I'm not a
politician and I'm not the perfect Christ follower...yet I do believe that
politics has an important role in our society and Christians are to be careful
how we engage politically.
As a
believer in Jesus the basis of my worldview is; grounded in the fact, that God
inspired by love created Human Beings and Nature – endowing them with Her same
inherent desire to Love and embody said Love for God and All of
Creation.
What
troubles me is that too many professing Christian politicians and leaders (of ALL
political parties) actively support policies diametrical to the Gospel and
the nature of God as related throughout the metanarrative of the Bible. For
example throughout Scripture: the foreigner (immigrant) is welcomed, the
criminal (murderers to felons) is rehabilitated, the prostitute is restored,
the victims (of political and ecclesial injustice) are rescued, and the causes
(the people-systems) of social and political malfeasance are exposed.
Conversely,
whether heard on CNN, Fox, MSNBC or via a stump speech, politicians (including
Christians) ardently practice demonization of the people effected by their
policies and decisions (i.e. planned-maintained poverty, food insecurity,
creating permanent underclass, violence, war on drugs, distressed familial
systems, etc.). Unfortunately, these politicians (and their supporters) choose
to continually exploit the suffering and oppressed (often a result of unjust
laws/policies).
Perhaps,
the worse outcome of loveless politics/politicians is well-meaning
followers/supporters like sheep following wolves cloaked in deception become
mere fodder for the advancement of the politician/the political party. Thereby
scathing and diminishing the image of God within the supporters and stifling
their ability to love as God has created us to love.
Christians
must beware when we equate loveless political policies and politicians with
Jesus/with God that:
if love
is absent, if equity is absent, if compassion is absent
so is Jesus – so is God,
so is Jesus – so is God,
For Jesus
followers our understanding of love is to be our North Star in all our
decisions. Particularly when it seems politicians and leaders (Christians
included) attempt to lead us to exalt political parties and ambitions above
loving God and neighbor. We must remember – our politics are to be shaped
and inspired by Jesus and the nature of God!
We
mustn’t forget Jesus entered the Temple not in the name of party or politician
but because there was an absence of love, equity and compassion. Jesus demanded
justice and overturned tables because politics led to corruption and the
absence of Love for All. (John
2:15 – 16)
As
politics continue to take front stage, my prayer is that those of us professing
Jesus as Lord cease to elevate the Democratic, Independent, Republican and
Tea parties above Jesus Christ. Not one of these parties can claim
comprehensive values inspired by Love for God and others, so why should
we lose our faith in support of "our" party or in support of
"our" politicians?
”But
if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin."
James 2:9
James 2:9
--
INSPIRED BY LOVE,
Pastor Marcus J. Singleton
PastorSingleton@gmail.com
