The Politics of Jesus

Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink
The Politics of Jesus
Monday 1st November, 2021

The Politics of Jesus

POV. Some of you know of my personal interests in politics. It started back in the mid 70’s when I was elected onto the Student Council at Wellington Teachers College. For two years I worked with Student President Trevor Mallard and from time to time we butted heads……and that should be no surprise to anyone. Throughout my ministry years I have interacted with both local and national Government and with politicians both as a pastor but more often in the various Board roles I held. Fast forward to 2010 when I ran for Council for Waikato District. I didn’t win against the incumbent but I did win a position on the Raglan Community Board, a position I held for a further two elections, nine years in total. In fact as I write I am standing again in a by-election.

The words ‘politics’ and ‘political’ may be given either a broad or narrow definition. Broadly speaking ‘politics’ denotes the life of the city (polis) and the responsibilities of the citizen. It is therefore concerned about the whole of life and the art of living together. The narrower definition however, is the science of Government. It is concerned about the development of and adoption of specific policies with a view to enshrine them in legislation.

Here is the orienting question for today. Did Jesus ever involve himself in the politics of His day? Answer is an unequivocal NO, not in the narrow sense of the word. John Stott writes, “He never formed a political party, adopted a political programme, or organised a political protest. He took no steps to influence the policies of Caesar, Pilate or Herod. On the contrary he renounced a political career. In the other and broader sense of the word, however, his whole ministry was political. He came into the world in order to share in the life of the human family and he sent His followers into that same world” (1). Jesus was deeply immersed in the polis.

Stott goes on to say, “moreover, the kingdom of God he proclaimed and inaugurated was a radically new and different social organisation, whose values and standards challenged those of the old and fallen community. In this way His teaching had political implications. Furthermore His kingship, was perceived as a challenge to Caesar’s, so much so that He was accused of sedition”.

So how might we translate this posture of Jesus into today’s context?

1. The Church and Government are distinct ‘domains’. Each has a divine mandate. The Church is concerned about God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness and must always stay distinct and distanced from any particular programme whether that programme is on the so called right or on the left of the political spectrum.
2. As Christians we are called by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples. He told us we are ‘salt and light’ and that we should ensure our light shines brightly. So a vocation in politics in the narrow sense of the word is absolutely legitimate for a Christian in exactly the same way as a vocation in medicine, law or education is.
3. Political action by Christians and groups of Christians (specialist organisations) is I believe also valid. I am so grateful for the Christians down through history who have paid a high price to stand for what is just and right and fair informed by the teaching of the Bible. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa are heroes in my opinion. It’s a commendable thing for Christians and Churches to ‘engage’ in public discourse and even lobby Government for fairer and more humane policies as for example pro-life groups have done for a very long time now. As Desmond Tutu said, “I am puzzled which Bible people are reading when they suggest religion and politics don’t mix”.
4. What is of great concern however, is the ‘politicisation of Jesus’. This social phenomena gained a head of steam with the advent of the moral majority in the USA back in the 70’s and 80’s. In my opinion something went wrong back then. Instead of being a distinct ‘social organisation’ the Christian faith and to some extent the Church aligned itself to a political programme. We have seen the worse of this in the USA. How is it that Christians have politicised issues like immigration, race and guns? For many Christians, their politics has become more of an identity marker than their faith. They might insist that they are interpreting their politics through the prism of scripture, with the former subordinate to the latter, but in fact scripture and biblical ethics are often distorted to fit their politics. “When the Christian faith is politicised, churches become repositories not of grace but of grievances, places where tribal identities are reinforced, where fears are nurtured, and where aggression and nastiness are sacralised. The result is not only wounding the nation; it’s having a devastating impact on the Christian faith”(2).

At this moment in time we would do well to take heed here in New Zealand.

Next week Murray Robertson (former pastor of Spreydon Baptist Church) has agreed to write a guest blog entitled, ‘Covid and End Times’.

(1) Issues Facing Christians Today by John Stott, 4th Edition.
(2) The Evangelical Church is Breaking apart- Christians must reclaim Jesus from his church by Peter Wehner. This is an excellent read of about 15mins published by The Atlantic on 24th October 2021.

Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.