By the time this article is published, the federal election will be over. If you're like me, you find that trying to choose the right candidate is an elusive goal. There is never a perfect match between the values of a political party and our own Christ-centred ideals. We may find that a party's values align with ours in some instances, but not in others. When we vote, we do so with the sober realization that we are not going to get everything we want in a candidate. So we should probably abandon the idea that voting for a particular person or party is going to be a perfect Christian decision.
Since the fourth century, when the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official state religion, there has been an unhealthy relationship between our faith and politics. We have often lived under misguided notions about the piousness of our homelands, particularly here in the West. We talk about our democracies being “Christian nations” or having been built on “Judeo- Christian values.” But when we take for granted that our country is Christian, we neglect our responsibility within our community and leave it with government. Our main focus becomes individual salvation rather than influencing and changing social or political structures, when both are equally important.
Jesus not only preached about individuals being born again, but also about the reign of God in this world—both present and future. Jesus was as concerned about social problems and the political systems that oppressed people as he was about individuals and their need of forgiveness. The most common theme of his ministry was the kingdom of God. It was the subject of many of his parables and homilies. In a nutshell, the kingdom of God refers to what life would be like here on earth if God were king, instead of those who currently rule.
What would such a kingdom look like? Through various gospel passages, particularly the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes, we see a glimpse of what God has in mind—a world without hunger; a world in which debts are forgiven and no one is kept under someone else's thumb; a world in which the sad and lonely are befriended and given comfort; and a world in which everyone acts with integrity toward one another. For the poor peasants of Jesus' day living under Roman oppression, what better news could there be than that? Many people try to spiritualize Jesus' messages about the kingdom of God to say they mean more than making a better world here and now. While that may be true, it is not less than that.
This is the ironic thing about religion and politics. Most of the time, we want to keep them separate. State-sponsored religion is a bad idea. It's also a bad idea for religious organizations to align themselves with a particular party or system. This is why The Salvation Army is politically neutral. The gospel cannot be mandated by government. And yet, the gospel is political, if politics is defined as the social system in which we live. The gospel message has much to say about government structures, including our economic and legal systems.
Our Christian responsibility in the political sphere does not end with marking a ballot. The Christian, living under the reign of God and familiar with his principles, has an obligation to work each day to build a better world—to help remove any unjust social systems that exist in our land. Who we vote for is just the beginning of our responsibility. We build a better society by advocating with all levels of government, regardless of party affiliation, for the poor and marginalized in our society. We pay better wages than retail chains so that our employees can be healthy and happy. We take care of our environment for future generations. That is preaching the good news. But we must start by raising awareness, in our homes and churches, of these social and political issues.
Election 2015 is over. Now the real work begins.
Major Juan Burry is the executive director of Rotary Hospice House in Richmond, B.C.
Since the fourth century, when the Roman Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official state religion, there has been an unhealthy relationship between our faith and politics. We have often lived under misguided notions about the piousness of our homelands, particularly here in the West. We talk about our democracies being “Christian nations” or having been built on “Judeo- Christian values.” But when we take for granted that our country is Christian, we neglect our responsibility within our community and leave it with government. Our main focus becomes individual salvation rather than influencing and changing social or political structures, when both are equally important.
Jesus not only preached about individuals being born again, but also about the reign of God in this world—both present and future. Jesus was as concerned about social problems and the political systems that oppressed people as he was about individuals and their need of forgiveness. The most common theme of his ministry was the kingdom of God. It was the subject of many of his parables and homilies. In a nutshell, the kingdom of God refers to what life would be like here on earth if God were king, instead of those who currently rule.
The gospel cannot be mandated by government. And yet, the gospel is political
What would such a kingdom look like? Through various gospel passages, particularly the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes, we see a glimpse of what God has in mind—a world without hunger; a world in which debts are forgiven and no one is kept under someone else's thumb; a world in which the sad and lonely are befriended and given comfort; and a world in which everyone acts with integrity toward one another. For the poor peasants of Jesus' day living under Roman oppression, what better news could there be than that? Many people try to spiritualize Jesus' messages about the kingdom of God to say they mean more than making a better world here and now. While that may be true, it is not less than that.
This is the ironic thing about religion and politics. Most of the time, we want to keep them separate. State-sponsored religion is a bad idea. It's also a bad idea for religious organizations to align themselves with a particular party or system. This is why The Salvation Army is politically neutral. The gospel cannot be mandated by government. And yet, the gospel is political, if politics is defined as the social system in which we live. The gospel message has much to say about government structures, including our economic and legal systems.
Our Christian responsibility in the political sphere does not end with marking a ballot. The Christian, living under the reign of God and familiar with his principles, has an obligation to work each day to build a better world—to help remove any unjust social systems that exist in our land. Who we vote for is just the beginning of our responsibility. We build a better society by advocating with all levels of government, regardless of party affiliation, for the poor and marginalized in our society. We pay better wages than retail chains so that our employees can be healthy and happy. We take care of our environment for future generations. That is preaching the good news. But we must start by raising awareness, in our homes and churches, of these social and political issues.
Election 2015 is over. Now the real work begins.
Major Juan Burry is the executive director of Rotary Hospice House in Richmond, B.C.
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