Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/76

Contributor - Art Bubbeldam

Title - Should a Christian be involved in Government and Politics?

Topic - Politics

It has often been said that politics represents the total complex of relations between people in society and is characterized by artful but sometimes dishonest practices to gain power and control over others. Politics is directly associated with government thus causing some church people to conclude that a Christian should not become involved nor should he or she run for office in any Municipal, Provincial or Federal Government. Rather their view is that the church should wash its hands of the whole matter and direct all its energies to its calling to bring Christ unto all men!

While the mission of the church cannot be disputed, it nevertheless would seem that virtual isolation from our society through noninvolvement is hardly anomalous. After all, what better way to bring men to Christ through our involvement and example. The mission of the church is also the mission of each and every christian. The temptation to shrug off this responsibility is enormous. It is fatally easy to lapse into apathy, to turn a blind eye to the omissions or easy compromises, on the grounds that, nobody is perfect, and do nothing.

When in biblical times the people of Israel came to Samuel and asked him to appoint a king to govern them, the prophet warned in I Samuel 8 :18: ". . you shall be his slaves, you will cry out I because of your king, whom you have chosen, for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you ...." The error was certainly not in the choosing of a king, but in wanting to resign to that leader their own responsibility for the direction of their lives and the life of the nation.

But, have we not committed the same error? Today our society is in rebellion against the rules and moralities of yesterday, many of which found their origins in the Scriptures. Laws are openly flaunted, expressions of deception, greed, bribery and dishonesty are evident at almost every level of society. Our leaders seem to be influenced significantly by pressure groups clamouring for the liberalization of our laws, for the lowering of long accepted moral codes of conduct to a standard which almost seems to promote the concept of "every man does what right in his own eyes". Everyone has "rights" and screams for more of them. Words like duty, honour, self-sacrifice, authority, responsibility and self discipline, have become, for the time being inoperative and unheard of. The covenant of citizenship whose principal qualities call upon us to have:

- a keen interest in our community

- a sense of responsibility for the common good

- a respect for the law

- a respect for the rights of others

- an awareness of public issues

- a willingness to share our talents, knowledge and experience to help solve local and national problems, seem to have been obscured by the fearful seeking of many for their own material advantage.

Our world today is a place of hunger, contention, uncertainty and anguish. Is this the price you and I are willing to pay for isolating ourselves and God's church from the world around us, from our friends, neighbours and leaders? Or is this perhaps the price that is exacted for compromising our mission to bring the Lord Jesus Christ to all men, for sanctimoniously resting in our comfortable pew and turning a blind eye to our covenant, to our God, and country?

Since Christ is Lord, He rules the world and as His reign extends beyond the bounds of the church, so does His will and His active concern. As those called to serve Him in the church, we have a responsibility for the world as well as for our country and as Christians we should activity participate in the doing of God's will on earth as it is in heaven.

Should a Christian isolate himself from government affairs and politics? Of course not! Our leaders at every level not only require our prayers, but must be made aware of and guided by the commitment of a people to the goals, the ideals, and the standards on which any just society must be based. There are many ways in which this awareness can be reached Apart from voting or being elected to one of the levels of government, you and I can express our opinions in letters to our representatives in government, or letters to our newspapers, or telephoning radio hot line shows to express our views. Our churches, individually or as part of an interdenominational group, can communicate in many ways the viewpoints of congregations on specific issues.

Is there anything in the world or in human affairs, that you can think of, that does not fall under God's will? If not, then there is not one single human activity or standard for which Christ's people do not bear responsibility!

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