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?

SERMON Intro

I’ll begin with a quote: “I know hundreds of people who have large platforms; I know them personally. They will almost universally tell you that there is nobody meaner on the Internet than a white person with scripture in their bio.”

That was Sharon McMahon, a nationally recognized political educator, speaking on one of my favorite podcasts, the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast.

This sentiment has been echoed by numerous Christian personalities who have faced harsh backlash for speaking out on racism, sexism, or social justice: Russel Moore, Lecrae, Kristin Du Mez, Beth Moore, David French, and many others. They all say the same thing—the anger and hatred they received from fellow Christians on the right was exponentially worse than anything they heard from the left.

There are plenty of Christians out there, especially online, who are using ANGER in an attempt to advance Christianity.

Other Methods

But anger isn’t the only thing Christians use to advance their cause. I’ll give you two more.

The first is POWER. This says, “If we elect Christian politicians, then we will be able to advance Christian causes through legislation, judicial rulings, and executive actions.” Or “If we get Christians in political office, then we’ll be a Christian nation again and regain God’s favor.”

This is a common strategy among Christian organizations such as the Christian Coalition, Turning Point USA, or the Seven Mountain Mandate. They all believe in using power—political or otherwise—to advance the kingdom of God.

Here’s another more recent example of something Christian politicians are using to further their platform: LYING.

By now, you’ve probably heard about Trump’s debunked claim that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s dogs and cats. This past week, Trump’s V.P. running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, who speaks often about his Catholic faith, was challenged with this falsehood. He responded, “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

He explicitly stated that he would lie to further his explicitly Christian political agenda.

God

Anger, power, lying—all used to supposedly advance the kingdom of God.

Almost every Sunday, we pray the Lord’s Prayer together and say, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

But how do we 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. (Matthew 22:37-39)

9 You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” 10 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 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. [12] 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 has failed, and it still fails today.

History

To help you understand this, I’d like to do something a little different. I want to take you on a brief 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. 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. 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 its love for society’s poor and outcasts. Despite persecution, the church grew, and the kingdom of God advanced. Why? Because of love.

Constantine

That continued until the 300s when something changed the course of church history. The Roman emperor Constantine converted and legalized Christianity.

He also started to use his political power to advance the Church. He promoted Christians into high-ranking office, forced non-Christians to pay more taxes, and mandated Christian beliefs.

The Church became a tool of the State, and vice versa. Constantine tried to use political power to advance the kingdom of God, but it didn’t work. He thrust the Church into 1,000 years of corruption, violence, and heresy.

Crusades

The best example of this failure in the Medieval Church was the Crusades. Around 1,100, the Church began 200 years of wars to recover the Holy Land from Islamic control. These campaigns were bloody, violent, and ruthless.

The Church tried to advance the kingdom of God by force, and it failed. It’s estimated that anywhere from 1 to 9 million people were killed during the Crusades, all in the name of Christ.

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 Church history professor Ronald Ritters 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… [Then] 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 heart, the Reformation was all about this reformation of love.”

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 that it became known as the First Great Awakening.

One of the key figures was the preacher Jonathan Edwards. This is what he wrote about his experience, “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 to the rise of the Religious Right. In the 70s, many white, evangelical Christians were feeling like they were losing cultural power due to 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 positions on issues like abortion, homosexuality, and so-called “family values.” This continued until “Christian” and “Republican” became almost synonymous.

Their core strategy was to use political power to advance the kingdom of God. Not surprisingly, in fifty years, it hasn’t worked.

If you try to advance the kingdom of God with anything other than LOVE, it will fail.

Conclusion

All throughout history, when Christians love abundantly, the kingdom of God advances. When they seek after power, position, control, and wealth, the kingdom of God suffers.

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 find yourself thinking things like:

• Vote your values

• Elect Christians to office

• Reclaim America for God

Those aren’t completely 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 in your love. So, how loving are you, really?

Politics will NEVER advance the kingdom of God. Only love can do that—abundant, selfless, unconditional, Jesus-inspired love.