Politics is a Dirty Business

“Politics is a dirty business” or “All politicians are crooks” are familiar strains within our church and conservative circles these days – really since the eighties when I became politically aware. Another favorite joke is “Question: What does the word politics mean? Answer: Poly means many, and tics are blood sucking insects!” Bah-dum-bum. This disdain for politics and politicians has become very common across almost the entire range of political ideologies. But Christians seem to particularly eschew involvement in politics and even political discussions. Why is that? I have heard it put this way: “Politics is so dirty and dishonest. Nothing gets done without compromising your principles. A Christian shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”

Now this is an interesting straw man. Should a Christian be involved in something that, by definition, requires him or her to sin? Clearly not! By characterizing politics as dirty, compromising, unethical, etc., Christians and Christian leaders imply that politics is, by definition, sinful. This then leads to a philosophy of disengagement from politics as a way to avoid sinning, or being tainted by evil in some way. So, if politics is truly inseparable from wickedness and dishonesty, then Christians should run the other way. The conclusion is logical, but the premise is flawed.

Let’s step back and look at a simplified, but analogous example. Suppose that a local restaurateur was also a drug dealer. In an effort to hook more people on his drugs, he would include small amounts in the drinks or food of selected customers. This activity is clearly illegal, dishonest, and downright evil. Once this was exposed, every right-thinking individual would avoid that restaurant like the plague. However, would you as a Christian go the extra mile? Would you characterize all restaurant owners as drug dealers? Would you avoid going out to eat from that point on? Ridiculous, you say? Of course it is! Yet, the same logical fallacy is at play here as with politics. The actions of one or more individuals are being applied to an entire industry or system. Do we see corporate graft and dishonesty? Of course we do! Are all corporations dishonest? No. Should we stop buying anything made by a corporation? No. The fact is, even if every politician currently in Washington was as crooked as the day is long, that does not define political action or our governmental system as being corrupt. Actually, it says much more about us as citizens than about politics in general. As Plato said:

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

This is absolutely true. If good men eschew politics, then wicked men will fill the void. There was a time in our country’s history where one could not get elected if one's character was flawed or substantially lacking in virtue. At one point, our country’s leadership was overwhelmingly Christian in their worldview, though they may not have been Born Again Christians individually. An interesting study is to read the writings of our founders and of the Supreme Court cases through the late 1800s with an eye for their opinion of religion. Though they certainly did not want the government to force anyone to be of a certain sect, it is clear that our entire country's leadership held religious instruction (that is, basic Biblical principles of right and wrong) to be key to creating responsible, decent citizens.

My last article focused on how the church has compromised and given up ground, allowing the world and the humanists to take over. It is not simply coincidence that the Progressive movement began in the US at about the same time as evolution and modernistic theology came over from Europe. They all go together. If Christians allow the idea of physical evolution to stand, then societal evolution must inevitably follow. If Christians allow the philosophy of humanism to gain preeminence in public thought, then we should not be surprised when the philosophy of the depravity of man is cast aside. When that fundamental understanding of mankind’s sinful nature is lost to us, it creates a contradiction within our governmental system, because that system was founded on the basic premise that men will seek to enrich themselves and grab more power than they ought to have. Thus, we have three branches of government and a variety of checks and balances to prevent the baser nature of elected officials from allowing them to trample the rights of the people they are supposed to serve. Now, more than 100 years after these seeds of destruction were sown in our country, we are reaping the terrible harvest. As God has said,

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7

“But,” we cry, “Christians didn’t sow these seeds!” Sorry, my friends, but standing by while wickedness and false teaching is broadcast is really no different than sowing the seeds ourselves. Our responsibility to this world is to act as salt and light, preserving the world from rampant wickedness and casting the light of God’s Word on sin. If we fail to execute our responsibilities in that regard, we will reap the destruction that follows.

Can we then say before God that politics is dirty and Christians should not be involved? My position would be that we cannot. We must actually do the opposite. Our involvement is more important now than ever. Our responsibilities on this earth have not ended just because our predecessors dropped the ball. We cannot sit around waiting for the rapture, doing nothing but handing out the occasional Gospel tract to some passerby. Sure, we need to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”, but Christians and our anemic religion are too much of a joke in most people’s eyes for these kind of “cold calling” methods to work. We need to show our society that we care about them, not that we stand in condemnation of them. Sure, they need to know that they are sinners, but we need to show them a better way so that the contrast between our lives, attitudes, and families and theirs is very clear. Not only should it be clear, but it should be inviting.

Part of that journey back to being credible in the eyes of the world around us is to show that we care about more than just ourselves, our families, and our churches. It’s amazing how insular Christianity has become. Surely, we cannot conform to this world's system, but neither can we be cloistered away like monks. We may work in the world, but do we ever show ourselves willing to love and help those who are not part of our religious circle? Politics is one way to do that. Our country desperately needs people who are willing to give up several years of their lives and careers to serve our country. When a young person joins the military, we generally agree that serving the country in that capacity is a good and honorable thing. However, running for office is no longer seen by the public (or the people who run, oftentimes) as a public service. That has to change. We need to show this country what true, thoughtful, loving Christianity can accomplish in government.

We may never realize the goal of completely restoring our country to its former greatness in terms of virtue and liberty. We may not live to see a day when prayer is allowed in schools, but not forced on anyone. But if we stand up and take responsibility for the deplorable state of our country, then we have a chance that God will bless us again with leadership that will honor Him and the legacy of freedom for which this country is known. We can give our children the opportunity to live in a country that is better – more noble, free, and virtuous, than what we know today. If we keep our focus on ourselves and literally let the world go to Hell, then we should not be surprised when our children and grandchildren suffer greatly for their faith, or worse, join the world on its march to eternal damnation.