CHRISTIANS AND POLITICS:
Uneasy Partners
By Philip Yancey
Creative Trust Digital. 36 pages. £0.99
Kindle only. ASIN B00943UYD2
This little Kindle booklet is a most refreshing and thoughtful look at how we engage with the wider cultural scene. Although very short, and a few years old now, it’s one of the most helpful insights I’ve read on the subject!
Straightforward and always rooted in Scripture, Yancey is informed by the variety of world and historical situations. Christians in politics looks very different in a Muslim country, an atheistic state, a post-Christian society and a majority Christian country. New Testament times were different from Constantine’s Empire, Spain under the Inquisition, Reformation Europe and France post revolution, and today! He starts with Niebuhr’s five approaches: Christ above culture (e.g. the Holy Roman Empire), Christ against culture (e.g. early Anabaptists), Christ transforming culture (e.g. Calvin), Christ in paradox with culture (e.g. Luther), and Christ with culture (e.g. the Social Gospel). The booklet discusses the difficulties, and OT and NT examples that relate to each approach. Jesus mostly accepted the religious and political structures, but confronted them in specific instances. Paul worked with the state, but confronted culture with the message of Jesus while showing respect for political authority.
One of Yancey’s big concerns is that Christians should always act with grace and wisdom – sadly all too often even evangelicals are so concerned to win the battle that they lack grace, and the good news of the gospel is drowned out by negativity and judgementalism. How come we are more concerned about the Ten Commandments than the Beatitudes (though in fact only two of the commandments are law enforceable today!). The world Jesus and Paul inhabited was every bit as sinful as today’s world, yet their priority was preaching the gospel. Jesus was the friend of sinners. Historically evangelicals welcomed the separation of church and state, with the realisation that the gospel grows best from the bottom up.
Yancey’s five conclusions are very helpful – they really need to be read in full!
1. Clashes between Christ and culture are unavoidable. Someone counted 51 times when Christ confronted authority, yet at the same time democracy requires us to recognise other’s rights even when we disagree.
2. Christians should choose their battles wisely. We need to keep Bible priorities as our priorities, and not ignore major issues affecting many (e.g. poverty)
3. Christians should fight their battles shrewdly. Name calling should be replaced by love and grace.
4. Christians should distinguish the immoral from the illegal. We are obliged to obey God’s commands, but it does not follow that all moral commands should become law.
5. The church must use caution in its dealings with the state. We risk obscuring the gospel of grace by giving the impression that our main goal is reforming the broader culture.
