Christ Alone in All Things, Even Politics

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Believe it or not, this isn’t a political post.

Despite what weather satellites may reveal, the United States, if viewed from space, has never more resembled a massive, angry red wound than it does now. And the salt? Try the Iraq war, terrorism, our status in the world, immigration, or the economic meltdown. For those reasons, people are losing their heads, Christians included, though not quite as thoroughly as in the French Revolution.

Given the election year, the mania is worse than ever. Some are billing Election 2008 as either salvation or damnation for America. Oddly, the Church used to have a term for people who thought that way: the lost.

Still, despite the fact that the One who is to serve as our Lord, Guide, and Model had very little to do with politics, many Christians are looking to politics as the answer for the crises we have made for ourselves.

So in one corner is a former POW who didn’t roll on his country when tortured. In the other corner is a man who says he is full of new ideas. One paints himself as a maverick and the other as the candidate of change.

Critics of Sen. Change note that he’s astonishingly light on any notable political output. They claim the extent of his political will includes his “win at all cost” efforts to champion one political issue more than any other: the right of a woman to have a doctor jam an aspirator into her unborn child’s skull and vacuum out his/her brains.

A little stung by that charge that their man, Sen. Change, fights so hard to kill the unborn, critics of Sen. Maverick come back with claims that while Sen. Maverick doesn’t actively crusade for barbaric deaths for babies, he’s allied with people who are even worse: those who don’t really care all that much about what happens to people after they are born.

Those same pro-Change people like to also note that despite the fact that their man earnestly contends for a policy that leads to the certain death of the most vulnerable in our society, he also represents a vague feeling that may lead to a possible better future for some people at some time—maybe.

This has led some born-again Christians to jump onto Sen. Change’s ship.

Here’s what the Bible says:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days….
—Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
—2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price….
—1 Corinthians 6:19-20a

The side of Christ is life and blessing. The side of antichrist is death and cursing.

The side of Christ is light. The side of antichrist is darkness.

The side of Christ is surrender to Him. The side of antichrist is surrender to self-interest.

To choose the side of self-interest, death, and darkness is to choose the side of the barbaric skull-vacuuming and dismemberment of the very least of these, the most helpless of all in our society. It is to choose the side of antichrist.

As Christians, we must never choose the side of antichrist. For this reason, we must never, under any circumstances, ally ourselves with those who represent antichrist. Our love for Christ compels us.

Can a Christian still be a Christian if he or she holds a mistaken position that supports antichrist? I believe so, as long as that Christian actively seeks to repent of that mistaken position and choose Christ in all circumstances.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. We will all answer on Judgment Day. Everything will be revealed. The intentions of every heart will be made known.

Those born-again Christians who think themselves so brave to be endorsing one who supports antichrist positions are really fooling themselves. Theirs is the coward’s way.

And it’s also the coward’s way to vote for the opposing candidate for no other reason than to not vote for his opponent.

The way that honors God in all things, political or not, is to choose Christ’s way at all times.

Jesus Christ said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we are in Him, then He will make a way for us because He is the Way. He will show us truth because He is truth.

How does this play out in reality?

Let’s consider the election. Those who live by their own self-interest will vote for those candidates that will give them what they want. Those who live by the Spirit of God will vote for those candidates that best reflect what God alone wants.

Here’s where that becomes true counterculture: The one who is guided by Christ alone will vote for the people who best honor His Kingdom even if that means they vote for candidates Two roads, but only one Waywho are not among the major parties. It means they will vote for the one who honors the Kingdom of God even if that person has no chance of winning the election. Even if that means writing-in the name of a godly person who might only garner one vote, that is what the Christian must do. Because the Christian seeks to reflect light, life, and blessing in all things, even if no one else in the world does.

Therein lies bravery. Therein lies the only real choice for the believer.

And so it must be for all decisions Christians make. We honor Christ and no one else. We choose light and life and blessing in ALL things, not just some. We reject outright anything and anyone set in opposition to Christ in anything.

The road to destruction is wide and many take it. Sadly, many people who consider themselves born again will take it in November and in the days ahead.

28 thoughts on “Christ Alone in All Things, Even Politics

    • abmo,

      The answer is simple: You don’t vote for either candidate then. You either vote for someone who upholds the essentials of the Kingdom of God, write someone in who will, or don’t vote for that particular political race.

  1. Bob Aarhus

    Dan,

    Thanks for a thoughtful post. One could come away with the impression, though, that you were drawing a rigid dividing line between the candidates, with all who support one side “For” and the other “Against” Christ. I’m not sure I can completely agree with that.

    I’m a lifelong Republican who, during the last mid-term election, crossed party lines to vote for more than one Democratic candidate for the first time in my life. Why? Because the Republican incumbents were ineffective. They were not so much governing and leading as they were drawing paychecks.

    This election has me in a quandry. Simply put: the current set of elected officials has abandoned Constitutional principles in favor of whatever political philosophies seem expedient at the time. Past administrations had wooed the Constitution, trying to elicit loopholes and exceptions the way a man tries to talk a maiden out of her virginity. This current administration doesn’t bother with subtleties: it has ravaged the Constitution where it sees justified to do so, and doesn’t even bother to call it a cab the next morning.

    My issue is that if one particular candidate is elected, the motivation to “clean house” is so much less so than the other. The President is not the be-all and end-all of existence; it is their philosophy that is used to appoint officials at all levels (with the advice and consent of the Senate, of course) that permeates the Executive branch and makes Government run as it does. The current house needs a complete cleaning — this is Augean Stables time — and I am only certain that this will take place if one of the candidates gets elected, not the other.

    You suggest a dichotomy that is not based in politics, but in Christ-centered thinking. Very well. For almost as soon as I understood it, I considered the Constitution to be the holiest secular document written by the hand of man. As imperfect as human governance is, the Constitution has produced the greatest peace and stability for a Republic in history. Remember when Nixon resigned? There were two police officers standing outside the White House briefing room. Not a legion of soldiers or brigade of infantry, as you might expect in most parts of the world. This is stability.

    “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” And render unto the Constitution what belongs to the Constitution. Both candidates are sinners. Both are in need of divine guidance, both require our prayers. One of them will be appointed by God (Romans 13) to be President, and will be held accountable by Him for all his actions.

    I’d supported the current administration in the past, and I’ve seen no meaningful change in the number of the unborn being slaughtered, the number of human lives being wasted in vain efforts, the excesses of the rich and the misery of the oppressed. I’m not sure one party has an exclusive claim on Christian virtues. Which party would take the side of the widow and the orphan (James 1:27)? “Pure religion is this…”

    • Bob,

      I’m increasingly aware that concessions to evil are a perpetual downward spiral. Christians should not make concessions to evil. In the case of politics, if that means we have to reject the two parties, then we must reject the two parties and look elsewhere. If there is no one elsewhere, then we must not participate in the old “hold the nose and choose” means of electing people. We can write-in a worthy candidate or we can simply not choose someone in that particular race.

      And this goes with every decisions Christians make. We choose the God’s way when it is presented, we look for it when it is not apparent, or we wait until the way is clear. We are to take light into a dark world, not take the darkness into us.

  2. Elizabeth Anne

    So which is the anti-christ candidate? The one who supports abortion, or the one who supported a war that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of tens (or hundreds) of thousands of innocent civilians and supports torture?

    • Elizabeth Anne,

      The antichrist candidate is the one that fails to exemplify the truth of Christ. Obviously, the pro-abortion candidate would be on the side of antichrist because God will not justify abortion and it cannot be part of His Kingdom. As to war, the Bible is full of holy wars that are waged for the cause of right. What you have to decide before God is whether you feel the war is justified in light of what God has revealed to you through His word and His Spirit. If the war is not justifiable under those terms, then you must not ally yourself with the pro-war candidate or else you would be violating what God has revealed to you in truth. Find someone else to vote for, but don’t make concessions one way or the other.

  3. David

    What do you do when both candidates surrender to self-interest?

    One could come away with the impression, though, that you were drawing a rigid dividing line between the candidates, with all who support one side “For and the other “Against Christ

    So which is the anti-christ candidate?

    I think the point Dan is trying to make is that neither candidate is exactly someone a Christian should vote for. I certainly despise both for being typical politicians, hardly the icons of change they claim they are. We should instead find that candidate who does exemplify Christian principles, even if that is someone not on the ballot, and vote for them. It’s not a question of voting along party lines, but along Kingdom principles.

    Americans are tied up with this two party thing so tightly that we can’t think outside the box. It’s not a question of who wins or who loses, but what we tie our wagon to. If we fall before the idol of politics, we get what we deserve.

    • David,

      You summarized my position perfectly. Thank you. I guess I either was not clear, as so many people seem perplexed by my position (which I thought was crystal clear), or what I am saying is so foreign that people are unable to comprehend it.

      In the end, each of us is culpable before God for what we do with His revealed truth. If we endorse blatantly antichrist principles/politicians/preachers or whatever, then we are outside the will of God and will miss the blessing of submission to His will alone.

      • David

        Many, many Christians vote according to who they think will win, then pray like mad that the person who does win will be led by the Lord. It’s like jumping off a cliff and then praying for a parachute.

        As the widow showed with her oil and flour, Gideon with jars and torches, or Christ showed by fish and loaves, God is able to multiply the actions of His faithful ones far beyond what we can imagine. So if we are concerned about “throwing our vote away” perhaps we should question that in truth. Every action of a Christian should reflect the Spirit that resides within us, and I just can’t see the Spirit guiding me to vote for a man who believes what either of these men have professed.

  4. keith

    Many supporters of both major parties wear such partisan straight-jackets that they cannot realize their own shortcomings.

    Years ago I taught 2nd grade for a few years. Inevitably when a young student was found running afoul of classroom rules their knee-jerk retort was to point the finger at another student as the cause, This same behavior manifests itself in the highest levels of US government. We have far too few honest statesmen, and far too many scheming pols who are drunk with power.

    Corruption and incompetence are so endemic to both major parties (and very well demonstrated by the current White House administration) that it is impossible to determine which party would render the net effect of the most Godly government if elected.

    • Keith,

      I’m not sure we have ANY statesmen. Statesmen look out for their country/state first and their own self-interest further down the list. The very fact that our representatives keep voting themselves pay raises and additional perks just shows me that none of them are statesmen on what amounts to a very basic principle.

  5. Ron

    “We reject outright anything and anyone set in opposition to Christ in anything.”
    Dan,
    Doesn’t this rule out both candidates and their parties? Though I would love to live in a true Theocracy, isn’t it true that a case can be made that the system itself is an “anti-christ” system. And though I agree with your sentiments regarding the unborn, since both candidates and their parties champion positions that are against Christ and contrary to his revealed will, should we not consider why it is that a Christian would vote for a certain cadidate without being seen as voting “for” an anti-christ position? For instance, is everyone who votes republican “for” oppression of the poor, partiality toward the rich, racist policies, not to mention various idolatries like the pursuit of guaranteed wealth, security, and military strength? And isn’t it possible for a Christian to vote for a democrat in order to support the many values our Biblical prophets championed, many of which are represented by the “liberal” party (as many Christians now do), but woefully lacking, even held in contempt by many in the republican party? Though I agree with your concern for the unborn, even if that issue was taken off the table their will be much that those of us who champion or even quietly support much of what has come to be seen as “conservative” values will have to answer for. There is a real danger in conflating republicanism with a Christian faith that reflects kingdom values. Neither party is exempt from the charge of being anti-christ, which is why God will ultimately look at the heart of each individual and the kind of life he lived while avoiding becoming overly entangled in the system as if it were our savior.

    • Ron,

      So it rules out both candidates. Do we follow the parties or the Lord?

      We don’t have to live in a theocracy to live according to the Kingdom. Our Constitution is a great document when its principles are upheld by people who fear God. The Founders understood this. Most agreed that democracy cannot exist in an impious people. Yet that is what we have today.

      We either live according to Christ or we continue to concede to worldly standards.

      • Dan,
        Isn’t it possible to be “In the world” of a political party without being “Of It”? I know some who take the “don’t vote for either candidate” position but who manage to be “Not in It, but still Of It”. I’m not trying to be cute or anything, and believe me I am for the rights of the unborn and for tradtional marriages and a miriad of other conservative values, and I have always voted for the republican Prez (though I have split votes locally and legislatively). However I do know committed (and influential) Christians who though they agree with those values, feel that a part of their fulfilling the great commission includes promoting those postions for the Kingdom even while they pursue righteousness in social issues, issues that need to be addressed within the two party system but are neglected by conservatives, nor is room at the conservative table granted them so that they might address those liberal/Kingdom values. Is the issue whether or not those “individuals” are serving an anti-christ agenda if they vote for a certain party, or is it what is their purpose within that party, what change are they trying to bring about within that party that reflects the Kingdom? Also, which party affords them the best opportunity to bring about that change? Many have been denied a seat at the table of the republicans and so they are trying to bring about that change within the democrat party. Some may see not voting for either party as an option, but my question is, under the conditions I mentioned, are those who vote for the “change” candidate as a strategy truly taking an anti-christ position?

  6. Interesting Dan. I have to admit, I didn’t quite fathom what you were getting at until the comment stream clarified things. I’ve had to vote along the lines of what you’re suggesting here in Pennsylvania several times. Folk say it’s throwing your vote away, but that’s got to be better than throwing your soul away. Politicians come and go, but the word of the Lord stands forever.

  7. Loneman

    ..if I may add an example;

    downhere, in the heavy fragmentated political spectrum, by a lot of coincidence, a small christian party got into government.
    Almost the whole christian part of the nation was exhilirated with joy, and the perception was that He surely – finally ! – ‘made it to happen that way ‘.
    How naive ! What a totall misunderstanding of Him !

    Now, three years later, there is NO party so selfcompromitted as exactly this one.
    Topic after topic they stumble. Ofcóurse they do. One cannot fight the devil on his own terms.
    OFCOURSE it was a clever trap of the Evil one. The masses now are being steered into despising the ‘hypocrite so called christians ‘, and the backlash of this ( unfortunately ) TRUE smearing is terrible..

    The world is LOST. It is impossible, to try to repair. Therefore, You people don t make the same mistake:
    let the dead bury the dead, and I beg You to turn every attention You have, to Him
    – it is more worth, that He takes care surely for you and your loved ones, than to put all your power in faraway, unchangable and uncatchable topics anyway

    Good luck.
    ..but maybe, there won t even BE a next election, how things develop right now.

    • Loneman,

      People who SAY they are Christians and people who ARE Christians are two different things.

      When Christians live what they believe, they raise up everything to which they are attached. If they don’t, then they are no better than anyone else.

      I choose to believe we Christians can be light to a dying a world.

    • Ron

      Loneman,

      Thanks for that. Personally, I think ‘ve always managed to stay somewhat detached from the dangers entrusting myself to political promises or processes, though I do try to stay abreast of what is going on in the world. I guess my interest at this time has a lot to do with people I know and love who are wrestling with some issues and are putting their confidence in things (poli-tics and ticians), that ultimately will always fall short. Nevertheless, but I’m trying to understand their motives and their hearts desire to do good wherever they may find themselves serving, even if within the sphere of politics. That said, these posts and comments are helping me stay connected to my true Head, even while I extend grace to those I may disagree with. Thanks to everyone for such good dialogue!

      Peace!

  8. Brandon

    This has given me something to ponder. My business partner and friend of almost 30 years mentioned to me yesterday that he was considering not voting at all. My first thought was that this was not a good idea, but he brought up the same issues you have here and more… Thank you for such a thought provoking post!

    • David Riggins

      I’m not sure when voting became an imperative for Christians. Perhaps it has to do with the idea that by voting we are being obedient to the governing authorities, or perhaps it’s just this concept of manipulating the outcome to reflect the Kingdom. Perhaps it’s the foolish “God is on our side” that has blindly led self-defined ‘Christians’ into so many stupid wars. Who knows.

      By not voting, what are we doing? What example do we present? Not that I have an answer, it’s just something to ponder, seeking the will of God, as we should in every aspect of our life. If the outcome of such pondering is a Gallic shrug and a “not much”, then why vote? If, after much prayer and seeking, we are compelled to vote for a person (understanding that the Kingdom of Heaven is not divided, and God will not ask us to do anything contrary to His Word), then we are to be obedient to God. To choose according to God’s will requires spiritual maturity, the exercise of faith, understanding, wisdom and above all, the peace needed to hear that “still, small voice.” If we are transformed by the daily renewing of our spirit, then the choice will become obvious.

  9. Ron

    “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.
    But when the wicked are in power, they groan.” Proverbs 29:2

    “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

    “Impress upon children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own.” Daniel Webster

    No one hears God perfectly, and all function at various degrees of maturity and awareness, which influences their hearing, whether it be in voting or anything else. Though we will give account, God will test our hearts/motives over and above our voting record. And despite how we vote, God will take all of those choices, and still bring about his will in the political arena even as he judges each person’s faithfulness.
    There is only one group who stands less of a chance of hearing “Well done good and faithful servant”. It’s the one who out of fear or distrust of sovereign God’s goodness, buries his vote, rather than invest it toward the change he believes will honor God, trusting that He is able to bring about his purpose and reward us accordingly.

    Peace

  10. it is not required that anyone vote.

    it is good to know what is going on around us
    but, we do not have to get caught-up in it.

    i do not see our american political system as something
    that we need to be a part of to make changes or to have control.

    the changes that God makes are by the Holy Spirit through us.
    we are commanded to Love God and love one another.

    the changes that the people of God make
    do not take place within the political system of man
    but, within the spiritual system of man by the Holy Spirit.

    the changes take place on a personal and relational level.
    within our selves and our family and our comunity
    and the people of the world.

    the main downfall of man is that we are continually up against
    the same old lie…that we can be in control.

    and the same old truth that we must continue to believe is that
    God IS in control. we should not doubt or forget this for a minute, but, as human beings, we do.

    the political system of man has it’s corruption.
    the church system of man has it’s corruption.
    every system of man…has corruption.

    we need to look to God always and follow Him.

    this is the same as it has always been.

    by the way, i have no one to vote for, so i will not be voting.
    but, that does not mean that i am doing nothing in God.

    continue to Love God and one another
    and to
    pray for the Body of CHrist.

  11. Pingback: Something to consider « Susannah Prill’s Weblog
  12. Norris Hall

    How do you vote when one candidate is for abortion but against war…
    and the other candidate is against abortion but for war.
    In both instances innocent people die.
    innocent unborn children or and innocent men, women and children.

    Many people don’t see war in the same light as abortion. They say that war is defensive in nature and that God permits us to kill others to defend ourselves.

    But what about this:

    the U.S. military still has rules in place that permit the killing of civilians in airstrikes. In fact, the number of anticipated civilian deaths is carefully appraised beforehand in a calculation known as the collateral damage estimate, which is then reviewed by commanders and military attorneys who must decide if the benefits of the strike outweigh the cost in innocent civilian lives.
    “The magic number was 30,” said Marc Garlasco, who was the Pentagon’s chief of high-value targeting at the start of the war. “That means that if you hit 30 as the anticipated number of civilians killed, the airstrike had to go to Rumsfeld or Bush personally to sign off.” If the expected number of civilian deaths was less than 30, however, neither the president nor the secretary of defense needed to know.

    This sounds immoral to me. To target say, one “high value target knowing that 30 or more innocent men, women and children may be killed.

  13. Mike

    Maybe a government should be judged on how it treats its people,including visitors.{“Those that sacrifice liberty for security don’t deserve either”.}A gov.that allows people to grow in peace and live lives that have dignity.Allowing them the opportunity to weigh there thoughts on different choices of how to live,whats attractive.Thats were living,loving Christians should come into play,to attract by example not legislation.We’ve always fallen short of the law.In our ideals of a country for all the people,it gives people the time and environment to choose,to make a choice,just as God allows us free choice for a allotted amount of time.God warned us about having a peoples king to lead us,so now its just a matter of living in a country that allows its people the place and time to find the real GOD and king.So until our king returns,were stuck with a broken system.If you had all your neighbors over for thanksgiving you just want to keep it civil,orderly and hope the prayer of thanks knocks on afew heads. Thats all I want from government,to work for all the people.

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