Why Christians Need To Get Involved In Politics.
There are many of us Christians who are reluctant to get involved with politics. Usually it’s because we think politics to be too worldly, or too divisive, or too complicated. However, Christians have a responsibility to get involved, for the sake of God’s Kingdom and for the common good. We cannot neglect getting involved in something this important, because it affects how things go here on earth. As Believers, we need to join political parties, we should vote, we should be involved in the creation of laws, we should hold our leaders to account.
Jesus told Believers that they are the salt of the earth. In another parable, He compared the Kingdom of God to yeast in bread. The common thing about yeast and salt in food is that they are felt and tasted without being seen. They infiltrate the food and affect its nature. When we engage the World System right now as believers, we are not to engage as owners, we are to engage it as infiltrators.
Politics and governance are one of the main pillars of society. Politics affects every aspect of our lives, from the laws that govern our society, to the policies that shape our economy, to the issues that impact our environment. As citizens of this world, we have a duty to steward the resources God has given us, and to seek Justice and Peace for our neighbors.
Politics is also an arena where we can demonstrate and proclaim the gospel. We can do this by living out our faith in public and speaking God’s Truth in love. We can use politics as a platform to advocate for the rights and dignity of all people, especially the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.
We simply cannot ignore it.
So how can we get involved in the political arena? There are many ways. Here are some:
- Christians should be encouraged to join political parties. It really doesn’t matter which one. All the different parties should have Believers in them. They should join in and influence things from within, like salt does with food.
- Christians should be encouraged and supported to offer themselves up as political candidates at all levels. Having more Christians in positions of influence like the Legislative Assembly is a good thing. If we have leadership who enact laws and systems that clamp down on the Church, then the Gospel won’t be preached.
- Christians should be encouraged to engage in the most fundamental of Civic Duties, which is voting. Believers need to be encouraged to be active in the electoral process. It is by voting, through the representatives they choose, that a citizen has a say in important issues of growth, advancement, and development of society.
- Christians should be encouraged to hold leaders to account. Citizens have the right and power to actually hold leaders at all levels to account. Believers can and should be involved in calling for town hall meetings where elected leaders can be questioned on their activities in office. The Kenyan Constitution gives the citizens the right to be included in the affairs of governance through public participation.
As Believers, we really cannot neglect our civic responsibilities. Of course, being involved in politics does not mean that we have to agree on everything, or that we have to compromise our convictions. It also doesn’t mean that we are now putting our hope in human leaders and institutions. We don’t have to idolize or demonize any political party. Getting involved means being the salt and the light as the Christ commanded us to. In Scripture, Daniel and Joseph are two examples of how God’s people operated in a pagan society to bring about God’s Will on earth. This is part of our mandate as Believers and we should be taking it seriously.
