Politics, and Real Answers

My friend Jack and I got into a discussion about politics the other day.  Being the reasonable person I am, as soon as he started telling me his opinions about the parties and candidates, I had to tell him my opinion too.  That's when
things got difficult. But one of the fascinating things about having friends who don't have the same belief system or ideas as you, is that election time gets intense!

I've had discussions lately with quite a few neighbors, friends and church members about our economy, the job situation, foreign policy and so forth.  And although I am non-partisan, I have an opinion about our system:  it's broken.  Jesus said "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse" (Matthew 9:16).  He wasn't talking about politics, but we are in a similar situation.  Most of our laws are designed to fix a problem, and that's honorable.  By nature, those laws favor one situation while limiting another, and they're never perfectly even-handed.  The imbalance needs to be adjusted, or new factors come into play.  Our system has become so complex that, when we write another law to patch a problem, we "tear a hole" somewhere else, then we try to fix that, and ... well, you get the picture. (If you'd like a real-life example, here's a news story illustrating this from the BBC.)

I have a much more fundamental question that you might find counter-intuitive at first:  Who is Jesus?  He is the Creator, the coming King of the world, our Savior, and the one who by becoming flesh along with us, has brought us into the heart of God for eternity.  Asking "how would Jesus vote?" obscures the real issue:  Jesus isn't running, and he isn't voting, he already IS in charge even though he hasn't yet fully imposed his will on the world.  When he does return visibly in glory, he won't be looking for your vote!  He, and he alone, will have all the perfect answers to all our tangled and competing needs.  If we try to work out our problems without looking to him for his solutions and his love, we're hopelessly lost.  And someday, he's going to return and we'll finally get to see what human life really ought to look like. 

What do we do in the meantime, then?  Here are some suggestions:

• Pray hard for our leaders and system -- as though prayer is the only tool you have -- and be a responsible citizen.  See Rom. 13:1-7.  
• Follow the simple advice in Malachi 6:8:  "this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
• Get involved where you can to "do right and love mercy."   We have the right to vote for leaders and issues in this country, and I encourage you to cast a wise, prayerfully-considered vote.  About 20 years ago a friend of mine decided to get more involved:  he ran for city council because he loved his neighbors and wanted to do them some good.
• Use a lot of grace in discussions with those of different opinions.  

 I won't tell you how to vote.  That's not my job.  But I pray you will find the wisdom you need to vote well. May the Lord grant you wisdom and peace!

Election

Tuesday, November 4 is Election Day in the US. Everybody seems to have the best solution to everything, at least until the next person or group comes along with their proposal (see Proverbs 18:17). Then we're being showered with attack ads that sound like the sheriff should have put that nasty person in prison years ago. If I listen to all those ads, I'll hate or fear everyone running for office and have nobody left to vote for.

This is an important election. Most are. But I hope you're not worried about it. A friend of mine wrote today: "Whatever the outcome, it's going to be okay, because the God we worshiped last Sunday is the same God who is still on his throne on Wednesday." God will always be working out his purpose on the earth, and he will always do it through imperfect people who hear his voice imperfectly -- that's how he has chosen to do it. Our task as Christians is to continue to pray for those in authority, and implore God to guide them to do what's best, whether they know it or not.

Some elections have a profound effect on history, and today's may too. But the most important election of all -- the one that changed the most things for the longest time -- is our election, by the grace of God, in Jesus Christ, into the life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It didn't start with us, it started with God. In fact, Jesus Christ was the elected one of God in the first place: "God chose him (Jesus) as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days" (1 Peter 1:20). Peter continues in 2:9 to tell us that we are God's chosen people, reminding us that God was the initiator, and we the recipients of his grace. Paul agrees, and brings in another point, in Ephesians 1:11: "Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance..."

So our 'election' was determined before the world began, and because God chose us 'in Christ', whom he would never reject, then our place with God is secure. We don't have to be concerned about being 'un-elected' because our performance isn't quite up to scratch -- our sins, including all our shortcomings, were wiped away in Christ before we were born. (This doesn't address how we as God's kids should be living -- that's a topic for another day; but just reminds us that it was his idea, and we are secure in Christ because of that.)

What a relief! What joy, that we have been made right with God through his own Son! How much of a burden that takes off our shoulders! And he did it all for us, out of love (John 3:16). How about publishing that as an election result!

God and Democracy

With the Democratic National Convention here in Denver this week, and the Republican convention in Minneapolis next week, I've taken some time to reflect on the matter of whether or how much Christians ought to be involved in government. There are as many views on this as there are denominations. Those range from total non-participation to the point of refusing to pay taxes (in clear violation of Romans 13:1-7 and of Jesus' instructions to "pay to Caesar what is Caesar's") all the way to holding public office as a means of serving the will of God and advancing his kingdom in this world -- taken from the same passage in Romans.

Christians hold, in effect, dual citizenship -- both of this world (Paul claimed to be a Roman citizen) and of the kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20). We were born into this world, into whatever nation we came from, but we are also 'born again' into the family and kingdom of God Almighty. In case of a conflict, that heavenly citizenship takes precedence over the earthly one (see for instance Acts 5:29) but by and large, our Christianity helps us be better citizens of our earthly country as well. That includes keeping the laws of our community and, yes, paying taxes.

What about voting? There's no command one way or the other in the Bible, so we have to look at principles and ask if we can gain an idea from them. Since Paul says the governments are from God, then participating in them could be seen as a participation with God.

But there are issues that we may disagree on with one candidate or another -- so how do we handle that? There are three options, I think: vote for the one that's closest to your understandings and values; lobby the one who is closest to your understandings, in order to sway his/her vote on various topics; finally, we can refuse to vote -- which is our right to abstain from the process, and treating our allegiance to God as over-riding all of those other considerations.

Paul gives us one command, though, that is clear: pray for our leaders. 1 Tim. 2:1-2 says this: "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." So Paul is even saying that God expects and is pleased by our prayers of intercession (asking for his help) for those rulers -- and ties that comment to God's desire for all to be saved.

Maybe there's another reason to follow the news coverage of the two major conventions: to have more to pray about. Even if some of the speakers irritate us, and we disagree with what they're promoting, we can pray that God will guide and help them do their jobs in ways that further His eternal purpose, even in spite of themselves. That's good enough reason for me. How about you?