Christians, Politics, and the Big Questions
Earlier this week, Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research, posted the following tweet:
“Statistically, the unchurched lean heavily Democrat. So—and I know it’s just me talking crazy now—if you want to reach the unchurched, maybe constant Facebook/Twitter posts about how stupid Democrats are might be a bad idea.”
The tweet ignited conversation amongst Christians on social media: re-posting, commenting, approving, and disapproving. I didn’t re-post the tweet, but after reading his article expounding on the reasoning behind the tweet, I decided to make a few comments about Christianity and politics.
You can read Stetzer’s article here.
First, it is easy to talk politics on a basic level. Rallying around a party because it’s your party doesn’t take much consideration or thoughtfulness. Christians who constantly post on social media with an “us versus them” mentality may unwittingly convey that they don’t think through the issues at any level of depth. Being that we are followers of the greatest thinker who ever lived, Jesus Christ, this can lead to a misrepresentation of our Lord.
Jesus didn’t rally around a party. He saw all people as God’s creation and was broken hearted over the evil that was rampant amongst them. He lived in a time that was also politically charged—we are not special to that circumstance—yet he did not spend much time arguing the policies and practices. Jesus went deeper. He did what J. Gresham Machen described as “destroy the obstacle at its root,” (referencing 2 Cor 10:5). He addressed the sin in mankind, which is the root of the problems we face. [2]
Second, as Stetzer points out, these might be the people we are trying to reach with the Gospel. I’m not saying that one political party represents lost people while the other does not. This would be a superficial understanding of mankind. However, if people in one party are statistically higher in labeling themselves as unbelievers, then it makes no sense to constantly attack them, when we are commanded to preach the good news to them (Mark 16:15).[1] Take a quick inventory: What good news have you offered today to those who do not believe in God?
Third, when Jesus so thoughtfully answered the Pharisees, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, ” he didn’t just avoid their political and legalistic entrapment, he also taught us an impacting truth about who we are in God. What did Jesus teach we should give to God? He said we should render to God, “the things that are God’s.” What do we have that belongs to God? The entirety of our lives belong to God (1 Cor. 10:31)! There is no compartmentalization of our lives into the party-politics-trash-talking room and evangelism-good-news-preaching room. This is a definite mistake.
The Christian should see the world through the lens of the teaching of God. Christ said that those who hold to his teachings will know the truth and the truth will set them free (John 8:32). To what freedom was Jesus referring? It is freedom from the slavery to sin (John 8:34-36), which conversely is the freedom to do what is good. Christians do not have to engage in politics like those who have no freedom from sin. We should engage the issues at hand thoughtfully, as would our Lord, recognizing the root of the problem, sin, is in the heart of every man. So we should be wise in how we approach the political realm, recognizing that politics are a huge platform for broadcasting messages of any kind; including the message of true freedom for all mankind.
We should also recognize that politics provide us with a great opportunity to discuss the most important questions of life: What is good? What is a human? What is justice? How should I live? How do we ground human rights? Every time a person discusses politics they are assuming the answer to a deep philosophical question, namely, “what is good.” People do not argue for their political view because they think it is evil and will do harm to mankind. They argue for what they think is good for mankind (or at least for themselves). This opens up a wide door to discuss how that person is grounding their view of good. You can ask, “How do you know what is good?” For a Christian, that goodness is rooted in the essential nature of God. Now you have a conversation on a fundamental understanding of the Christian view of God. This is how politics can play a role in helping to spread the Gospel: politics can help uncover the grounding for an individual’s beliefs (and whether or not they have any grounding).
Christians, grasp the opportunity you’ve been given in this country with freedom of speech to use your words to “destroy the obstacle at its root.” We shouldn’t be silent with regards to political issues, but we should recognize the unique opportunity given by the political realm to speak life to mankind, as much as possible. Remember, we are all experiencing the pain and suffering that comes as a consequence of evil. We have the choice to participate in sin, furthering death and destruction, or we can speak words of truth and light, advancing redemption and restoration. What is one change you can make in your political involvement to help show others freedom in Christ?
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[1] For Christians who are of any party affiliation.
[2] Machen quote from J. Gresham Machen, “Christianity and Culture,” Princeton Theological Review
Mary Jo Sharp, M.A. Debates Tabasum Hussain, PhD. February 2010
Mary Jo Sharp, M.A. of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry will be formally debating Tabasum Hussain, PhD. of The Muslim Debate Initiative. The debate will take place in Scarborough, Ontario (Toronto) on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20th at 5:30pm.
Debate Topic: “Women: The Qur’an and The Bible”
MARY JO SHARP BIO:
Mary Jo Sharp is a former atheist from the Pacific Northwest who thought religion was for the weak-minded. She now holds a Masters in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and is the first woman to become a Certified Apologetics Instructor through the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mary Jo has spoken to numerous groups, including audiences of over 1,000 people. Some of her speaking engagements include: The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma State and Youth Evangelism Conferences, the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia Youth Evangelism Conference, The Southern Baptists of Texas Evangelism and Leadership Conferences, and the Evangelical Theological Society National Conference. Mary Jo administrates the website, Confident Christianity, and the Facebook group, Two Chix Apologetics, where she engages people from around the world in dialogue concerning the truth of Christianity.
DR. TABASUM HUSSAIN BIO:
Dr. Hussain. Born and raised in London, England, she acquired a BSc(HONS) in Biological Sciences at the University of Westminster, an MSc in Advanced Neuroscience at University College London, and lived in Australia for six years acquiring a PhD in Psychological Medicine (Neuroscience) at Monash University, Victoria. Recently settled with family in Toronto, Canada. Outside of her profession she has developed an interest over the years in Muslim-Christian Apologetics. Dr. Hussain has recently become a member of the Muslim Debate Initiative to become more involved in debate/dialogue focusing on women`s issues in the Bible vs the Quran.
Update 2/2/10: We continue to receive donations for this debate beyond our need. We have decided to allow for an honorarium for Mary Jo specifically from these funds as they come in. Thank you for supporting our efforts. To give to our GENERAL BUDGET: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7265503
Update 1/28/10: WE MET OUR GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Update 1/27/10: We are running two campaigns to raise the funds for the debate. One here through “Chip In” and one on Facebook on the Debate Fund Raiser page. So far, the two campaigns have nearly raised our necessary funds! WOW! Thanks for supporting us!
Send Roger & Mary Jo to Toronto, Canada for Mary Jo’s debate with Dr. Hussain! We are needing to raise $2,206 in order to purchase airline tickets, lodging, local travel and food needs. Mary Jo will not receive an honorarium for this event.
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National Geographic Blunders on Islamic-Christian History
A friend of mine brought to my attention a problematic article in the National Geographic of June 2009. Apparently, National Geographic featured an article on Arab Christians entitled, “The Forgotten Faithful.” Although the article is mainly focused on modern Arab Christians, the author reports this inaccurate historical record:
“Such scenes reflect the Levant’s history of coexistence between Muslims and people of other faiths, which dates from the earliest days of Islam. When the Muslim Caliph Omar conquered Syria from the Byzantine Empire around 636, he protected the Christians under his rule, allowing them to keep their churches and worship as they pleased. But many Christians converted to Islam anyway, preferring its emphasis on a personal connection with God to the oppressive hierarchies of the Byzantine Church.” [emphasis mine] You can read this for yourself on the seventh page of the article by clicking here.
This statement is wrong and can be quickly checked against the Omar Agreement (aka Umar Agreement). Click here for source. Under Caliph Omar, Christians were given three choices: death, conversion, or agreement to pay jizya tax. Here is the agreement:
The Status of Non-Muslims Under Muslim Rule
We heard from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghanam [died 78/697] as follows: When Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, accorded a peace to the Christians of Syria, we wrote to him as follows: In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate. This is a letter to the servant of God Umar [ibn al-Khattab], Commander of the Faithful, from the Christians of such-and-such a city. When you came against us, we asked you for safe-conduct (aman) for ourselves, our descendants, our property, and the people of our community, and we undertook the following obligations toward you:
- We shall not build, in our cities or in their neighborhood, new monasteries, Churches, convents, or monks’ cells,
- nor shall we repair, by day or by night, such of them as fall in ruins or are situated in the quarters of the Muslims.
- We shall keep our gates wide open for passersby and travelers.
- We shall give board and lodging to all Muslims who pass our way for three days.
- We shall not give shelter in our churches or in our dwellings to any spy, nor bide him from the Muslims.
- We shall not teach the Qur’an to our children.
- We shall not manifest our religion publicly nor convert anyone to it.
- We shall not prevent any of our kin from entering Islam if they wish it.
- We shall show respect toward the Muslims, and we shall rise from our seats when they wish to sit.
- We shall not seek to resemble the Muslims by imitating any of their garments, the qalansuwa, the turban, footwear, or the parting of the hair.
- We shall not speak as they do, nor shall we adopt their kunyas.
- We shall not mount on saddles, nor shall we gird swords nor bear any kind of arms nor carry them on our- persons.
- We shall not engrave Arabic inscriptions on our seals.
- We shall not sell fermented drinks.
- We shall clip the fronts of our heads.
- We shall always dress in the same way wherever we may be, and we shall bind the zunar round our waists
- We shall not display our crosses or our books in the roads or markets of the Muslims.
- We shall use only clappers in our churches very softly.
- We shall not raise our voices when following our dead.
- We shall not show lights on any of the roads of the Muslims or in their markets.
- We shall not bury our dead near the Muslims.
- We shall not take slaves who have been allotted to Muslims.
- We shall not build houses overtopping the houses of the Muslims.
- (When I brought the letter to Umar, may God be pleased with him, he added, “We shall not strike a Muslim.”)
We accept these conditions for ourselves and for the people of our community, and in return we receive safe-conduct. If we in any way violate these undertakings for which we ourselves stand surety, we forfeit our covenant [dhimma], and we become liable to the penalties for contumacy and sedition. Umar ibn al-Khittab replied: Sign what they ask, but add two clauses and impose them in addition to those which they have undertaken. They are: “They shall not buy anyone made prisoner by the Muslims,” and “Whoever strikes a Muslim with deliberate intent shall forfeit the protection of this pact.” from Al-Turtushi, Siraj al-Muluk, pp. 229-230.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/pact-umar.html
It is disappointing that the journalist, who wrote, The Forgotten Faithful, did not report on Omar’s Agreement at all. To give him the benefit of the doubt, he may not have known that this agreement existed. However, notice the term dhimma in the text. This is a term for second class citizens under Sharia Law (Islamic Law). This is not how these people are portrayed in the National Geographic article when the author reports these people worshiped “as they pleased.”
As Nabeel Qureshi of Acts 17 Apologetics pointed out, in reference to this same article:
“Unfortunately, there is a problem with this [the author’s] perspective: it ignores virtually everything about Islam. As we have pointed out before, Sharia stems from the Qur’an, and in its final days of revelation, the Qur’an commanded that Christians and Jews be fought until they are humiliated (9:29). Sharia thus calls for active antagonism towards non-Muslims.”
Also, it is unfortunate how the article presented an imbalance of religious violence, focusing more on historical Christian violence without a balanced assessment of the Muslim violence in history, as well. And so it appears as if the article is attempting to persuade people about an ideology under the guise of reporting history; that is a real misfortune. We should all try our best to understand and report what really happened in history so we can all learn from it.
MJ