Loveless Politics: Christians Beware

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, 

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

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INSPIRED BY LOVE, 

Pastor Marcus J. Singleton

PastorSingleton@gmail.com