Christians speak up for justice for all people. Beyond that, we speak up for those without power; in the Bible, this was the widows, orphans, poor and foreigners. It may be the same groups in our society, or it may be different. But we speak up on behalf of those who need it most.

The Law reminds us not to distort justice in favor of the poor. We seek justice, not merely benefits for the powerless. But we do all of that without regard to how it affects our finances or our safety. We do what is right, not what protects our interest.

That’s part of the reason I believe that now is the time for Christians to speak out in favor of immigrants. Not injustice in favor of immigrants, but a correction of the current unjust system must occur. This is a time for advocacy on behalf of aliens. We can’t let it become a political issue (as it already has). Christians must speak up on behalf of the powerless. Don’t let a political platform tell you what to do. Don’t let your wallet tell you what to do. Don’t let talk radio tell you what to do. Speak up for justice.

That’s just one example. When laws are passed that harm the homeless or the needy, we must speak up. We waited too late on slavery. We waited too late on civil rights. Let’s not wait any more.

It bears repeating: Christians must have an unswerving commitment to truth. Especially regarding the political process, where so much falsehood lives and breeds. Speaking from within the system or from without, our speech must be characterized by truth.

This goes for everything that we pass along. Our standards must be higher than those of the people around us. We must be sure that we aren’t spreading lies or half truths. For that matter, we should consider political speech as we do all other speech: if what we are sharing doesn’t build up, it doesn’t need to be shared.

We noted last week that our speech must be guided by the nature of God, especially when speaking in a public way. Our God is truth. Our speech must be truth.

So, in discussing, our discourse on public issues, the first guideline is a firm commitment to truth.

Having looked in broad terms at the sort of things we are called to speak out about, what about the things we aren’t called to address? That is, when speaking as ambassadors of God, as representatives of the Kingdom of God, what issues just don’t fit?

We don’t seek our own personal good. That should be obvious, but it needs to be said. We can’t base our discourse on what benefits us personally. We don’t seek our rights, having been called to follow in the steps of Jesus, who gave up his rights. We don’t speak out for economic prosperity. We don’t advocate personal security. We don’t seek the opposite of those things, but issues of personal benefit do not shape our public speech.

While we pray for the peace and prosperity of our nation (and all nations), we don’t speak our for what is best for any nation of this world, be it the United States or be it China. That’s not our goal. That’s not what we’re here for. We speak as God’s ambassadors. We represent the good of his Kingdom, not that of any earthly nation.

Above all, we do not mold our message to meet political ends. The shameful example of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association should remind us all of that danger. We let our religious beliefs shape our political beliefs and not vice versa.

What else? Am I off base on any of this? Or have I left something out?

OK, so the other day I wrote about speaking from outside the system, the unique posture that Christians can have when they refuse to align themselves with political parties or candidates and merely speak on behalf of the Kingdom of God.

If you think about it, that’s quite a responsibility. As ambassadors of God, we have to choose our words carefully (something that I’m admittedly bad at). We also need to choose our subjects carefully. What sort of things do we speak out about?

Part of that depends on who our audience is. Our speech differs when addressing believers, that is, people who present themselves as trying to follow God. John the Baptist challenged Herod on his improper marriage, yet we have no record of Christians challenging the Roman authorities on similar issues. Herod presented himself as a Jew. Paul did speak to Felix about such things, though it was in private meetings.

Believers are held to a higher standard, at all levels of the political process. Both elected officials and voters are to hold to biblical principles at all times. This is especially true as regards their personal lives and behavior.

But what about politicians and government in general? What helps us decide when to speak out and when to let the “dead bury the dead” (let the world deal with problems of this world)?

I say that we are to speak in favor of values that reflect the nature of God. An emphasis on principles like truth and life. A defense of justice, particularly towards the weakest of society: widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor.

I think we need to immerse ourselves in the prophets, learning from men like Isaiah, Amos and Malachi about the things that God wants addressed. Our situation won’t be the same, yet we can learn the principles that matter to God, like mercy and justice. From God’s messages to foreign nations, we can learn about what standards even non-believers are expected to live up to.

We can’t expect political platforms to set the proper agenda for our speech. Whether or not an issue will impact an election does not determine our choice to address it. We must step outside the process and stand for values that transcend parties and elections, speaking eternal truths to a world focused on temporal problems.

Those are some initial thoughts. What are your suggestions? How do we speak out, not as Americans nor Democrats/Republicans, but as Christians?

In the past, I’ve argued that the proper position for Christians regarding politics is not to throw themselves into the fray, but to speak to it from outside. The analogy that I’ve used is that a referee can’t also be a player for one of the teams. Once we align ourselves with one candidate or another, we lose our right to speak out on individual issues.

This was illustrated for me a few years ago when I referred to an article by Brian Mclaren, only to have someone say, “I’m not interested in what he has to say; he supported Obama.” While I don’t agree with that reaction, I don’t think it’s uncommon. James McCarty wrote about reasons why young people are leaving churches of Christ; one main reason cited was the way the church has chosen to align itself with the political right. We gain nothing from politicizing the church and lose much by doing so.

That being said, I’ve realized that my stance toward political issues has been too passive. I’ve spoken out on some things, yet don’t feel that I’m doing my part in “speaking from outside the system.” As an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, I have the responsibility to speak out on behalf of things that interest my Kingdom. As political parties wrangle for votes and power, it’s my (our) responsibility to speak up on behalf of larger issues.

I’m trying to figure out exactly what that would look like. I’m well aware that the things I write here aren’t going to resonate much beyond a small circle of friends. Yet I feel that I need to speak out, if only for my own sake. I need to think through some of these things and voice my opinion.

I’ve got some travel coming up over the next few weeks, so the writing may be a bit hit and miss. But I want to address some of the core values that I think need to be addressed, values that Christians should stand up for, values that governments and politicians should be held accountable to.