Honestly, this is a very challenging topic for me. Not only
to write about, but more so to walk out in a practical way.
Here’s why: Because quite often people will mistake engaging
the culture with being political.
For example, systemic racism is a pervasive reality in
America. For many, this is seen as a political issue and not a moral issue.
Therefore, if I write about the evils of racism, or if I point out the injustices
suffered by people of color in this nation, I am often accused of being political.
But justice and politics are not the same thing.
Justice is about pointing out what is wrong [injustice] and
working to make it right again.
So, feeding the hungry, caring for the outcast, standing
alongside the LGBTQ community, speaking out against exploitation, and shining a light on racial inequality isn’t
about politics – it’s about justice.
Politics is about choosing sides, advocating for laws to be passed
or struck down, aligning with a particular ideology and standing for a certain
platform.
Those who follow Christ cannot ignore issues of justice. We
cannot turn a blind eye to suffering. We cannot allow people who are made in
the image of God to be marginalized and exploited, especially if there is
something we can do about it.
But, this is where the question arises: What can we do about
it?
For some, a political solution makes the most sense. They rally
around a particular party or politician hoping to bring about justice in that
way.
For others, they are convinced that politics isn’t the best
way to transform a culture or influence society. Instead of pursuing the
political path, these people might instead seek to bring about a change at the grassroots
level. This is often the slower approach to change, but in the long run, it is
the most enduring one.
In the meantime, there are those from both sides who take
the time to care for the broken, comfort the oppressed, and feed the hungry. This
is how we should respond to the immediate needs of people who suffer injustice,
long before we take the justice path or the political option, if we hope to
alleviate the pain.
So, for someone like me who has abandoned the political
option. It can sometimes be challenging to walk the line, so to speak, on
issues of injustice.
There is still a need to critique the culture and to point
out the contrasts between the glorious Kingdom of God and the pathetic kingdoms
of the world.
For some, these critiques are interpreted as being political.
And in some cases they may be right about that. But as long as we can critique
the culture without taking sides, and without becoming nationalistic in the
process, this critique is still valid.
Why? Because our main goal is to transform the culture from
the inside out. One of the ways we do that is to point out how Jesus’ Kingdom
is better and how He has a better plan to transform the world with preemptive
love and proactive agape.
Many Christians take this too far, in my estimation. They
not only want to speak out against injustice and point out the better way of
Jesus, but they continue on to seek out political power and influence of their
own. This, to me, is a mistake.
Why? Because the best way to change the world is through the
Gospel, not through political influence.
Did the early church impact their culture? Yes, they most
certainly did.
Did they do so by infiltrating the Roman government or
political process? No, they did not.
And let’s keep in mind that they most certainly could have
done so if that was their intention. There are numerous examples of Roman
officials and civil magistrates who came to faith in Christ in the early
church.
Instead of seeking to install Christians at the highest
levels of power, they required every one of those new converts to resign their
positions of authority in the Roman government and renounce political entanglements.
"A military commander or civic magistrate must resign or be
rejected. If a believer seeks to become a soldier, he must be rejected, for he
has despised God." (Hippolytus of Rome)
Remember: Their own brothers and sisters in the Body of
Christ were being arrested and put to death during this time. How tempting it must
it have been for them to leverage their political influence to set those people
free and to end the persecution of their faith?
Still, they remained true to their Lord’s example and
refused the temptation to entangle their faith with politics. They were willing
to obey Jesus and remain loyal to His Kingdom even to the death.
What’s more, they didn’t wait for the government to change
the world. They got busy changing it themselves with the best weapon possible:
The Gospel of Jesus.
The Gospel that had transformed their lives from the inside
out was more than powerful enough to transform their neighbors, and their
community, and yes, even their empire – one person at a time.
Untangling ourselves from politics doesn’t mean that we unplug
ourselves from the culture around us. Far from it.
If anything, we must become more engaged with the culture –
and more acquainted with those who are suffering at the hands of the Empire – so
that we can administer the love of Christ and spread the virus of His Kingdom
to those who are broken under the crushing weight of injustice.
We cannot transform the world by disengaging from the culture.
Being salt and light involves getting our hands dirty. We must step into the fight.
We must carry our cross and suffer with those who are suffering.
As my friend Jackie Pullinger once said, “The Gospel is
always life for those who receive it and death for those who bring it.”
Our lives belong to the King. Let’s walk in the power of His
resurrection and bring life and light to those who are in darkness.
