) And the question of the right relationship between the church and state is a HUGE and complicated one. Clearly, there are Christians who have had positions of political influence and wielded them well, in ways that led to widespread blessing. A primary and often-cited example is William Wilberforce. He was an 18th/19th century British member of parliament who, on the basis of his Christian faith, led the charge to abolish slavery in the British Empire. There are plenty of good examples of Christians in public service who conduct themselves with integrity and faithfulness. Besides all that, I do vote in elections, I vote as much in line with my Christian convictions as I can, and I think other believers should too! It’s also worth mentioning that for all the flak that “conservatives” have received for pursuing political power, you can make the same case for “liberal” Christians. In fact, you could make that case for almost every identifiable group of human beings: that they have sought to use political power to achieve their own desired outcomes. Sometimes that has been been a blessing to the rest of society, sometimes not.
And I believe that’s exactly the issue. Followers of Jesus are to be set apart. We are to be different. “Holy” and “consecrated” are some Biblical, theological terms for that idea. For example, here’s what Jesus says in Mark 10:42-45:
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:42-45
I take from this that unlike others in the world, we should be very wary about striving for power. If we happen to have authority, we need to ensure that we are using it to serve and not to lord it over others.
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” I take from this that we are to be in the world, but as an “alternative” society, displaying the light of God in a world dwelling in darkness. We are not to force the whole world to move into that town whether they like it or not.
In John 18:36, Jesus says, “my kingdom is not of this world…but now my kingdom is from another place.” I take from this that the political structures of this world will never be identical with the Kingdom of God, and that our desire is to be for His kingdom, not for the kingdoms of this world.
In 1 Corinthians 5:12, Paul writes, “what business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.” I take from this that our job is not to be the moral police of society, shaping it from the top down. Instead, our concern is to hold one another accountable as followers of Jesus so that our witness to the world is faithful and true.
I know not everyone agrees with me about this. But I can’t shake this conviction that many of the black eyes the church has gained (the real ones, not the perceived and inevitable ones that result from the conflicting worldviews and values we hold as citizens of the kingdom) are a result of wedding Christian faith with political power. From the crusades to the Spanish Inquisition to the Salem witch trials to residential schools and beyond, things tend to go south when the church hungers for worldly power. It is a hindrance to our Gospel witness, including and maybe especially among emerging generations. And most of all, I believe it is a mindset and a desire contrary to what Jesus has called us to.
May we navigate this difficult realm of life with the grace of God, our hearts right before Him. We are in this world, but not of it. We are citizens of heaven, looking forward to our eternal home, refusing to place our hopes in the structures and powers of this world. I pray that this will be a compelling witness to those in emerging generations.
