In my last article, we opened up the can of worms marked “politics.” In that article, I emphasized up front that the Bible is explicitly clear that Christians are to pray for our civic leaders, honor our country and its leaders, give to our country what it is due, and submit to the laws of the nation in which we find ourselves (provided those laws don’t prevent us from obeying God).
There should be NO DISSENT on the above points.
Yet, in order for the church to obey the Scriptures on the above points, it means that Christians should understand the laws of the land (so they can comply with them) and should be politically informed (if, for no other reason, so that they can pray effectively). There is no biblical justification for Christians to be intentionally ignorant when it comes to civil affairs.
Christians should be the best citizens.
The church needs to be teaching that. It’s not “political” for the church to teach that. It’s BIBLICAL for the church to teach that.
I also addressed the question of whether it’s appropriate for pastors to be political. I argued that much depends on what we mean by “political,” and that the most important concern is whether a pastor is biblical.
**If you haven’t yet read my previous article, you can do so by clicking here.**
Was it biblically appropriate for Martin Luther King, Jr. — as a pastor — to speak out for racial justice? I believe so. Of course, that raises another question, which is…
Was it appropriate for Dr. King — as a pastor — to devote as much time as he did to the cause of civil rights as opposed to performing traditional pastoral duties? King spent a significant amount of time away from his pastoral duties at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, and later at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, due to his national leadership role in the civil rights movement.
The answer is…
It comes down to God’s call on Dr. King’s life and ministry as well as the prayerful support (or not) of the churches he served (and that paid him). If God called Dr. King to be a national civil rights leader (and I believe He did) and both Dexter Avenue Baptist and Ebenezer Baptist supported King’s work on a larger national stage (and indications are that they did), then… all we can say is “Amen” and “Thank you, God, for raising up a leader like Dr. King.”
From a biblical standpoint…Dr. King was on solid ground (I believe) to take a strong stand against bigotry and segregation and for racial justice. Of course, it’s not just about the late Dr. King.
Churches in general played a central role during the abolitionist and civil rights movements. They often held organizational meetings, strategy sessions, prayer sessions, and more. Were they wrong to do so?
I would say…. NO!
In my judgment (based on my reading of the Scriptures), it’s not appropriate for a pastor to (at least from his “platform” as a pastor) endorse a political candidate or party. It’s also not appropriate for a church to become a center of partisan activity. And…
I am not comfortable with pastors becoming little more than political commentators. We pastors are told to “preach the Word,” not our political opinions.
Having said that…
Churches sometimes do need to engage the culture and speak truth to power.
The civil rights and abolitionist movements are great examples of when this is necessary. The early church’s efforts to save babies from “exposure” (the ancient practice of abandoning unwanted babies to the elements) as well as speaking out against abortion and infanticide also serve as examples.
I also think it’s consistent with the Apostle Paul’s actions in the Book of Acts to speak up for whatever legal rights we have, in whatever context we are in, to ensure our ability to carry out the Great Commission. Since I’m writing this as an American pastor to primarily American readers, that would include speaking up for religious freedom on First Amendment grounds (as in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution).
This became a bit of an issue in our region in 2020 and 2021. When COVID hit, we voluntarily shut ourselves down one weekend, but then… the government shut us down. And did so for a while. When they allowed us to start meeting again, it was with restrictions. I encouraged OBC members to cooperate with this. (I did so from the pulpit and over email. I even blogged on the subject here, here, and here). Did I agree with the government on everything? Absolutely not, but I believe the tack I took was consistent with New Testament teachings on cooperation with civil authorities. Nevertheless…
When the restrictions continued on church attendance (even in the face of some glaring inconsistencies with respect to other establishments and community gatherings — that will require a whole other article), I wrote to our elected officials urging them to be more flexible with respect to churches. Our director of missions did the same.
Looking back, I believe the government (at all levels) made some bad decisions and enacted some unnecessarily restrictive policies when it came to COVID. I do believe that their motives (at least most of their motives) were good, so I’m not judging them personally. And, for a while, there was so much uncertainty that some extreme measures in the beginning were understandable, but I am concerned about the precedents that have been set.
We may now be in a situation where we have ceded to the government (at the national, state, and local levels – but certainly at the national level) to declare an emergency and then suspend our constitutional liberties, including the First Amendment. Let that sink in.
Yesterday, that emergency was a health emergency. But what if the government down the road deems that things that a church teaches cause mental damage or emotional hardship to people in the community – what if the government declares that to be an emergency? Think that can’t happen? If so, you’re living in a Dream World. Those claims are already being made by an increasing number of people in our society.
I predict that, in the coming years, we’re going to see a lot more hate directed against Christians and a lot more pressure and antagonism toward Bible-believing and Bible-preaching churches. And I don’t think the average churchgoing Christian in America is ready for that. We better be.
For now, though, what should churches do with respect to politics?
I believe the most important thing churches should do is encourage followers of Christ to be informed, consistent prayer warriors.
The Apostle Paul couldn’t be clearer on this subject. Here is what he told Timothy in I Timothy 4…
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Churches should be actively and consistently praying for the country and community in which they worship and minister.
I think it’s also appropriate for churches to occasionally have special events and speakers.
In my last article, I talked about how one of the churches I grew up in got too political — particularly with bringing a U.S. congressman in to give a speech regarding his campaign for governor. A speech in which he talked about plans to vote for a nuclear missile program. This was not appropriate, as I said in my last article.
Jane and I later went to another church that (I felt) went to the other extreme. They rarely addressed politics at all, with one exception. That exception was a special Sunday evening presentation in which the church invited David Barton of Wallbuilders to come and talk about the faith of America’s Founders. I enjoyed that talk. And I’ve actually seen (in person and online) several of Mr. Barton’s talks over the years.
As a student of history, I also love the subject matter. The faith of America’s Founders is extremely interesting to me. And it seems (at least to me) a fair topic to explore…in church. Not during a Sunday morning service, but during a special program that people can voluntarily attend if they are interested.
A prayer breakfast for local officials or a special service to honor veterans are also examples of these kinds of events. Not overtly political but some might say quasi-political. And I think they are fine. A church down the road from our ministry in Ohio did a special event to honor first responders. Nothing wrong with that.
I also know of churches that open up their buildings for voting or who encourage voter registration. Nothing wrong with that.
Here at OBC, we had a special Sunday evening presentation several years ago when Erick Stakelbeck came and spoke about ISIS, the Middle East, and Israel. Was that appropriate? Well, if you’ve read the Bible, you know Israel and the Middle East are talked about a lot in the Bible! Not only with respect to the past, but also when it comes to prophecies about the future! So, yes, I think that’s a valid topic to cover in church. But, again, we did that as a special Sunday evening program – not as part of the Sunday morning worship gathering.
I also believe it’s 100% appropriate for a pastor to (from the pulpit even) condemn hate, bigotry, and racism — and to proclaim that God values human life and that abortion is a terrible blight on our nation. I believe it’s also appropriate for a pastor to teach what the Bible says about identity, sex, and marriage — even though doing so can trigger lots of emotions and bring out the wrath of many in our community.
If we care more about what the world says than what the Bible says (when it comes to controversial issues), then shame on us.
At the same time, we can’t let the world set our agenda. There are always political issues in play. There are always political controversies going on. There are always pressing concerns. If the church tries to tackle all of them while also getting into the weeds on everything, the church will lose its way. Many have lost their way. So, it’s a balancing act.
For my part, I believe the church should speak to moral principles that are upheld in the Scriptures. And the church should encourage godly civic participation in general.
But it’s not the role of the church to climb into the details of public policy. God will raise up men and women to enter the political arena to deal with that. Nor is it the role of the church to endorse political parties or candidates — or to become political action committees.
This article is bound to trigger some opinions. 🙂 This whole subject is rife with controversy. Many churches go to extremes. In my 15 years at Olney Baptist Church, I’ve tried to walk that line – to stay away from partisanship, but also not bury our heads in the sand and pretend the world around us doesn’t exist.
So…bottom line…
Should a church ever get political? That’s the wrong question. The right question is
Should the church be the salt and light of the community to which they are called?
That is the right question, and the answer is YES!
As to HOW a church should go about that comes down to what God is leading that church to do. No church can do everything, but each church is to do its part.
God bless you!
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