When Politics Turn Against You: A Christian Survival Guide
You love God and country. Your home décor features the words ‘faith, family, freedom.’ An American flag waves in your yard, and you love to talk politics. Religion is the most important topic, but the direction of our country affects our lives, and that’s why you think it deserves discussion, too.
Then, a worst-case scenario happens. The wrong guy inhabits the oval office. Bad policies start to ruin our nation. Stupidity becomes the reigning philosophy of the day. Uneducated citizens get to enjoy short-term happiness at the expense of long-term prosperity. Western civilization itself is on the decline. How do you survive such a situation?
Have no fear. This Survival Guide will teach you the three steps of surviving bad politics, policies, and politicians(!) as a Christian! While this guide makes no claim about how things will end up, it will teach you how to protect your Christian witness and effectively focus on what really matters, even if the government runs itself into the ground!
Get Ready Beforehand
In order to prepare for bad policies and politicians, you have to prepare beforehand by emphasizing what really matters. Without a doubt, politics matters. In light of eternity, however, it isn’t the most important topic. Begin immediately to emphasize the important things.
Ask yourself some hard questions. What are you most excited to talk about? What engages most of your passionate discussions with others? Is it easier for you to talk about the second amendment, or the second coming? What single message do you most want to communicate to someone who has the ‘wrong’ election bumper sticker on their car?
Another danger is when believers lump politics and religion into the same discussion. Of course, your political positions should (and will) be affected by your theological notions. But when you find yourself talking about how Jesus came into the world…and then later realize that you are discussing whether or not people have the right to free healthcare. Well, um, Houston, we’ve got a problem.
Unfortunately, many Christians have such a robust view of freedom (and blighted view of God), that they can’t seem to separate the two concepts. I’m not denying that there is a connection – our understanding of freedom, of the role of government, and of many other political notions, are all informed by Scripture. The problem is when we start to mix the two in our minds.
I’ve literally heard people start into a conversation about God, and within a paragraph, they are talking about the Constitution. Sometimes this happens by getting sidetracked with glorious ideas of ‘national revival’ or the Christian heritage of our nations. I’m all for national revival, and no one appreciates our Christian heritage more – but let’s not get distracted from the world-changing message of Jesus. (Also…I’m not holding my breath for some great American revival, seeing even Isaiah the prophet failed to bring that about within the covenant nation).
Make sure that your message applies to everyone. The gospel applies equally to liberals and conservatives; in first-century Judea, far-right Zealots (Simon) and far-left tax-collectors (Levi) were equally called away from their ideologies in order to follow Christ.
Examine your motives. Why is the gospel so important? Why are you proclaiming it? To honor God and see souls saved? Or to change people from one position to another? Are you doing this for the betterment of society, or for the betterment of sinners?
Allow me to clarify: political positions are a matter of discipleship. After someone believes in Jesus, his opinions begin to change to be in line with Biblical ethics. The problem is that too many people are getting the cart before the horse. This is all about priorities, so let’s honor Jesus by setting them well.
Don’t Freak Out
Once the world starts to fall apart, there’s no need to get too excited about it. Many Christians worry themselves too much when they look at the political landscape. The great preacher of the 20th century, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, was no stranger to political controversy. He lived at the same time as one of the most evil politicians of history, Adolph Hitler. He explains it like this:
“I would say, for an example, that by definition Christians must never become too excited about politics, and for this reason, that they know perfectly well that there is no solution to the ultimate problem of mankind in politics. So people who believe that, as a result of a win for one party rather than another at an election everything is going to be fundamentally different – those people are either not Christians or else they are very ignorant ones. No; nothing that can happen at an election will touch this problem. The parties are all equally in sin; they are all under the domination of sin. Now, Christians should be concerned about these things; they have a duty as citizens, and let them exercise it. But if they become excited, if they believe that one rather than the other is going to make the vital difference, they have never seen the truth about the world. Men and women who believe that ‘Jesus is the Son of God’ have seen through the world; they know that no Acts of Parliament can solve the problem of mankind. They look on, therefore, objectively. There is a detachment about them; they are looking at it from beyond it.”
So when the ‘bad man’ and his ‘evil croonies’ take power…relax. Your ultimate citizenship is in the heavens. You may have a spiritual ‘green card’ to live in the US, but that expires when you do. ‘Child of God’ is a much more impressive, and long-lasting, credential than ‘citizen of America.’ If this doesn’t calm your anxieties, you might need to believe it a little more.
Continue to Serve Others
In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey gives a powerful description of how you should spend your limited time and attention. He teaches that we all have ‘spheres of influence,’ individuals and situations that are we are able to impact. Many people spend their time worrying about things that are outside their ‘sphere of influence,’ but this is a waste of time. Instead, Covey argues that we should try to influence those who are already within our sphere, and in our spare time, we can always work to enlarge that sphere.
Think about your sphere of influence. It probably includes both believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers need the message of the gospel – so give it to them. Believers need encouragement in their faith. If you want to influence them, there’s nothing wrong with talking politics…but be careful not to discourage them. Most believers are too earth-focused, so the best thing you can do is point their eyes to Jesus, not the evils of government. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t talk politics with Christian friends – just be careful not to feed them a message of too much gloom.
Pray for government leaders. Prayer is within your sphere of influence, so by all means, use it! At the same time, remember that God often uses evil for his good purposes. So, if you don’t see immediate answers to prayer, that doesn’t mean that God has ignored your requests. It just means that he is working in a different (much more glorious) way.
By all means, feel free to offer fair and balanced criticism of the government, in moderate amounts. Again, your goal is to be defined by Jesus, not by criticism of the government. As a believer, you know the truth, and you can certainly use that truth to shine light on what is evil. However, be careful not to be disrespectful. Since God is the one who has ultimately placed these individuals in power, they deserve a certain level of respect (and it’s a sign of false teachers to disrespect authority). When Christians start calling elected officials ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb,’ they aren’t demonstrating Christian living. (Few politicians are dumb. Many are brilliant. Even if in no other way than being ‘brilliant at corruption’ or ‘brilliant at double-talk’).
Remember that ultimately, it is the message of the gospel that you need to focus on. Be faithful to your local church. Love other people. Encourage them to follow Jesus. Ensure that you have a robust spiritual life yourself, and dig deep into the Word of God. If you need motivation to focus on souls rather than governments, ponder this quote: “there are no ordinary people . You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors” (C. S. Lewis).
If you take these three steps – emphasizing what really matters, staying calm, and continuing to serve others – you will be able to spiritually survive bad politics. I can’t tell you what will happen to our nation, but God will take care of that. Most importantly, these simple steps will be beneficial to your soul, which is much more important than who controls Congress.
