NAVIGATING POLITICS IN THE CHURCH
Brent Burckart
August 2024
Sadly, in recent years, we have seen how many of the political and cultural divisions in our broader culture have found their way into our churches, and the effects have been devastating, not only to our unity but also to our gospel witness. With the upcoming election, our churches will once again be put to the test. To help us navigate this turbulent political environment, here are some general reminders, along with some specific suggestions.
Remember your true King.
It is Jesus whom we ultimately serve and in whom we put our trust (1 Tim. 1:17), not any human being or political party (Ps. 20:7). Because God is sovereign over our lives and over the rise and fall of nations and kings (Dan. 2:20-21; Prov. 21:1), we need not panic regardless of who sits in the Oval Office or the halls of Congress (Psalm 46).
Don’t confuse American rights with Christian rights.
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are important human rights set forth in the Declaration of Independence. I’m very grateful to live in a country that upholds and defends these rights. However, it’s important to recognize that while life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are set forth as guaranteed rights in our nation’s founding documents, nowhere are they regarded as guaranteed rights for Christians in Scripture. To the contrary, while we must actively defend the rights of others, as Christians, we ourselves must always be willing to lay down our lives, our liberty, and our comfort for the sake of the gospel (Luke 9:22-25; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Phil. 2:3-8).
It was this inability to distinguish between American rights and Christian rights that lay at the heart of so many of the conflicts in our churches during the pandemic. Consider, for instance, the debates within churches regarding whether they should require, or at least recommend, the wearing of masks in church gatherings. Many church attendees in the pro-mask camp were essentially arguing for their right to life (“my life and health shouldn’t be put at risk because of the choices of others”) while many in the anti-mask camp were essentially arguing for their right to liberty (“my freedom shouldn’t be restricted by the demands of others”). Though they were on opposite sides of the argument, what many in both camps had in common was their unwavering (and very American!) insistence on their own personal rights. What was often missing from the conversation was how our church’s mask policies could be crafted in such a way as to best advance the gospel in our specific communities, regardless of our own personal opinions on the matter or the risks to our own personal life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness.
Resource
Evangelical Identity (Sermon from January 14, 2024)