"Latesha," the message on my phone read. "You too can make difference! We need you to get out and vote for candidates who can produce change!"
I paused for a moment with a shocked look on my face. It has been over 20 years since I entered the witness protection program and someone had finally figure out my true identity -- Latesha Smith. And now, with this blog post the reality is out over the whole internet...
This is not the only text message I have gotten over the last several weeks, intended for someone else, but encouraging me to take up my civic duty. Reading some of the posts on Facebook, I would be convinced that the main duty of Christians is to vote for the right candidates. Certainly if we can put God back into the legislative process, this country would be a better place.
The Two Kingdoms
Anabaptists have traditionally have had a view of the kingdoms of this world which is decidedly negative. The rulers of this world are never truly at peace with the Kingdom of God. At best, these worldly kingdoms have an uneasy truce with the church, but often they attempt to manipulate it and coerce its followers.
There are no theocracies on earth and even those countries that pay lip service to a deity in their Constitutions cannot truly claim to serve God in their actions.
I suppose hope springs eternal. Perhaps if enough people in a democracy voted the right way, truth and morality would prevail. Certainly that seems to be a common refrain and yet, there are certain dangers we need to think about when Christians get too focused on politics.
Opportunity Cost
Quite simply our mission on earth is to enlarge and strengthen the City of God. This will not happen through political means. Enacting good laws can get our neighbors to clean up the outsides of their homes and lives, but this is not the goal of the servants of Christ.
Our goal is to introduce people to Jesus and allow Him to change their hearts.
Everyone of us has only 24 hours each day and 7 days each week. Ephesians tells us "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Quite simply, politics to me feels like a waste of time compared with other ways we can use our time.
Push towards Hyper-Patriotism
The Prophet Jonah is well known to us. We know the story of how he was called to give a message of God's judgment to the nation of Assyria. Instead he fled, only to be swallowed by a fish.
What is hidden until the end of the book is Jonah's reason for fleeing. It wasn't that he was afraid of the Assyrians or that he didn't believe God's message. Quite simply, Jonah was afraid that the Assyrians would repent and find forgiveness. As a devout Jew, he could not abide the possibility that his enemies would find redemption.
At the end of the book of Jonah there is a beautiful question from God "Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?"
The answer is never given, but should appear clearly to the reader. God is bigger than politics and He desires redemption for all -- Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. His servants would do well to remember that.
Being too focused on politics can lead us to think that those on the other side of the political aisle are unworthy of redemption. The political process really seems to have led to a high level of anger and it is hard to imagine praying for those who we see as despicable.
Taking an Easier Way
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, we have recorded in Matthew 4 of Satan coming and tempting Him. One of the temptations was to worship Satan and in return, the devil would give Him all of the kingdoms of the world.
Quite simply, Satan was offering an easier way for Jesus to achieve His goal. This was a way that did not involve suffering and the cross.
Today, Satan beckons to Christians with the message that they do not need to invest themselves in ministry and discipleship and mentoring others. Instead, they can use the political process to achieve the same ends, with much less effort.
Satan would tell us that our goal is legislating against sinful behavior, but nothing can take away from our true basic responsibility -- to introduce people to Jesus.
Overestimating Politics
About one hundred years ago, this country embarked on an experiment with something called Prohibition. For thirteen years, a Constitutional amendment went into effect that prohibited the sale of alcohol in the United States. Church groups were very pleased, because they believed that alcohol was a major source of immorality in the United States.
In some ways, Prohibition worked. It reduced alcohol consumption by quite a bit. Rates of fetal alcohol syndrome dropped considerably. Rates of cirrhosis and alcoholic liver disease plummeted as well.
At the same time, organized crime flourished with the illegal alcohol trade. In numerous woods and hollers illegal stills popped up to nourish the continued desire for that which was now illegal.
Laws had changed while hearts remained the same.
Then in 1933, Prohibition was quietly repealed and everything went back to the status quo. Prohibition left the law books and entered the history books.
In some ways, Prohibition was unusual. More often than not, politicians are simply not able to carry through on their campaign promises. The House or the Senate simply doesn't cooperate or judges shoot down laws that have been enacted.
Far more than that, enacting the right laws may make for a safer society for the righteous, but it doesn't fix the fact that the "Heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked."
Jesus said to Pilate "My kingdom is not of this world."
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that if the right person isn't elected President, if the wrong party controls the Senate and the House, that God's will cannot be done on this earth.
It is not so easy to circumvent the will of God.
We are called to share the Gospel, to serve, to disciple, and to teach others. We are to love as Jesus loved, even those who might differ from us in beliefs. We are called to introduce those who do not know Jesus to our Master.
Only then will hearts be healed.
Only then can the world be changed.
