Faith and Politics: Advancing the Christian Agenda
There are several strategies employed in politics for advancing Christian causes and values. But how did Jesus do it? And what is a “Christian agenda” anyways?
INTRO
Welcome to the second of our series Faith and Politics. Today, our topic is advancing the Christian agenda.
It’s evident that all of politics is about advancement. Politics exist to advance a party’s agenda and their set of values pertaining to all sorts of things. Each party’s slogan gives us hints of where they want to go. The Republicans want to “Make American Great Again” while the Democrats are saying “We Are Not Going Back”. They communicate a desire to progress somewhere that’s better than where we are now.
Similar, everybody uses something to advance what’s important to them. Everybody, including you and me.
You might use shame or guilt to get your way with others.
You might use power over your spouse or kids.
But it doesn’t have to be bad.
You might use hard work to get a promotion.
You might use kindness to resolve conflict.
You might use pho to make friends (it’s worked with me).
Everybody uses something to advance what’s important to them.
Kingdom of God
Now, if you’re a Christian, there’s something way more important than your politics, your job, or your family.
That’s the kingdom of God—the rule and reign of Jesus Christ in your heart and in the world. Scripture calls us to be active participants in building the kingdom of God. We see this is the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9-10)
So, how are we to help “God’s kingdom come”?
Christians throughout history have answered this question in different ways. But there is one answer that has proven true time and time again. One undeniable reality that is reflected in the church’s best and worst moments. And it’s the core idea of today’s sermon.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail. Let me say that again. If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
Love was the central theme in Jesus’ teaching and the birth of the Church.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-39)
You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43-44).
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
I could go on and on.
So, it makes sense that if you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
Nonetheless, Christians throughout history, and still today, have tried to use other means to advance the kingdom of God. Every time, it’s failed, and it still fails today.
History
To help you understand this, I’d like to take you on a whirlwind tour of church history. Not everything, of course, just some highlights (and lowlights) that illustrate this important idea: If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
Early Church
Let’s start with the early church. After Jesus, the Church grew at an unprecedented rate. It was incredible. The book of Acts paints a beautiful picture of a church that genuinely loved and cared for people and, as a result, advanced the kingdom of God.
Here is how one Christian author, Justin Martyr, described the church to the Roman emperor in 150 AD.
“They who are well to do and willing, give what they see fit; and what is collected is deposited with the [pastor], who provides for the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in need, and those who are in chains and the foreigners living among us. In a word, they take care of all who are in need.”
The early church was known far and wide for their love for others. And despite horrific persecution, the church grew, and the kingdom of God advanced. Why? Because of love.
Constantine
That continued up until the 300s, when something happened that changed the course of church history. The Roman emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and even converted. He did some good things: he built churches, donated money, and returned property that had been stolen from churches.
But he also started to use his political power for the advancement of the Church. He promoted Christians into high-ranking office, forced non-Christians to pay more taxes, and enacted laws that enforced Christian beliefs.
While it was great that Christians weren’t being killed anymore, Constantine’s approach was problematic. The Church became a tool of the State, and the State became a tool of the Church. Constantine tried to use political power to advance the kingdom of God, but it didn’t work. In fact, he thrusted the Church into 1,000 years of corruption, greed, heresy, and violence.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail. Constantine used political power instead of love, and he failed.
Crusades
The best example of this failure in the Medieval Church was the Crusades. Around 1100, the Church began 200 years of wars to recover the Holy Land from Islamic control. These campaigns were bloody, violent, and ruthless. It’s estimated that anywhere from 1 to 9 million people were killed during the Crusades, all for the sake of Christianity.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail. The Medieval church used violence and force to advance the kingdom, and they failed.
Reformation
Then around 1500, a major shift happened in the church—the Protestant Reformation. This was led, most notably, by Martin Luther, who publicly challenged both the unbiblical theology and the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church.
While Luther is most known for things like justification by faith, sola scriptura, or the priesthood of all believers, the true heart of the Protestant Reformation was love. Here’s how one scholar describes it.
Luther argued that the way to enable fallen human beings like us to love God and neighbor is to assure us of God’s prior unconditional love for us in Christ, which frees us from our perceived need to make ourselves lovable to God through our own efforts. Luther argued that once we experience the inflowing of this radical love into our hearts and lives, it moves us to love God and to love our neighbor as we ourselves have been loved. At its best and at its heart, the Reformation was all about this reformation of love.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail. And the Reformers mostly got this right.
First Great Awakening
We can see another example of this in the great revivals of Colonial America. In 1734 in Boston, there was a Christian revival of such magnitude it become known as the First Great Awakening.
One of the key figures in this was the preacher Jonathan Edwards. Here is what he wrote to a Boston pastor about his experience there, “The town never was so full of love, nor so full of joy, as it has lately been. I never saw the Christian spirit in love to enemies so exemplified, in all my life as I have seen it within this half-year."
The kingdom of God advanced greatly through these revivals. Why? Because of love.
Religious Right
Now fast forward a couple hundred years to 1980 and the rise of the Religious Right. In the 70s, many white, conservative Christians were feeling like they were losing cultural power in light of societal shifts like Brown vs Board of Education and Roe v. Wade.
So, they began to align themselves strongly with the Republican Party, whom they felt could advance their socially conservative positions on issues like abortion, homosexuality, and so-called “family values”. This continued until “Christian” and “Republican” became almost synonymous. This created a religious subculture characterized by strong political affiliation and Christian nationalism.
Their core strategy was to use political influence to advance the kingdom of God. Not surprisingly, it hasn’t worked. Over the last decade and especially the last few years, the term “evangelical” has been tarnished from years of scandal, hypocrisy, greed, and an absence of love for neighbor.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
Today
And unfortunately, both political parties today are instilling fear as a tactic to advance their agenda. In the most recent debate, we saw former President Trump address issues of immigration by instilling fear that people lost their dogs and cats because they were being eaten by Haitian migrants. Democrats use fear too making points that former President Trump will take our country backward or destroy our freedom and democracy. Fear is a tool that breeds all sorts of things like anxiety, panic, self-preservation, etc. Fear eliminates our ability to be faithful in God’s promises.
If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
Summary
All throughout history, when Christians love abundantly, the kingdom of God advances. When they seek after power, position, wealth, or control, the kingdom of God suffers.
Application
So, let me ask you: If you’re a Christian, what do you use to advance the kingdom of God?
Politics
Power
Pressure
When it comes to politics, do you say things like:
Vote your values
Elect Christians to office
Reclaim America for God
Those aren’t absolutely wrong. But, be careful. You might be trying to use politics to accomplish what only love can.
Remember: If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.
The measure of your maturity is not in your politics. It’s your in love. So, how loving are you, really?
We
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 reminds us this,
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [17] 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Is your love patient? Is it kind?
Or does your love envious, boastful, and prideful?
Does your love honor or dishonor others? Does it others-seeking or self-seeking? Does your love anger easily? Does it lead you to keep a record of wrongs?
Does your love protect, trusts, hopes, and persevere?
Love is the only thing that will advance God’s Kingdom, so let us love as God has loved us. Let me pray for us.