Many would agree with the following statement:
"Political messages should NOT come from the pulpit."
I am going to suggest that while not unfounded, the opinion represented by this statement might not be possible if one intends to stay true to Christianity and faith in Christ. The root of our English word "political" comes from the Greek word "polis" which is translated as city, citizen, civil, or civic. Quickly we can see that anything involving people coming together can be termed "political".
Taking this a step further and looking specifically at the buildings we call churches, we can find many political symbols. For example in the Oxford and McDonough United Methodist churches, we have American flags, Christian flags, banners, and images of crowns. All political symbols.
Our worship language is highly political as well. For example the "Lord's Prayer" which in part says "...thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven..." could be seen as revolutionary in its implications. By praying that God's "kingdom come...on earth as in heaven" some could (and have in the past) interpret it to mean Christianity seeks the overthrow of secular government. Of course we don't see these words as inflammatory or political any longer, but rather hear them with 2,000 year old ears!
Moving from worship language to the Bible itself, the political language and imagery doesn't decrease, but rather it multiplies. Words like "King," "Kingdom," "Lord," "Savior," "Crown," "Throne," and "banners" all betray the very political nature of the Bible and specifically of the Gospel.
Finally looking at the life and teaching of Jesus', it cannot be denied that the one we claim to follow, was himself very, very political. The story of the Wicked Tenants is so political that those in power who hear it want to have Jesus killed! The tenants in the story are the people of Israel (the Chosen People of God, another political designation), while the servants/slaves sent to the tenants are the prophets. The son sent and killed of course is Jesus. You will notice at the end that the vineyard will be given to others. This is exactly what the early Christians understood to have happened, as they were now the "Chosen People of God".
Luke's Gospel account follows this story up with spies trying to trap Jesus with a trick question that will either diminish his public support or get him in trouble with the Roman authorities. The question is about paying taxes and Jesus of course answers not (a) or (b) but rather (c). If he had said "yes" it was right to pay taxes to Rome, he would have lost his public support. If he had answered "no" it wasn't lawful to pay Roman taxes, he would have certainly been in trouble with the Roman authorities. So instead Jesus asked for a coin and asked whose head was upon the coin. The answer was the emperor's. Jesus then replies that the people should give to the emperor what is his, and give to God what is God's.
This perfect answer, is perfect for Christians when considering politics. For while Christianity is fundamentally political in nature, it is not partisan. This is to say that God is not a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independant. Christianity is political, but not caught up in any particular political system. So as Christians we are to give to God what is Gods, and give to the emperor what is his.
So what are the politics of the Gospel then? Or to put it another way, what is Jesus' campaign slogan? John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Richard Nixon said "I am not a crook." George H. W. Bush said "Read my lips, no more new taxes." Barack Obama ran with a slogan of "Change we can believe in." So what is Jesus' platform? You could say it's "Release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). Or maybe we could say it's to love our enemies, be slow to anger, quick to forgive, all while not judging others (Sermon on the Mount). But I think possibly the best way to sum it up, is how Jesus himself summed it up "love God and love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:34-40).
Having said all of this, and keeping in mind that Jesus called us to give to the Emperor what is his, while giving to God what is God's, it's helpful to remember Amos' example. Amos was a prophet who was sent to prophesy to Israel. His message was not warmly received and Amos was asked to leave (not so politely). In asking him to leave, Amos was accused of being a professional prophet (delivering his message in order to receive financial compensation). Amos bristled at such a notion and pointed out that he wasn't a prophet, nor was his father, but rather that he was a herdsman and a tree farmer! (Amos 7:14-15) What Amos has to teach us about Christianity, Politics, and Christian involvement, is that while we might be called to be involved in politics, we are not (in most instances) called to be politicians.
So in summary, Christianity is political by its very nature. While political, the Gospel (or Good News) is not partisan, we are truly to give to God what is God's and give to the world what is the world's. As Christians it seems that we are called to be involved in "politics" (think love God, love neighbor) but we are not called to be politicians.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
No comments:
Post a Comment