About ten years ago, I did a summer preaching series where I asked the congregation to submit questions, one of which was, “Is there a biblical basis for environmentalism?” I developed what I thought was a decent sermon that addressed topic. I talked about how, in Genesis 1, God instructed Adam to take dominion over the earth—i.e., he gave him the responsibility of stewarding His creation. I talked about how the Bible refers to the world around us, not as “nature,” but as “creation.” Nature implies the earth and the universe just happened, but creation assumes a creator and implies it is the product of an intentional and purposeful God. I talked about how one of the practical ways we can show our thanks and appreciation to God for what He has made is by doing little things to protect and preserve the planet—picking up trash … or recycling our waste … our trying to limit our use of fossil fuels is a way of saying “thanks” to God for what He made.
After the message, I had a number of people come up to me and express their appreciation for addressing such an appropriate and timely topic. But I also had a number of people take umbrage and remark in the days following that I was being politically partisan—siding with folks on the political left and using the Bible to justify my personal political opinion. That’s when I realized just how big a gulf there is between being biblical and being political. While I can be very biblical and scripturally sound in what I say, there are some professing followers of Jesus who will hear it as being political. Given the number of 24-hour news channels that each has its specific political bent … the plethora of internet sites from which we can learn about what’s going on in the world around us, each with its unique slant and bias … and the propensity of some people to spend way too much time in these echo chambers, it’s no surprise that people develop lenses to interpret reality and worldviews that are more reflective of one of our political parties than the Kingdom of God.
There’s a sense in which I, as a pastor, am only being political to someone when there is discomfort and disagreement on their part—i.e., if I say things with which they agree politically, I am being biblical. But if I say things with which they disagree, I am being political. No one has ever accused me of “being political” when I articulated something that aligned with their opinions and beliefs.
But here’s the deal: As I read the Bible and the various guidelines it lays out for us as Christ-followers, I believe it challenges some of the foundational values of both parties. There’s a big difference between reading Scripture through the lens of our political positions and arriving at our political positions as a result of reading and reflecting on the truth of Scripture. If we do the former, there are parts of the Bible we’ll be prone to ignore or disregard because they don’t fit. But if we do the latter, we won’t feel completely at home in either political party … simply because Jesus does not fit neatly into either political camp. What Jesus cares about transcends the boundaries of both parties and, if we are biblically passionate, we will care about everything that He cares about. But if we are merely politically passionate, we will only care about those things that are consistent with our political affiliation. The line of demarcation for our caring will more or less stop at the boundary of our party’s platform.
To be on Jesus’ side means we cannot find our identity in the fact that we’re a Republican or Democrat. To be on Jesus’ side means we will likely be too conservative for those who consider themselves progressive and too progressive for those that consider themselves conservative. It means rather than giving our greatest allegiance to a blue donkey or a red elephant, we will direct it toward a slain Lamb.
Having said that, I don’t think that means we shouldn’t belong to a political party. I have great respect for people of faith who align with one of the two major parties, choose to serve the public, and allow their faith to guide them in that role. They work hard and quite often receive more criticism than they deserve. But I also believe that if their allegiance to the Kingdom of God is first that they will occasionally have to break from their party and vote their conscience. I recall a while back when Mitt Romney chose to break with the Republican party and voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power. In doing so, he cited his conscience and his faith, saying that his decision was guided by those two factors. As we all know, the backlash from the Republicans for his perceived treachery was swift and severe. But I was left thinking to myself, “You know, whether I agree with his vote or not, I’m glad we’ve got people in Washington who feel a sense of accountability to God and allow that to drive how they vote. Do we really want people who don’t consult their conscience or allow their faith to shape their decisions?” I was troubled by reaction that was so sudden and biting. It confirmed to me that, by and large, those who reacted that way viewed the world through a political lens and not a biblical one.
If we are followers of Jesus, the unity we have in Him should be enough to overcome the disunity that comes from someone being on the other side of the political aisle. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In our day, we should add that there is neither Democrat or Republican. The unity that comes through the work that Jesus did on our behalf should trump the unity that comes from voting for the same candidate or having the same opinion on a matter of public policy. For whether we consider ourselves Republican or Democrat, at some point the message of the gospel will challenge our assumptions, step on our toes, confront our natural inclinations, and offend us all. And thank God it does!