Vince Deagler

we are in the midst of the election cycle, and there is an ongoing political debate raging in our culture right about now.  question: as a believer, how should i understand the role of government?  what is my responsibility to government?  is there a place for political activity within a faith based life?  if so, what is it?  and how does this translate into authentic christianity lived out in real time, real life settings?  i ask because there seems to be an ongoing debate within christian circles, but instead of actually wading into the discussion and trying to answer the questions, we remain polarized and lob verbal bombs on those with whom we disagree.  i think there is a better way.

i will start with scripture.  romans 13 is clear.  governmental authority descends from god.  it is designed to be his minister for good, and should elicit fear from the evil doer (the government bears the sword).  we are called to submit (except where acts 5:29 applies).  this authority includes the power to tax, which we are responsible to pay.  we are also called to pray for those who govern us, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life (1 timothy 2:2).  obeying god is my motivation in this not how well the government performs.

now, let’s add 1 more wrinkle.  in america we have the privilidge of participating in the political process and have many legitimate options that would not violate our responsibility to submit.  with this in mind, how do we make political choices?  let me share how i approach this.

1.  obviously god has much to say on moral issues.  yea, i’ve heard the old “you can’t legislate morality” argument, the only problem is, every law is a legislation of morality.  the only question being whose morality will be legislated?  i look for godly values as much as possible.

2.  god has much to say on economics.  how does he feel about things like private property, labor, wages, investment, profits, personal responsibility, credit, debt, budgeting, stewardship, living within our means?   does he speak to things like laziness, hastiness, irresponsibility, and waste? 

3.  god speaks to the issue of poverty and need, often referred to as social justice.  i will assume you understand how complicated that issue is.  how do you equate the story of the good samaritan with the parable of the talents?  what about paul’s statement in 2 thessalonians 3:10 or 1 timothy 5:8.  complicated!  another layer to consider:  is christian compassion an individual responsibility?  the responsibility of the church?  or is that governments job?

4.  how about environmental issues.  christianity refers to a “creation mandate”.  does that make man a caretaker of the environment who protects nature?  or does that make man a developer of the natural resources god has given for the advancement of civilization?  is it man’s job to sustain the universe, or god’s?  could human abuse bring down creation prior to the completion of god’s story?

5.  how about the illegal immigration issue?  does compassion trump law and order?  should a violation of law result in reward?  should those who follow the law be penalized?

6.  how about foreign policy and the military.  what does scripture say about these things?

i could go on, you get the idea by now.  our political process offers us a choice of parties and candidates.  because we have been given the privilege to participate, i see this as a matter of stewardship.  my participation should reflect god’s ownership and rule in my life.  there are no perfect parties or candidates, so for me it is a search for the candidate who best represents a christian worldview.  how i answer the above questions and many others point me in a particular direction.  that means i once voted for a pro-life democrat over a pro-choice republican in a race for governor back in pennsylvania.  i don’t know what that means to you, but i would like to.  to me that makes way more sense than lobbing verbal bombs at each other.  thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts…and or frustrations with politics.  blessings, vince