3 Simple Rules to Help You Avoid the Pitfalls of Political Engagement

Posted on Jul 14, 2022 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Barnabas Piper

I resonate with those who do not want to know where other people stand politically. And that used to be how things were, for better or worse. Politics was largely reserved for the voter’s booth, and that was as private as a bathroom stall. The old adage was not to discuss politics or religion at the dinner table. Those two things are almost inseparable now. Also for better and worse.

On the better side, people are realizing more and more that our Christian convictions must shape our political convictions. If we are to faithfully follow Christ, then we must be advocates and voters for those policies we see as restorative of justice and protective of the weak.

On the worse side, politics and the pulpit are a poisonous mix. We have seen the absolute worst of what happens when the church tries to ride political coattails to power. We have seen “God and country” become “country is God.” And we have seen all sorts of mutations and bastardizations of Christianity in the name of political posturing and political parties.

It seems to me that a few things need to define and guide our political engagement.

“Issues” aren’t the issues. People are.

People who are image bearers of God and deserve all the dignity, mercy, and respect therein. So when we have strong convictions about an issue, it needs to be on behalf of people and expressed to people, even opponents, with this in mind. If the value of the issue in our mind supersedes the people, we have gotten it backward and are almost sure to fall into idolatry and potentially bigotry.

Any political discussion, especially disagreement, is best handled in person.

Social media dehumanizes discourse. We begin to feel free to insult and berate others. We misread their words because we have no verbal or physical cues to read. Social media has no tone of voice, no smirks, no earnestness, no humility. So the slightest misunderstanding can derail an entire interaction that could have been fruitful. In person, most of us don’t have the stones to insult someone else, and even the most emotionally unintelligent of us can still pick up on body language and tone of voice.

We can disagree and still be friends.

It’s very un-American, I know, but it’s wonderfully Christian. (This will shock some of you, but those two things, American and Christian, aren’t actually the same.) “Bear with another.” “Love your enemies.” These are commands God gave us, and we should follow them. And frankly, if political disagreement leads to actual animosity, you’re staking your life on the wrong things. Politics don’t define us, Christ does. And in Christ we might come to different political convictions. And that is okay, because no political party has the corner on God. In fact, we all disagree on political issues to some degree. Friendship matters more than almost any political issue. (Let’s hug it out.)

I don’t mean to get all teachy. Well, yes I do—I’m authoring. But I feel the tensions, and they make me want to distance myself from politics and address and engage it too. This is just my best effort at balancing that.