This week I attended a two-day virtual event for Pastors. There were about 25 pastors from various denominations and parts of the country. I was enriched by the other ministers’ experience and found a sense of camaraderie, in that while I didn’t know any of them we are all trying to do the same thing – helping people grow in their walk with Jesus Christ.
I was soaking in all the information and taking copious notes when a statement made by the leader gave me pause. It was a statement I had made before, but it rang different this time. I understood and still do understand what he meant and why he said it, nevertheless it made me think twice. He said that in their small group gatherings they don’t talk about politics. It doesn’t matter where people stand, they simply don’t discuss it. This is not unusual for small groups; I have said the same thing in small group trainings at Sligo. It’s not a novel idea; I’ve heard of families who have a rule that they don’t talk religion or politics at the dinner table. It makes sense; these issues are often extremely divisive.
What gave me a moment’s reflection was not whether small groups should talk about politics or not, but rather how we (Christians) often view politics. Now, there are whole swaths of Christians who fully engage in politics, sometimes in ways that are an astonishing affront to Biblical principles and teachings. Still, for many Christians, politics is peripheral to their walk with Christ. While the early Adventist Church is known to have engaged in deeply political issues (even ones that were divisive), the Adventist Church that evolved in later decades has often been woefully silent, even discouraging those who wished to engage.
The seminar leader’s statement was rather innocuous, but because of the knife-edge where our country is currently perched this sentiment felt different to me this week.
The politics that divide people (the reason why many Christians stay away from them altogether) often have to do with how people are valued and treated. On the surface, it may seem to be about a great many things, but underneath it all, politics is about people.
If politics is about people and determines how people are valued and treated, and if people are valuable to God and created in His image, what role does the Christian have in politics? We don’t live in a Theocracy, but does that mean a Christian disengages from politics? I think not. Whatever a Christian can do to better the lives of people, recognize the intrinsic value of individuals and safeguard the dignity of those created in God’s image, he or she must do. The early Adventist Church seems to have understood that. Walking with Jesus also means that we are walking with those He loves, which means we have to engage in the systems that govern their lives.