A few summers ago, I asked a group of students to tell me what the word gospel means. They couldn’t define the word and didn’t really associate it with the person of Jesus, despite having been raised in the church. What they could articulate clearly was what they believed about politics. They knew a lot about abortion, LGBTQ+ issues and even immigration issues. Surprisingly, many of them did not get these ideas from social media or from school; they learned them from their churches. I watched as kids used cherry-picked Bible verses to defend their political views, even though they couldn’t express what Jesus did, who he is or why he is important. I love the way they cared about the things that happen in our society and wanted to live out Christian truths. But we cannot ask people to act based on the political or social implications of the gospel if they have not been transformed by it first.
Many modern churches have taken it upon themselves to address politics from the pulpit. Oftentimes, this takes the form of discussing issues where politics and morals intersect. While most churches aren’t going to endorse a particular candidate, they may still attempt to address this presidential election. You might hear specific issues brought up in sermons, or maybe there will be an urge to vote for the party that “most expresses Christian values.” But if these issues are so important, why are they only being addressed during an election year? This can leave congregants wondering, is this actually important? On one hand, constantly addressing politics creates the wrong emphasis of the body of Christ, but on the other hand, avoiding the issues altogether creates apathy towards political action.
While plenty of Christians wrestle with political issues, there are also some who would assert that politics should never be addressed in church. After all, that’s not what church is for, right? But when Kentucky introduced a bill that many claimed would criminalize homelessness, churches who spoke out against it received a lot of praise. Although their first inclination is to say that no pastor should address politics from the pulpit, it doesn’t seem to be quite that simple. Neither side seems to firmly stick to their beliefs about politics and the pulpit.
According to a 2016 study produced by PEW Research Center that examined how people make their political decisions which included people from every major religious group, “fewer say they rely as heavily on prayer and personal religious reflection (45%) or advice from family (43%) to help make important decisions.” People are more likely to do their own research on political issues than they are to pray about them or rely on advice from friends, family, religious leaders or community members. And yet, the same people included in this study also stated that their religious beliefs correlated to their civic actions in daily life, even when the statistics themselves do not reflect that. It would seem that outwardly, even when religious leaders choose to openly address politics, it does not always result in a correlation between the actions and religious identity of their congregation.
Jesus taught us to live out his unfailing moral principles. We see this in his call to care for orphans and widows, for migrants and for the impoverished. Our political systems, however, were not founded on Jesus’s principles, but rather on human ones; it would be improper for a church leadership that puts its faith in a perfect, all-loving and all-knowing God to put that same kind of faith in one fallible political party.
Over and over in scripture, Jesus urges us to care for our communities. While voting and getting involved in politics are a vital piece of caring for our communities, which Christians should participate in, we cannot allow politics to drown out the gospel. Our political actions are important, but it is not where our identity comes from. Our identity comes from Christ and our actions flow from that, not the other way around. The MSG translation of 1 Corinthians 13:3 says “If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere.” God is the personification of love and without him our political actions don’t matter. When the members of a church are biblically literate, their politics will follow. The most effective way for a pastor to influence the politics of the members of their church is to simply lead their congregation in discipleship and let the Holy Spirit work within the hearts of His people.
One important thing pastors should remember is that in any church, the people who make up the congregation do not all support the same political institutions. Without this acknowledgement, there is a disconnect that often leads to unempathetic discussions surrounding controversial issues. Pastors need to remember that they do not have the ability to change hearts and minds—only the Holy Spirit does. Sometimes he simply chooses to use us. It is also important that we do not view those who apply the gospel to their politics differently as “lesser Christians” or categorize all differences with extremes. Rather, it is important to remember that all people are made in the image of God and to treat them as such. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The gospel is not anti-political; the teachings of Jesus urge us to care for his people, and an important way we can do that is through shaping our political systems. But political action cannot come first. While it is sometimes appropriate to address certain political issues, if a visitor at your church walks away with a more comprehensive view of that church’s politics rather than a deeper understanding of the gospel, then the priorities of that church are in the wrong place.
