Pastor Randy Booth
G. K. Chesterton said: “I never discuss anything else except politics and religion. There is nothing else to discuss.” Fundamentally, this is true for everyone. Even by the act of overtly avoiding the discussion of religion and politics, we’re making a statement about religion and politics. It is always and only a question of which religion and which politics. Religion and politics are inseparably joined. Neutrality is a myth.
Our land is not unlike the land of Israel in the days of Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezek. 22:23-31). We are unclean. Our prophets prophesy falsely. The church is corrupted in many places so that there’s little distinction between the church and the world. God is profaned because He is treated (at best) in a casual manner. Many of our political leaders are “like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.” Our culture is a mess. People are selfish and hateful.
Nevertheless, all people and nations are accountable to God. He either blesses them or curses them [judgment]. He knows what’s truly going on (publicly and privately). It is His work and authority that’s ultimately the decider. Isaiah 40:15 informs us: “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales; look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.” And Danial declares: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings…” (Dan. 2:20-21).
Now our work is different from God’s. We are called to be faithful to the King of kings.
We are His representatives; His children. We too will give an account to Him, and we’re to exert our Christian influence (which includes our political influence) in every place.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. ―2 Corinthians 2:14-16
There are many ways we can exert this influence. We will have the opportunity to do this again on November 5th (if you haven’t voted early). As the nation’s general election approaches, we’re faced with choices, which raise some important questions. There are few choices in life that are truly between the ideal and the bad. Most often, we’re left with making choices between two less than ideal things. The world, and all her people, are broken. In the case of voting, sometimes the question is put like this: “May we vote for the lesser of two evils?”
Political Evils Can’t Be Remedied Overnight
Many expect quick solutions to complex problems. Yet, God has most often worked slowly—even generationally—throughout history, both in blessing and in judgment. Our spiritual decline or apostasy as a nation has taken many generations and will likely require the same if we’re to recover that which has been lost. It is often the case that things must get worse before they can get better. We are still wallowing in the prosperity of the leftover capital of our Christian forebears, though that account is nearly empty. Like the prodigal son, our inheritance is going to run out. However, it seems that God’s people have found their greatest motivations for labor when they were under adversity rather than prosperity. Nevertheless, such circumstances always call for principled and courageous stands.
We Often Desire Change Without Sacrifice
Compromise for immediate comfort can cause us to lose sight of long-term goals and real gain. Principle is often sacrificed for expediency. In winning the battle we may lose the war. For example, the hard demands of the Christian gospel often don’t yield the kind of dramatic growth results many churches desire. So, the message of the gospel is compromised—watered down—made more palatable. Of course this makes more and more people feel comfortable in the church. In the end, the church loses its saltiness and can no longer command the respect of those inside or outside the church. The lines are blurred. We have become the world.
We likewise tend to think the next presidential election will be our salvation, but our problems are much, much deeper than the next presidential election. Even if we could elect the ideal person to the White House, this wouldn’t be the end of America’s woes. This isn’t to say that this isn’t a proper goal, but that such a goal must be kept in its context. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Ps. 127:1).
Our political obligation is the same obligation we have in every other area of life: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31). To think and act in harmony with God’s revealed will, “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Every person, whether president, governor, legislator, or voter must carry his Christian conscience, enlightened by the Word of God, into his political duty. It is the thoughtless exercise of civil duty that has led to most of our social ills and judgments (little by little).
We are not simply electing a person to be president but also a person who has the power to make around 4,000 political appointments (e.g., cabinet, judges, administrators, heads of agencies, ambassadors, and military leaders, etc.). So, the election of a president includes all of these people, who will, in turn, shape the direction of our nation. We will always be given a choice between personally flawed candidates, but their policies and personnel will transcend the individual at the top.
What About the Current Nominees?
We have one party and its nominee, who, among other things, proclaims and promotes the wicked and monstrous idea that a person has the right to murder their own child up to (and beyond) the day of birth, and has vowed to reinstitute this practice at the federal level, even if it means “packing” the Supreme Court. This evil is dressed in euphemistic language designed to cover the truth. This is an issue that can’t be compromised. Beyond that, it’s evident that other policies are hostile to God’s Word at virtually every point. Indeed, it’s aggressively hostile, and we can expect that virtually all those appointed by this administration would be allies to this worldview, if not full-blown crusaders for it. “The long march through the institutions” is a slogan coined by socialist student activist Rudi Dutschke around 1967 to describe his strategy to create radical change in government by becoming part of it. This party, and her nominee, continues to carry this torch, seeking domination and control. In fact, this party was the ultimate destination of that long march.
We have another party’s nominee who professes to be Christian but bears little personal fruit to support that profession. In fact, there’s some clear evidence to the contrary, and it’s obvious that he has some deep character flaws. Nevertheless, he has a track record of policies and appointments across the board, which are far more favorable to a Christian worldview. Whether self-consciously or politically motivated, the result moves us toward more liberty under God and less government intrusion and control. As Christians, we pray for “all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:2). If we are given that kind of liberty for the gospel to prosper, then (in time), we’ll see better candidates down the road, which is part of God’s blessing.
In one sense, our choices are unfortunate, but in another sense, our choice is clear. We are voting for way more than the person at the top of the ticket. We are voting either for a hostile or relatively-friendly government administration. It is true that the church prospered even under Nero, but it prospered more under Constantine. When Christian people stop retreating and rise to take responsibility for their families, churches, and nation, resolving first to be personally righteous before God, and next resolving to see that the righteousness of God’s law is established in their own homes, churches, and nation, then, and only then, will we see the full covenant blessing of God poured out. “We put no confidence in princes” (or princesses) (Ps. 146:3), but we do constantly seek to bring God’s Word to bear on every area of life. Someone’s law―someone’s mortality―will be imposed. That is an inescapable concept.