Politics and Religion are Intertwined
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“He has told you, O people, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? ”
Whenever someone states they are tired of churches talking about politics and wish ministers would get back to preaching the Bible, I want to scream! The entire Bible is one response after another to political situations. John Dominic Crossan, in his book, Render Unto Caesar meets the question of politics head-on when he quotes historian Mike Duncan. The latter describes the challenges facing the early church during the Biblical period. There was “rising economic inequality, dislocation of traditional ways of life, increasing political polarization, the breakdown of unspoken rules of political conduct, the privatization of the military, rampant corruption, endemic social and ethnic prejudice, battles over access to citizenship and voting rights, ongoing military quagmires, the introduction of violence as a political tool, and a set of elites so obsessed with their own privileges that they refused to reform the system in time to save it.”
Mike Duncan could be describing our nation and world in 2022! The Bible was not written in a vacuum. Faithful people wrote the Old Testament attempting to live amidst the political challenges of the time. From Pharaoh reacting to Moses to Saul trying to kill David, the prophets’ warnings are political responses. Likewise, Jesus’ ministry, his suffering and death, and the results of his resurrection are all impacted by the Roman Empire’s political intrigue.
So, why should we, 21st century Christians, believe the Bible and our contemporary faith should be separate from the political world around us? Like Jesus, the Apostles, disciples, and other faithful, we are experiencing economic inequality, political polarization, rampant corruption, prejudice, and many other challenges the Romans endured. Like Jesus and the faithful, we too must seek ways to respond to our political world in ways that will create an environment of equality, justice, and hope.
People of faith must turn daily to prayer so we can be guided by the wisdom and creativity of the Holy Spirit. Alone, our global challenges are too overwhelming. With the divine input of God’s Spirit, we can address and transform human inequality and suffering. Justice can become a reality, where it appears to be a pipedream now. We are wrong when we treat politics as a sin. While politics often illuminate corruption, it is also the way to make beneficial and lasting change. With God’s help, politics can be transformed, and justice can one day be restored.
