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by Deborah Flagg |
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Early in the fourth century, the juggernaut known
as the Roman Empire embraced Christianity - first with tolerance and later
with allegiance. With this remarkable development, a powerless and persecuted
minority became the heirs of political privilege, beginning an uneasy and
dubious alliance between church and state that continues to this day. At
a 1973 national prayer breakfast, U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.)
reflected on the tenuous position of the church in the realm of political
power. He called on those gathered not to "forget that those who follow
Christ will more often find themselves not with the comfortable majorities,
but with miserable minorities."
The first presidential election of the new millennium is on the horizon, reminding Christians that politics is a perplexing and often dangerous arena for people of faith. Decision 2000 sounds so dramatic-as if the destiny of the civilized world hangs on the choices ordinary citizens will make come November. After the conflicts, scandals, and intrigue in high places, after the star-studded conventions and endless "spin-doctoring," the hopes and dreams of many will polarize around a donkey and an elephant. |
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The prospect of going to the polls to sort out
the tangle of proposals and politicos, trying to think "Christianly"
about the issues at stake, will leave many Christians wanting to retire
to a biosphere. Apparently, this is a common feeling among Americans in
general, with only 49 percent of the voting age population casting a ballot
in the last presidential election.
Wislawa Szymborska, poet laureate of Poland, wrote that "our genes have a political past, our skin a political tone, our eyes a political color. We walk with political steps on political ground." Just looking at the root of the word tells us this. Polis is the Greek word for city-not just houses, buildings, and roadways, but people, citizens, community. Everyone is a person, a citizen of somewhere. |
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The Church is, however, a different kind of polis. As theological ethicist Stanley Hauerwas contends, the Church is an "alternative community that carries an alternative story and practice." The challenge for Christians becomes not whether to be involved in politics, but how to live as a transformed and transformative community in the light of the story of Jesus and in the context in which the church finds itself. This mission will by necessity have political expressions, but it will have its feet firmly planted in two worlds. It will mean voting, praying, and working for justice in light of God's Kingdom realities, always recognizing that politics is a secular and limited enterprise tainted by human brokenness. "Christians are no longer at war with each other over religious questions," said Daniel Palm, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at APU. "But we remain the same fallible creatures that we were before, and make our political decisions as imperfectly as ever." Still it is important for Christians to be involved in the process. To do otherwise would be to leave the vital issues of responsible and compassionate life on earth in the hands of those who may not acknowledge God's redemptive possibilities. In the words of theologian Karl Barth, it will mean seeking "the best for the city . . . by voting and striving not for the false state but for the good state." It will mean making informed and thoughtful choices based on the best understanding of scriptural mandates. For Christians to do otherwise would be to leave the vital issues of responsible and compassionate life on earth in the hands of those who may not acknowledge God's redemptive possibilities. |
