To Be Political or Not to Be Political

As yet another Presidential campaign year is fully underway (it seems as if they never go away), it seems as if everything becomes politically supercharged yet again. Some days, I wonder when it will become a political statement not only to drive a certain car, wear certain clothes, but even to breathe.

One of my favorite stories goes back to 2016 or 2017, when my son worked several weeks at Camp Overlook in the kitchen. I came up to the camp to pick him up and overheard two counselors talking to each other about an incident that week. While the kids were painting one day, a girl was drawing a rainbow. A boy came up to her and said, “Oh, you must be one of those kinds of people!” She turned and looked at him, saying, “Yes, I am! I am someone who loves rainbows!”

I wonder if I missed the memo that said we have to take everything so seriously and make a statement and choose a side about everything in the world. More to the point, I wonder when we decided that we had to take ourselves so seriously that we define our lives in terms of our political views. By the way, I am not ranting about “these days.” People have been taking sides since human history began. We just happen to be in a period of time when it’s more noticeable than it used to be. I am making an argument that we who call ourselves Christian (and yes, that is taking a side, but not to persecute, punish, hate, or dismiss others) need to be careful lest our political views take over Jesus’ purpose. To make that argument, I’ll use two thought experiments.

First experiment: Imagine that the person or party you align with gets the office of President and fills the Senate and House. Are you now “off the hook” in any way? That is, do you no longer need to love God, your neighbor, share the good news of the Gospel, or use your gifts to help people in the church and community? And likewise, if your party or person doesn’t get in – are you now given permission to hate other people and forget they are made in the image of God?

Second thought experiment: Will the election of one party/person or another result in the coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory to usher in the fullness of the kingdom of God? Or will the election of one party or person result in the gates of hell opening and sending the wrath of God on the earth?

Certainly, each person who has an opinion has a preference and a wish, even a prayer. But let’s not take ourselves and our politics so seriously to believe that our choices compel God’s will one way or another. Through history, God has used both good and evil leaders to bring about God’s will, even leaders such as Nebuchadnezzar, who sacked Jerusalem twice and took their best and brightest into exile in Babylon.

We have several months to go before elections happen, and I want to encourage us to stay faithful before all the political craziness settles in. So, I am going to finish this article with two quotes – one from John Wesley, and one from Jesus. Wesley wrote in his journal in October 6, 1774: “I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them 1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy. 2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and 3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 5, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

May we be salt and light, especially in the here and now. It is my privilege to continue serving alongside you!