Tag Archives: Politics

Citizenship, ethnocentrism, and politics

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Wooden ballot boxGot involved in another discussion about citizenship, this time centering around the Pledge of Allegiance. (I’ve written a number of articles about my views on saying the Pledge) That led me to think more about how citizenship and nationalism affect our politics.

At some level, citizenship is a given. Our modern world pretty much obliges us to be a citizen of some country. The spiritual truth is that we are citizens of heaven and foreigners in every nation of this world. Our difficult task is to reconcile the pragmatic realities with the spiritual ones.

Nationalism is feeling loyal and proud of your country. Ethnocentrism is the belief that your people are inherently better than all others. This may be tied to a race or a tribe or a nation. This belief leads us to judge all other countries in terms of our own. It often goes hand and hand with nationalism, though not necessarily so.

How do these things affect our politics? When making political decisions, people typically want what is best for their nation, even if this comes at the expense of other nations. If we as Christians recognize that our nation is the Kingdom of God, we will make one kind of decisions. If we view the United States as our nation, we will make different ones. That’s one reason that I think it’s vital we understand where we are from and where we are going (using the language of John 13:3).

As Christians, we seek the good of all people, not just those of the country we hold citizenship in. We pledge ourselves to actively work for the good of all nations, not just the United States. We place the good of all men above our personal good and above the good of the country we live in.

We should be fervently nationalistic about the Kingdom of God. We should give whole-hearted allegiance to that great nation. We should make it clear that our patriotism is for our true patria, not the place of our birth nor the land where we now live.

And our political decisions should reflect those realities.

Come out from them and be separate

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political BibleIt’s June, and the two presidential candidates from the major U.S. political parties have been chosen. Donald Trump. Hilary Clinton.

I want you to prayerfully consider a response to these choices based on the following passage of Scripture:

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”” (2 Corinthians 6:14–18)

Some people speak of “hold your nose and vote.” I say don’t do it. Don’t give your support to either of these candidates.

  • But if I don’t ___ will win, and we can’t have that.
    There is no “vote against” option in the presidential election. You are casting your vote for someone. When the final votes are tallied, your vote will count as an endorsement for the person you voted for, not a condemnation of the person you voted against. Your vote will provide an argument for their policies, a base for their mandate, an encouragement to continue doing what they are doing.
    I personally vote in no national elections. The reasons are too complex for a sub-point in this post, but I explain some in the post “Voting.”
    Many of you haven’t made that choice and are fearful that if you don’t vote in the presidential election, the voices of “the good” won’t be heard, only those of the ungodly. If that fear weighs on you, vote in the congressional election and all others. Influence those races through voting, and influence the presidential race by not voting.
  • But ___ is so much better than ___.
    No they’re not. Neither is basing their campaign on Christian values. Neither is exhibiting Christian values in their life. Neither is promoting policies that will strengthen the Kingdom… except in that the Kingdom is strengthened when it stands out in stark contrast with the surrounding culture.
  • If Christians don’t vote, we won’t have a voice in the process.
    You think not? What if every Christian in this country abstained from this election? You don’t think the major parties would begin to see what they could change to reconnect with the Christian vote?
  • It’s our Christian duty to vote.
    No it’s not. We are called on to be good aliens in this foreign land where we live. We are to obey the laws. We are to pay taxes. If voting were obligatory, you might could make a case from a sense of Christian duty. But even where it’s obligatory, most countries allow a “blank vote” to be cast.

I’m not one of those who says you can’t be a Christian and vote for Donald or vote for Hilary. You can make a lot of bad choices in life and still be a Christian. I’d just like you to prayerfully consider an action that goes against the American way but seems very much in line with the Kingdom way.

I’m worried about this election

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votingI have to admit, this is one time I’m a bit concerned about the outcome of an election.

And it’s not because of who might win or who might lose.

I’m concerned about the lasting impact this election could have on the church; specifically, on individual Christians.

  • I’m afraid the fear will last. Many Christians are acting on fear when they think about voting. Fear that the wrong candidate will win. Fear of economic problems. Fear of foreigners. Fear of cultural change.
  • I’m afraid Christians will believe that power and influence are the way to change our world, rather than following the lead of the Lamb.
  • I’m afraid Christians will put their hope in the winner. Too many feel that politicians can fix what’s wrong with this country. Too many think that participating in politics or not participating in politics will determine the moral course of this nation.
  • I’m afraid Christians will believe the talk of American exceptionalism, identifying more with a country of this world than with the Kingdom of heaven.
  • I’m afraid Christians will identify more with those in power than the marginalized. I’m afraid we’ll forget that we are immigrants and foreigners, not full-fledged citizens.
  • I’m afraid the violence and hatred, fighting and division will bleed over into the church.

Christians need to be sure that the Kingdom shapes their politics and not vice versa. No matter who gets elected in November. I don’t care who wins. I just don’t want Christians to lose their identity.

Why I Can’t Support The Right

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political Bible In the United States, when talking about politics, the Right refers to conservative views. The Republican Party is considered the party of the Right.

There are parts of the Rightists’ message that resonate with me. Concern for morality. Emphasis on the family. De-emphasis of the role of government.

So why can’t I support the Right? Here are some reasons:

  • Stance toward immigrants and refugees. Yes, this is a personal list, and this topic is of special interest to me personally. I live in a state where the Right uses the question of immigration as its principal fear-mongering tool. As I’ve said before, I favor efforts to secure the southern border of the United States. But I oppose any reasoning which places the blame on immigrants or seeks to characterize them as criminals and/or terrorists. The language of the Right on this issue should be offensive to every Christian. We are called to compassion for those less fortunate, not contempt.
  • Emphasis on violence as a solution. For many, the answer to most foreign policy questions is violence. They seek to impose the will of the United States on other nations, intimidating them by economic and military force. Violence is also the answer for many domestic issues. As a Christian, I can’t support such. I don’t feel that being Pro-Life ends when a baby is born. Christians speak up for life over death at every level.
  • American exceptionalism. I reject the idea that the United States is inherently greater than other nations. I reject the notion that our system is inherently better than that of others. I cannot support policies based on preserving the United States’ position of dominance in the world. (There also tends to be a strong patriotic emphasis by those on the Right, though the Left would lay claim to the same patriotism. I’m very patriotic… but my patria is not the United States. It’s the Kingdom of God.)
  • Disregard for the environment. I feel that Christians have a responsibility to stand up for the good of God’s creation. The Right can favor the economy over ecology. Christians on the Right find themselves in untenable positions, such as denying climate change in the face of all evidence. I admit that radical environmentalism can be harmful, but that doesn’t free us from the responsibility to be good stewards of what God has made.

    • There are other issues. These are just some major ones that stand out for me.

    Does that mean I support the Left? Far from it. Please read the companion post: Why I Can’t Support the Left

    And no, I don’t believe in choosing the lesser of two evils. You still end up choosing an evil. That’s not for me.

    Why I Can’t Support The Left

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    political Bible
    In the United States, when talking about politics, the Left refers to liberal views. The Democratic Party is considered the party of the Left.

    There are parts of the Leftists’ message that resonate with me. Concern for the poor. Concern for the environment. Opposition to most forms of violence.

    So why can’t I support the Left? Here are some reasons:

    • Abortion. Yes, that has to top the list. I don’t believe in one-issue politics, so I won’t say that the list begins and ends there. But it’s a major issue. Beyond the legislative questions, I’m troubled by the emphasis on a mother’s rights versus those of her child. I’m troubled by the effort to completely remove questions of morality from sexuality and reproduction. Christians are to speak up for the weak and powerless; none fit that category better than the unborn. We should also speak up for life over death.
    • Emphasis on government as solution. There was a time when the family was expected to take care of most needs. What couldn’t be dealt with by the individual family was handled by the church family. The Left tends to replace the family and the church with the government when discussing social problems.
    • Antagonism toward public expression of religion. As a Christian, I can’t support the idea that faith is merely a personal matter to be practiced in the privacy of one’s home. The Left has done more to limit religious expression than it has done to promote it; I can’t stand with them on that.
    • Support for the Gay Movement. The Left has unquestionably accepted homosexuality and has often pressured Christians to do the same. I do not favor the mistreatment of homosexuals any more than I favor the mistreatment of those that commit other sins. But as a Christian I will not whitewash immorality in any form, including homosexuality.

    There are other issues. These are just some major ones that stand out for me.

    Does that mean I support the Right? Far from it. Please read the companion post: Why I Can’t Support the Right

    And no, I don’t believe in choosing the lesser of two evils. You still end up choosing an evil. That’s not for me.