Why should Christians be active in politics?

Answer 1

Here are some of the ideas I have found useful for myself:

1. We can't separate moral opinions from religious opinions, in the practical sense. We all have beliefs about right and wrong, and these beliefs determine what laws we create -- which basically tell us how we are allowed to treat other people.

2. Normal Christianity emphasizes our interactions with other people -- i.e., community-centered, love-based living. Our legal system is part of community living as well, so you can't really 'separate' them per se. Our faith impacts our politics.

3. Laws are only good for preventing or punishing bad behavior. They are not good for changing people's hearts -- i.e., their attitude towards others and God. Since Christianity is about a "relationship with God," laws are ineffective in terms of people coming to faith and becoming real believers. All they do is create an atmosphere where people are protected from harm and able to choose God if they so desire.

4. Jesus understood this, which is why he said [parahphrase], "Let Caesar have what is Caesar's, and God have what is God's." The government's job is to promote justice but cannot change hearts, while God's domain is the human heart. If a Christian expects to change society and recreate heaven on earth by creating certain laws for his country, he's dead wrong.

5. Much of Christian politics is not actually based on love for other people, but a desire to protect one's "Christian lifestyle" and create a comfortable environment in which one can practice one's faith. This creates a "soft" faith that is more self-centered in nature than God-centered. Examine foreign countries where Christians are persecuted, and often you will find believers who are very strong in their faith and focused on God rather than on themselves.

6. Politics (i.e., fighing for power over others, so you can create laws to implement your own ideas) often creates sinful attitudes in Christians with different opinions. There is a spirit of judging, and a spirit of disunity. We start seeing each other as enemies rather than as part of the same body, just with different opinions. We can also become disdainful and dismissive of others who disagree with us. [I'm not excited to see Election Season 2006 roll around; the obnoxious treatment of others "in the name of God" has already started in places.] This behavior hurts God more than any "bad" legal system we might have in place.

All this leads me to say that Christians should be active in politics in order to create a stable community where justice is implemented and personal rights are protected as much as possible, so that people will then have the opportunity to listen for God rather than focus on survival.

Christians should not be active in politics in order to force everyone to do what we'd like or create a more comfortable cultural atmosphere for ourselves.

(Jesus' mission was to enter a hostile world, set an example, and invite them to love God, not to force them all to comply to an external standard or remold society from the top down. Forcing others to do "right things" often drives their hearts even further from God; the message of salvation is one of invitation, not coercion)

Answer 2

For the same reason any other citizen should. People who think that having active Christians in politics is a violation of church and state seperation have it reversed. It would be a violation of the first amendment if Christians were prohibited from voting or running for office.

Answer 3

Actually, Jesus himself said that they were to be no part of the world, as he was no part of it (John 6:14,15, 15:18,19, 17:16, 18:36). The world itself is lying in the power of Satan, the wicked one (1 John 5:19). James said that anyone who was a friend of the world was an enemy of God (James 4:4). Rather than engage in the political, national, or military affairs of a world ruled by Satan, Jehovah's servants preach his coming kingdom with Jesus Christ as ruler, which will obliterate all forms of human government permanently ( Matthew 6:9,10, 28:19,20, 24:14, Daniel 2:44, 1 John 2:15-17).

Answer 4

If you are a true Christian you will not be active in politics, becuase you will be agreeing that todays Government can solve the world's problems. But if you a true Christian you trust in God's future government will resolve the world's problems and will no longer need todays HUMAN Government that can't resolve the human/world problems.

Answer 5

Christians should be involved in politics, BUT they should not use it as a platform to push their personal beliefs on everyone else because that's not going to get us anywhere. Christians should be deeply concerned about social problems and should be involved in politics to try to do the best they can for society. We should be concerned about the problems in society and try to address them in the best way possible.

Answer 6

I think the high involvement in politics among Christians in our current era is indicative of the weaknesses in Christianity today. Ultimately, if more professed Christians practiced what they preached they would create such a formidable force that they wouldn’t have to incite change through legislative means. Anytime, a group seeks to change society through force of law, it is because they have failed to change society through their hearts and minds. Ultimately one of the highest calls for Christian people is change people’s mentality, by appealing to them spiritually and morally. We are not called to change people through coercive means, like mandating the government to mete out punishment for not abiding by what we think is right.

If even 20 percent of the 2 billion Christians actually embodied what they profess we could transform this world from the inside out. In the final analysis incorporating theology into law taints both the law and religion.

Answer 7

Ruler of the Earth

The apostle Paul associates Satan with "the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places," and speaks of them as "the world rulers of this darkness." (Eph. 6:11, 12) As a governing force in the invisible realm immediately about the earth, he is "the ruler of the authority of the air." (Eph. 2:2) In Revelation he is shown to be the one "misleading the entire inhabited earth." (Rev. 12:9) The apostle John said that "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." (1 John 5:19) He is therefore "the ruler of this world." (John 12:31) That is why James wrote that "the friendship with the world is enmity with God." (James 4:4)
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PS This is why when Christ Jesus taught his apostles to pray, he said, "Let your will be DONE, ON EARTH, as it is in heaven." And why in the Old Testament it gives a promise in the future of one day where "a Lion will lie down with a Lamb, and a Child will lead them." However, this will not happen until Satan is done away with and Christ and His fathers Kingdom returns!

Answer 8

Are democratic principles a fundamental tenet of Christianity? Of course not so why should they be actively involved in a democratic political process. It's like mixing oil and water.

Answer 9

Everyone who wants to should be active in politics. I just think they should leave religion out of politics, if they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, whatever.

Answer 10

there have been many who gave there all and all who gave some so we can enjoy the rights of U.S. citizenship. the duty of any citizen is to take part as much as possible in the activities of the political system of their Culture and Society. if one votes one can complain if things are not to their liking but if one does not take part then this person has no right to moan and groan as they didn't take the time to get involved or concern themselves.

Answer 11

I believe they should absolutely advocate their personal ideals, however, they cannot expect laws to be made on religious ideology alone. Politicians should keep religion out of their judgments and actions as they are government employees.

This is a country for the people - that means also for Christians.

However, it also means also for everyone else, too.