Politics

Texts: Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-10

Pastor Phil Hughes, American Fork Presbyterian Church, Utah

January 28, 2024

It’s an election year, in case you haven’t noticed. The temperature of this nation is already heating up, and it was hot to begin with.  We are braced for personal attacks.  We are braced for ugly things being said and ugly things being done. One side will attack the other side. The anger, fear, and hostility in our nation will be fed.

But hopefully there will be people who participate in our democratic system with civility, holding strong convictions but not doing so with a spirit of meanness. And hopefully amidst the clashing there will be peacemakers.

This sermon is not about who to vote for, what to vote for, and how to stand on various issues.  This is about living as Jesus’ sons and daughters amidst what has become a very hostile political climate.

The political humorist P.J. O’Rourke once wrote, “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer and remove the crab grass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then get elected and prove it.”

We all want to be right.  Whether conservative or liberal, or somewhere in between. And there are times we wonder, “how can someone think that way?” And if we aren’t careful we make it personal and begin to devalue not just beliefs but people.

In his book “The Righteous Mind”, Jonathan Haidt writes that morality binds us and blinds us.  It binds us in that we think the fate of the world depends on our side and so we need to win the battle. Morality can also blind us to the fact that the other side is composed of good people who have something important to say.

The pattern of the secular world is division. The world finds its identity in tribes and factions and finds significance in making enemies out of those who disagree. But that is not the way of Christ. Jesus models grace, humility, and wisdom.[1]

There are two parts to this sermon.  First, is how Christians think about government since that deeply influences our politics.  Second, is how we can navigate this election year and be peacemakers.

One day Jesus was approached by two groups of people who wanted to trap him.  On one side were the Herodians who were on the political right and loyal to the Roman government and their police state. On the other side were the Pharisees who were on the political left and didn’t like anyone collaborating with Rome.

Why do they ask Jesus if it is right to pay the imperial tax?  Well, if Jesus says one should not pay the tax that will put him against Rome, the Herodians and Caesar.  If Jesus says one should pay the tax he could be accused of being for Caesar and against his own Jewish people who wanted freedom. Such was the political divide. Jesus is being manipulated.

Jesus asks for a coin, points out that Caesar’s image is on the coin, and wisely says, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and give to God the things that are God’s.”  When the Lord says this he is affirming a number of things.

He is saying that he is for neither the Herodians or the Pharisees.  He will not be manipulated into an extreme position.  He cautions those like the Jewish Pharisees, some of whom were Zealots which was a wing of Jews that worked to cause havoc against Rome and overthrow it. But Jesus’ words also warn the Herodians who almost saw the state as divine.[2] Caesar is not God.

By saying there are things that are due to Caesar Jesus honors the state. God provides services through the state.  Certain things can only happen with due participation in the state.  But while we are to give Caesar – or in our case the United States, we do not give all.  For example, do not give our conscience and certainly not our worship. The state has its place.  It is not God. Only to God we give our worship, our hearts, our ultimate devotion.

But then in Romans, Paul writes that every person is to be subject to the governing authorities, that those authorities have been established by God, and to resist them is to resist God.  It sounds like we all have to just take what is and sit down and shut up. A few years ago the Attorney General of the United States used this passage in a press conference suggesting that people needed to get in line behind government immigration policies.

Paul is not writing about what every person in every place and time and country should believe about the church and the state.  The government under which those in the New Testament lived was totalitarian, often brutal toward Christians, and no one had a say in it.  Paul doesn’t want to make the Roman government mad.  There was enough horrible persecution without rebelling against the empire. In a sense, Paul is trying to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And he sees the place of government in God’s ordering of society.

God also has purposes for government.  Every society has government.  Some are certainly better than others. Paul is writing according to what government ought to be.  The kingdom of God can operate through the kingdom of Caesar.  It can operate through our governmental system.[3]

However, to give total loyalty to the state is idolatry.  God is the only one worthy of our total allegiance.  There are times in the Bible when God’s people do not cooperate with the government.  In Acts 5:29 Peter and the apostles after being arrested say “we must obey God rather than any human authority.” The Hebrew midwives disobeyed Pharaoh. Daniel practiced civil disobedience.  Parts of Revelation show how the state can show its evil side and be against the purposes of Christ.[4] The images of dragons and beasts represent the Roman emperor and politics.

We see in the Bible people of God participating in and leading government.  We also see God judging those who rule oppressively.

Where we need to be careful is insisting that our beliefs are the only ones that are correct. If we insist that our way is the only moral way it can blind us to the other side and to the person on that side who might have something important to say.

Faithful Christians can have differing political views. Faithful Christians can read the Bible and think differently about politics. One of the keys to being peacemakers in this political climate is understanding that someone with differing political values may have good reasons for that. When we understand this then we can extend grace to that person as we talk with them and relate to them.

Some people of faith believe it is best to be separate from the political system. Secular politics are too messy and we can’t place too much hope in it.  Other believers believe it is essential for the church to be in the mix of politics.  This is how our world can be transformed by the gospel.

There are those who distrust the government.  They see it as a necessary evil. Others see government as needed to establish what is right and correct wrongs. It is to establish justice and help people flourish.

Every worldview has some good and some evil. We as Christians are not to blindly commit ourselves to a secular cause and then seek out proof texts in the Bible to support our position. Rather, we are to start with the Bible, create a Christian ethic of politics, and then weigh the different people/candidates/issue for whether they align with that.

Now, how do we navigate this election year as peacemakers.

1.

No church should absolutely side with a particular political party or figure. Our allegiance is to the Lord Jesus Christ and him alone. Beware of politicians using the name of God, quoting Scripture, or saying there is only one way to vote and associate it with faith. Faith does inform our politics.  The biblical values of goodness, justice, and compassion should play into our view of a politician or an issue. But be discerning when you hear God or the Bible used in politics.

Any movement that makes God the god of that movement’s politics “now makes politics god. What was once a faith is now mostly a tribe.”[5]

2.

Beware of candidates who speak about getting even, or insult others, or call other people or groups names. This does not make for peace. And remember Jesus’ words, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Listen to what people say and we learn about who they are.

3.

Be aware of how we talk.  It is easy to make flippant comments.  Speak wisely. When you hear someone speak discern “does this sound like Jesus?” When we speak let’s try to first consider whether how we speak is in line with Christ. Be able to recognize resentment, exploitation, and unfair stereotypes of human beings.

4.

People are afraid.  There are plenty of good reason to be afraid.  But be careful of those who play upon fear.  Jesus didn’t manipulate people’s fear.  In fact, he spoke to people’s fears by preaching hope, preaching faith, preaching trust. Christians are people of hope and the gospel gives us good reasons to have hope when in the darkness.  Even under the intense fires of the Romans empire the Christians lived with hope, faithfulness, love and power.

Many Christians of a more conservative bent feel under attack from secular ways of thinking and more liberal agendas. They see the moral fabric of this nation unraveling. Christians of a more liberal bent often think that those who take more conservative stands do so because they are irrational or racist or bigots. We get caught up in the culture wars. And we lose sight of how Jesus said we are to be. We don’t show mercy.  We don’t love our neighbor. We judge not seeing the log in our own eye. We despise our enemy, and make people into enemies who are actually wanting the best just like we are. How twisted to use Christ for a political cause and then be unChristlike.

5.

Weigh carefully what our news sources feed us. Especially social media.  Even good news sources can inflame. They often look for the worst. They are not without bias. In an article titled “Everyone Wants Forgiveness, But No One Is Being Forgiven[6],” the point is made that, “Social media (and I would add other media as well) rewards pithy, angry takes rather than nuanced, balanced discussions, then boosts those takes so they attract more angry, non-nuanced takes. It can feel good to be part of that collective anger, especially when you feel righteous. It’s often extremely difficult to let that anger go, to forgive, adjust, and move on.” So let’s be discerning in what we hear and read.

6.

There are good, decent, loving people who see it different than you.  They love their families.  They want what is best for others.  They serve, give, pray, and help.  Barbara Brown Taylor, now a retired pastor, lives in a small town and she notes how her politics are very different from the majority of her neighbors.  Radically different.  Yet, it was those people who showed up at her home at 3 AM to help her when her basement flooded. One of our national sins is using politics to label and shun people.

7.

Consider the views of the person who sees it differently. Sit down and talk. And if you are just mystified why someone sees the opposite ask what makes them have the convictions they have. Try to understand where they are coming from.  You don’t have to agree.  We can’t always agree. But it is mature to understand. And it is spiritual to really listen.

8.

Have the courage to disagree with those you agree with.  We might hold a specific position or affiliation, but if we witness people of the same view being disrespectful or just plain mean, we have to have the courage to separate ourselves from that or maybe say something.

9.

Practice repentance.  Repentance is a building block of the gospel and central to what God is doing in this world.  Repentance is to turn around and go in the right direction.  It makes us humble.  It opens the way for Christ to come to us and set us on his path. Search your heart. We can ask the Holy Spirit to help us turn from an attitude or disposition that we know isn’t right, and to give us the grace to be Spirit-led.

Repentance also opens us to grace.  What is more Christian than grace? In that same article on forgiveness, the writer says this:

Most moral and spiritual authorities teach us that the cycle of repentance usually involves grace. Grace, the act of allowing people room to be human and make mistakes while still loving them and valuing them, might be the holiest, most precious concept of all in this conversation about right and wrong, penance and reform — but it’s the one that almost never gets discussed. That’s understandable. Grace relies on some huge assumptions: that people mean well and that their intent is not to be hurtful; that they are capable of self-reflection and change; and, of course, that we all possess equal shares of dignity and humanity.[7]

Oh, how our country needs grace right now.  It’s going to need it. This is a gift the church has.  It breaks my heart when I see certain strands of the church be less than gracious and sign off on what isn’t grace at all.  But it doesn’t have to be like that and the peacemakers who prioritize acting like sons and daughters of God live differently.

One of the reasons I chose this photo for the image for these sermons is that we have two people on opposite sides of the political spectrum.  One is wearing a Trump hoodie and the other is wearing a Biden t-shirt.  They aren’t shouting at one another, fists in face. They are sitting next to one another, talking to one another, listening to one another, maybe arguing, maybe finding some commonality.  They are surely for different things but still have mutual respect, civility, and even love. It can be done. Peacemaking doesn’t mean agreement. It means peace.

Peacemaking is not easy.  It’s a tough time to be a peacemaker in this country, which is exactly why I wanted to preach on this.

We are blessed to live in a democracy where there is freedom to speak, to vote, to disagree.  We can even do that in a rather heated way.  But I think we devalue what God has given us if we demean one another. But we honor God when we make peace even as we differ.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, let the fruit of peace grow in us. We ask your forgiveness, Lord, for ways we have turned against one another.  We ask you to restore us to minds that glorify you.

Give us the strength to sit down with whom we disagree.  Give us the strength to be peacemakers, led by your wisdom, having the mind of Christ, not conforming to this world but being transformed by you.  Amen.

[1] The Matthew 5:9 Fellowship, “A Holistic View of Secular Politics.” I will draw from this in this sermon.

[2] Dale Bruner, The Churchbook, p.785

[3] Jim Edwards, Commentary on Romans, p.305

[4] i.e. Revelation 13

[5] David Brooks, “How Democrats Can Win The Morality Wars,” The New York Times, May 19, 2022

[6] By A.J. Romano, Vox, May 22, 2022

[7] Romano