“POLITICS IS THEOLOGY APPLIED”
Should Christians engage in issues related to politics? Sure, I would hope that most Christians would answer YES. BUT, among our fellow believers there are many cases that answer is an implied but subtle NO. After all, two things you shouldn’t talk about at family, friends, and church gatherings are religion and….ah….um…oh yea, POLITICS. And if you are a Christian, that is especially true because society tells you that you can’t force your views on others – i.e. the “intolerant” label comes to mind even though it is misused and abused today. This is all said as they force their views on you by making this statement. 
This will be a multi-part series on the topic of Christians and politics. This takes on a sense of urgency especially during a presidential election year. While this series will not be exhaustive by any stretch, it is hoped that critical issues are raised so that fellow believers will be better equipped and more informed to engage other believers and unbelievers on these topics.
We will look at what the Bible says in regard to being involved polically as citizens of our country, and as a Christian whose ultimate allegiance is to God. For now, we will start out with some general concepts, concerns, and questions that underlie this topic.
Issue #1: WHAT DOES “BEING TOO POLITICAL” MEAN?
First, I don’t understand how and why some will say on one hand it is important to be active in our culture today but on the other hand, you shouldn’t discuss politics too often with others – believers and unbelievers. You shouldn’t be too loud in your views. You shouldn’t be posting anything political on social media (e.g. Facebook) relating to politics, you shouldn’t promote a particular political party…..because we all know that bumper sticker theology or should I say mentality – “GOD IS NOT A REPUBLICAN”. Oops, there I go – this statement comes out more like a reflex response in me when talking about this subject. Certain triggers will go off and out comes this statement (obviously, I don’t care too much for the statement). I will try to control myself.
And it’s not just that Christians are too political, it’s those Evangelical Christians which are perceived to be the most political. Why are Evangelicals considered to be too political?
Evangelicals rarely go out and protest. Some protest once a year against abortion during the Right to Life weekend in the nation’s capital. But most don’t even do that. But seemingly, there are many more activist groups protesting some type of aberrant, strange, non-traditional…etc. viewpoint – regardless of how disruptive they are in public.
But, the Evangelicals are the ones considered too political?
What defines being too political? Who gets to set those boundaries?
Among Christians, there seems to be a [false] dichotomy set up by some Believers who differentiate their Christian walk with being political. Some will say that you should live out your Christian faith over all areas of your life. Yet, these same people will set down a demarcation line between faith and politics.
Many will still exclude politics from this equation. For sake of our witness to others, for the sake of unity among Christians, for the sake of not offending others, for the sake of…..etc. – staying silent seems to be the more popular choice. It is definitely the more easier path to follow. But, doesn’t that contradict the Bible’s call for us to be salt and light to the world around us?
Principle #1: BE SALT AND LIGHT
In Matthew 5:13-16, Scripture gives us an image of how we as Christians should present ourselves to the world –
13 “You are the salt of the earth; qbut if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 r“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they slight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, tthat they may see your good works and uglorify your Father in heaven.
The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 5:13–16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jesus compared his disciples to salt. They were to the world what salt is in everyday life – especially during the time of Jesus. Salt seasons food; it preserves food, it hinders the spread of corruption; it causes someone to thirst; it brings out the flavor…etc. Some of us can never have enough salt while others don’t care for excessive saltiness in food. Are there parallels in life. To some degree…..I would say most definitely.
What would this metaphor mean to the audience of Jesus? Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat, which would quickly spoil in the desert environment. Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
If the salt loses its flavor, how can its saltiness be restored? There is no way to restore the true, natural taste. Once it has lost its flavor, salt is good for nothing. It is discarded.
The disciple has one great function—to be the salt of the earth by living out the terms of discipleship listed in the Beatitudes and throughout the rest of the Sermon. If he fails to exhibit this spiritual reality, men will tread his testimony under their feet. The world has only contempt for an undedicated believer.
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus also calls Christians the light of the world. He spoke of Himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12; 12:35, 36, 46). The relationship between these two statements is that Jesus is the source of light; Christians are the reflection of His light. Just like the moon reflects the sun, the function of Christians are to reflect the glory of the the Lord.
The Christian is like a city that is set on a hill: it is elevated above its surroundings and it shines in the middle of darkness. Those who live out the teachings of Christ cannot be hidden from other Christians and from the world.
5:15, 16 When you light a lamp, do you put it under a basket? Of course not. It usually is set upon a table or nightstand to give off light to those in your house. As Christians, we are shining the light of Christ to those who are around us. People will see our good works, our love to one another as it glorifies our Father in heaven. Our Christian character is emphasized as people will focus on us living out our witness – always pointing up to Christ. That is a powerful witness.
As salt protects, preserves and enhances the flavor in food, the parallel is really not that difficult to see with the role of Christians in society. We do need to be careful in ultimately who we are following – we don’t hold men and women up to a height that obscures the light that shines forth with God’s glory. Christians can easily substitute a narrow focus on a particular political party, philosophy, or a political candidate that obscures or blocks our vision from our Christian mandate to go and make disciples – shining forth God’s light to the world.
But again, those who warn about these extremes can easily fall into an opposite extreme of minimizing the impact of engaging people in the political spectrum and they end up not being salt and light to those around us.
“It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world. “ (Got Questions)
In today’s society, the easy path to follow is to minimize our witness, retreat from positions of leadership, don’t rock the boat when discussing certain issues (which can be different for different people and audiences), and just sit back and not be “political” – however someone defines that. But, by disengaging because someone deems certain issues to be political , we end up losing out on an opporutnity to be salt and light. We give into the fads and trends of society and lose out on influencing others in our country becaue we think the better path to follow is a path the isolates ourselves from these particular issues. The phrase “being political” ends up being used to silence the truth for the sake of having a hollow peace.
I know some will say that we need to demonstrate our love for others by going out into the communities and provide help for people’s needs (spiritual, physical, emotional….etc). While there is a great deal of truth in helping and serving others, it still doesn’t mean we should not engage others on political issues and most importantly not be so focused on providing for physical needs and instead ignore their spiritual needs. Wanting to do what is best for others ultimately involves promoting God’s will as He has already given it to us through His word. It is not by covering over the light for the sake of not offending others on issues that someone else has isolated and called “political”.
Jesus was the greatest example of demonstrating grace, speaking the Truth in love, showing people a better way,….being both salt and light representing God’s love, grace, and truth.
IronDukeblog 
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