Why Do You Want To Be Involved In Politics?
The P in L.A.M.P. - What is our purpose for political activism?
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. - Proverbs 19:21 NLT
I once heard a story about how the singer Sonny Bono, of “Sonny and Cher” fame, decided to run for Mayor of Palm Springs, CA. Bono had a restaurant in town and wanted a bigger sign, but City Hall said “No.” Frustrated by what he thought was the “cliquey” nature of local government, he decided it would be easier to be in charge of City Hall than fight it, so he ran for Mayor and won. Later, Bono served in Congress until his untimely death in a skiing accident in 1998.
During my almost thirty years in politics, I’ve encountered thousands of political activists and politicians who were motivated to be involved for hundreds of different reasons. Some, like Sonny Bono, became involved because of a national or local issue that bothered them. Some were inspired because of a charismatic political leader. Others wanted to protect their way of life, while others wanted to ensure a better future for their children and grandchildren. All of these reasons are noble and important for one to become involved in politics, whether as an activist or someone seeking elected office. However, I have met those involved in politics who couldn’t clearly articulate a reason for their involvement.
The desire for power motivates some individuals to seek political office for their own personal gain. Power can be intoxicating. As Brian Klass concluded in his book “Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us,” power attracts corrupt people, and even people with good intentions can become corrupted by a corrupt system. During my time in elected office, I’ve met corrupt people and well-intentioned people who, over time, became distracted from their purpose and did things they never dreamed they’d do. Assuming you are a person with good intentions, how can you protect yourself from being corrupted by the system? By having a clearly defined purpose, and as I wrote previously, by being held accountable.
The great thing is, as a Christian, we can know our purpose. The prophet Micah tells us in chapter six, verse eight:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Add to this the Great Commission for a fuller picture of our purpose:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 18:20
Thus, our purpose as Christians is the following: act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey Jesus’ commands. That’s a mouthful.
My pastor distills this down to the phrase “to know God, and make him known.”
If we believe this to be true, then how does this apply to politics? Is our activity in the political realm separate from our Christian purpose? Let me introduce you to Francis A. Schaeffer.
It is not only true that true spirituality covers all of life, but it covers all parts of the spectrum of life equally. In this sense there is nothing concerning reality that is not spiritual.
Related to this, it seems to me, is the fact that many Christians do not mean what I mean when I say Christianity is true, or Truth. They are Christians and they believe in, let us say, the truth of creation, the truth of the virgin birth, the truth of Christ’s miracles, Christ’s substitutionary death, and His coming again. But they stop there with these and other individual truths.
Schaeffer goes on:
Christianity is not just a series of truths but Truth - Truth about all of reality. And the holding to that Truth intellectually - and then in some poor way living upon that Truth, the Truth of what is - brings forth not only certain personal results, but also governmental and legal results.1
Schaeffer is not arguing for a form of “Christian Nationalism,” a debate I will set aside for now. Instead, Schaeffer argues that, as Christians, we cannot claim to be Christians without believing that it requires us to be “living upon that Truth” in every aspect of our lives, including our political activity. Our belief in the truth of Christianity must consume every aspect of our lives. This is our purpose.
I could go on, but I think this is a good place to stop for now.
As always, thanks for reading and for your feedback as I wrestle with what all this means.
Other posts in this series:
Francis A. Shaeffer “A Christian Manifesto” pp 19-20