Politics and the Church

Why does church have to be political?

Our lives begin to end 
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
- The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is a definition: “The Church is not a building; it is the people.” You can’t have a church, a gathering of the ἐκκλησία (Ekklesia) or what the New Testament calls "Church," without a gathering of believers. Over time, the building became synonymous with the gathering of the people that met there.

Therefore, by nature, the people gathered as the Church have concerns about their daily life and work and how their faith may inform such work. As students of Jesus, what we learn in Church about how Jesus taught us to be, do, and act helps us establish our social ethics. Our social ethic bleeds over all aspects of our lives as followers and informs all our decisions and behavior. Our behavior as disciples and followers of Jesus shows the world what we believe. 

The image of Jesus we have become comfortable with over the years is apart from the concerns of government or apolitical. Therefore, folks have said that the Church should not be political. However, Jesus was deeply concerned with the agenda of politics and issues related to power, status, and right relationships, so much so that it is the primary reason he was put to death by the state. 

Jesus challenged King Herod’s authority and Pilate and the Roman government’s authority. He also challenged religious authority but always advocated for the outcasts of society. Jesus led by serving and called us into the right relationship by serving one another.

As followers of Jesus, we are to be concerned for those on the margins of society, those that society has shunned or forgotten, whom Jesus calls “the least of these” (Matthew 25). Our values propagate through the society in which we function. If our society or government is causing harm to other human beings, regardless of who they are, then it is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In our baptismal covenant (BCP 304), we make promises to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons and love our neighbor as ourselves. ALL means EVERYONE! Jesus gives us many examples in scripture about how we are to care for everyone, including the stranger. The parable of the Good Samaritan is probably the most challenging (Luke 10). We also promise to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. As Christians, we are not vigilantes but strive for justice for others through the social systems in place. Being political (or functioning within the polis) is how we can act. Sometimes, this action is with our vote, and sometimes, it is by peaceful protest of oppressive decisions made by the government.

The politics of Jesus are messy and sometimes unpopular and uncomfortable, especially if the politics of Jesus don’t align with how we decided to vote. Jesus is very political. In turn, the Church is political. However, Jesus was never partisan. Likewise, the Church should never be partisan. The Church, advocating for justice and peace, sometimes seems partisan when we view the issues through a gospel lens, and they align with a particular party’s platform. That doesn’t make the Church apolitical or apathetic to the decisions made in society by governments.

The Christian Church should teach and live Jesus. The Church should never address a party or platform but should address the issues and fears of the people to help them view the world we live in through a gospel lens. This is how the Church is political. It may be uncomfortable, but it’s well within the scope of acting out our faith in the public square.

References: 

NRSV Translation of the Bible.

Book of Common Prayer 1979.

Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus, 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1994.

The Episcopal Church (part of the Anglican Communion, the world’s 3rd largest body of Christians) is publicly active through the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN). They present the Church’s view on issues worldwide and give you a chance to lend your voice by contacting your elected representatives. You can sign up to get alerts in your email. Their website is here: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/office-government-relations/eppn-sign-up/