As I was getting ready for work today (okay, I'll confess, I was lathering in the shower), my mind (for some reason) wandered to the role of government and politics in the life of a believer. My major in college was actually Government (which is called "Political Science" at other schools), but I pretty much dropped any interest in politics once I graduated.
Most of us have probably heard a spiritual person declare that Christianity is not equal to right-wing conservative politics. They have pointed out that Christians' involvement in politics in the US has sent a confusing message to people that 'converting to Christianity means converting to the Republican Party.' While I would hate to communicate that message, the proposed solution** doesn't seem right.
Another factor that points to the current emphasis on conservative politics from the "Christian coalition" or the "evangelical right" is that followers of Christ are to put our hope in God, not political leaders. Some would even point to certain historical events (like JFK's assasination and/or Nixon's Watergate scandal) to prove that we cannot put our faith in politics. The sermon on the mount tells us to "seek first the kingdom of God," not the White House (no matter who is in there).
To take the advice of some critics and back away from political activity seems to be a reactionary answer that would prove to be wrong. A good point is this: "Ignoring politics by not voting or not participating in our government (which happens to be a democratic republic) would be foolish. If we have the right to make our voice known, then it would be foolish to ignore such an opportunity. In fact, by not voting or participating, we are making a choice. In many cases, a "no choice" is actually a choice.
So, if we are not to over-emphasize politics but not ignore it either, then perhaps the answer is to find out what "being Christian in the political arena" looks like and feels like. Perhaps being pushy, negative, and "dirty" are examples of what not to do; and maybe there are other methods and attitudes we can take into our involvement with us that will accurately reflect biblical Christianity.
The Bible was written over the course of what...four centuries? So the context we see is very diverse. In one setting we see God instructing the people how to govern themselves (by giving them the Law as well as kings and judges from time to time). In the New Testament we see believers living under the reign of a somewhat evil empire.
A few passages about leadership have probably been used a lot. The Bible does say that God moves the hearts of kings and Jesus said that "all authority comes from the Father," so even a bad leader is given to the people by God's authority and nothing escapes His control or approval. It might accurately be said that "God gives us the leaders we deserve."
There are diverse types of governments around the world (duh), and the imprint of the Bible can be found in many of them. There are apparently documents that we can find that show how early American leaders urged their people to choose leaders "full of the Holy Spirit." That sounds like a good idea to me. A Christian that is wise is better qualified than a Christian that isn't. A wise non-believer would be a better leader than a foolish Christian, I would think.
Even Communisim has some roots in biblical Christianity, with wealth being common. I think they seriously deviated from this "book of Acts" model by forcing that upon the population, though. In the book of Acts believers gave out of their own good will. It wasn't enforced by a government and it wasn't legislated alongside mass killings nor the evil of ethnic cleansing.
So, maybe we could learn how to be truly Christian or truly biblical and also be politically active. What do you think?