"I don't belong to an organized political party; I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
"Some trust in chariots (or, elephants), and some in horses (or, donkeys): but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." -- King David
Back room deals.
Political posturing.
Twisting arms in committee meetings.
Winning by intimidation.
Stuffing the ballot box.
Slander and innuendos.
Power-hungry control.
Follow the money trail.
Voting blocks.
Now the question is, "Do the above things happen just in the District of Columbia, or might it happen also in a Deluge of Churches?"
Many a seminary graduate with idealistic eyes and big dreams envision pastoring their first church where everyone loves one another, loves Christ supremely, desires to follow the Word more than anything else, and where they will esteem their pastor in the highest regard. How many times has someone like that will have their fantasy world come crashing down upon him, only to encounter disillusionment of all his cherished hopes and dreams. Eventually he makes the painful discovery that politics is alive and well within the local church.
For those who believe that democracy should determine the day in local church polity, many a pastor comes to the realization that just because he won an 80% vote of confidence in a business meeting (what U.S. Senator would not like to win by that margin?) does not mean that his job status is secure. It all depends who the 20% are. Or who controls the purse strings. And there goes the concept of majority rule. So much for democracy, a flawed system anyway wherever it has been tried. (We have a representative republic in our country.)
Then there is the scenario where people on the membership roll who never have darkened the doors of the church in years all of a sudden show up at a business meeting. Talk about stuffing the ballot box. It's like the dead people who vote in Chicago.
The Politics of Religion is a blight and curse. One pastor I know very well, who weathered an unbelievable storm at a very difficult church that resulted in his forced resignation, was "comforted" or "counseled" by a deacon who told him, "Your problem was you were never a good politician." Too bad Paul didn't include that extra qualification for elders in his list in 1 Timothy 3.
A part of me would say, being someone who has been a pastor for almost 30 years, that most church members would be shocked, surprised and saddened if they would learn all the political shenanigans that goes on behind the scenes in what is supposed to be a spiritual body of Christ. Then again a part of me would say that maybe many would accept it as just part and parcel of the way things should get done. After all we have been force fed for years now that the church should take its cue from the world in so many ways, so why not follow the rough-and-tough world of politics as well? If the shepherd of God's flock has been transferred into the model of a CEO of a large corporation, then why not make him into President of a large number of constituents?
In Ephesians we read how the church is compared to a body, a building and a bride. Not once do we read anywhere that the church should be comparable to a bloated bureaucracy with busted budgeted items on frivolous expenses (I heard about a local church that bought a Hummer for its outreach program. Gone are the days of the bus ministry I guess.), nor is it likened to a conglomeration of segregated voting blocks of people who must be appeased at every turn or else (staff, deacons, charter members, the golden-agers, the young married couples, twice-divorced left-handed blonds from Scandinavian descent, and last but not least, the heavy financial hitters). When a church or denomination is known more for its robust political machinery, then it ceases to function as a spiritual body, a spiritual temple of the Lord, and a spiritual bride prepared and adorned for her Husband.
What should be forewarned about the corruption of the church by the infusion of worldly politics should equally be sounded about the inherent dangers of the Religion of Politics.
I, like so many others, have been greatly discouraged over the direction of our providentially-privileged country over the past year or so. Some would almost advocate a total withdrawal of Christians from the nasty world of politics. Jehovah's Witnesses follow that course, along with some evangelical Christians. Without embarking on a full-scale discourse on the role of the church in state affairs, I would only direct people's attention to three prominent Old Testament characters who played pivotal roles while serving in heathen governments--Joseph, Esther and Daniel. The story line of redemption would have had a very different ending had God not placed these people in key leadership roles in the "nasty world of politics." Their situation is understandably different than those Christians today who run for office and who get elected in our form of government, but the principle remains the same--we need more Christian politicians, just like we need more Christian doctors, Christian school teachers, Christian policemen, Christian judges, Christian engineers, etc.
I want more and more Christians who have a solid biblical worldview and are highly qualified personally and professionally to serve in office, on the local, state and national levels. (Martin Luther once said something to the effect that he would rather be ruled by a smart Turk than a stupid Christian.) What good is it if believers stand on the sideline and let the pagans determine the rules under which we must live? We have nothing to complain about if we stay disengaged. Rev. Martin Niemoller's remarks in Germany in 1945 bear repeating: "First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
Salt that stays in the saltshaker is being the salt of the salt but it is not being the salt of the earth. In other words, Christians should be informed and involved.
The apostle Paul used political knowledge to his advantage in more than one occasion ("be wise as serpents") in Acts 16:36-39 and Acts 21 and the chapters that follow. I must respectfully reject the opinion that advocates Christians should only put their noses in the Bible and turn their faces away from "secular worldly pursuits", such as the political issues of our day, especially those that intersect biblical truths. For example, I am very much opposed to socialized health care or any other big government endeavor or take-over of segments of our economy, if for no other reason it is a clear violation of the commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me." We should steer people away from having an attitude toward government that says, "My Government shall supply all your need according to the riches in D.C. (or really China, if one understands our national debt) by your elected official." Paul had something else in mind when he wrote Philippians 4:19.
While Christians should be informed and involved, there is a danger, and an ever-growing one in this heightened and emotionally-charged political season, of Christians and churches being infatuated and intoxicated with political pursuits. Our hope is not in Barack, Hillary, Sarah, Mike, Scott, or anybody else. When people come to our church, they should hear the gospel and not the latest political anti-this-person banter. People should not mistake us for a political action committee. God does not ride the back of an elephant or a donkey. Elected officials will let us down, even the good ones. Having the right person in the White House is not near as important as having the King of Kings set up residence in a person's heart. Big government can not save your soul, and neither can having the Right government save your soul. (Although having the "right" government can provide a better climate for free gospel propagation. But then again, look how much the early church was able to accomplish under Nero and how Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds today in such places as China and North Korea.)
If a Christian is so caught up in a political movement and they become more energized and animated in their conversation and daily activities about a political issue or a political figure than they do about Christ, His Word, and what God has been doing in his or her life lately, then that Christian has fallen prey to the Religion of Politics. Yes, we should be the salt of the earth (informed and involved), but if the salt loses its distinctive flavor, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trampled upon under the foot of man (we should not be infatuated and intoxicated). It's a sad state when a Christian can know more about the upcoming election or the passage of a bill in Congress than they do about a passage on the doctrine of election in Romans. Wherein lies the passion of the Christian? Let it never be said that when people hear us talk that they think our first affection or loyalty lies with this or that candidate. Instead, it should be said about each one of us, "For to him and to her to live is Christ."
Beware of the dual dangers of the Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics. One can do just as much damage to the soul of a church and a Christian as well as the other.
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." -- Will Rogers
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ"
Philippians 3:20
