Friday Night Theology

Christianity is political

9 April 2010

The waiting is over. The date of the general election has been announced. It will, as expected, take place on 6th May 2010.

The polls are close and the result is uncertain. In the next four weeks, the political parties will do all they can to secure your vote.

I'm not going to make any predictions about the outcome except to note that political apathy will probably be the principal winner. In 2005, the Labour Party won the election with 35.3% of the popular vote, compared with the Conservatives' 32.3%, but only about 22% of those eligible to vote were responsible for putting Labour into power. To coin a phrase, Houston, we have a problem.  

How should we respond to all of this?

The place to start is to ensure that our understanding of Christianity is correct. In Desiring the Kingdom, James K.A. Smith rightly argues that "Being a disciple of Jesus is not primarily a matter of getting the right ideas and doctrines and beliefs into your head in order to guarantee proper behaviour; rather it's a matter of being the kind of person who loves rightly - who loves God and neighbour and is oriented to the world by the primacy of that love."

On the basis that Christianity is about loving God and loving neighbour rightly, what are the implications for politics?

Love of God and neighbour demands political engagement. Political apathy simply isn't an option. How can we love our neighbours today without being concerned about the public policies which affect so much of their lives, for better or worse? One theologian writes, "Love of neighbour today has an inescapable political dimension. To think we can love our neighbours without being concerned about the political policies which shape their lives is to live in unreality."

In Chapter 29 of Jeremiah, the Old Testament people of God are commanded to seek the peace and prosperity of the city into which they have been exiled (vs. 7). Love of God and neighbour demand a commitment to the well-being of the city, even (perhaps especially) cities as pagan as Babylon. God's people are not to escape the city, but shape it. It's clear that God is concerned about the social, relational and material wellbeing of cities, and is concerned that his people contribute to it. God's people are to be engaged in politics, as the example of Daniel in exile powerfully illustrates.

If that's the why of political engagement, the rationale for it, what about the how? How do we engage politically?

1. Get informed. It we don't engage with the news, we're failing to practice an important spiritual discipline. It's imperative that we're informed about the issues that affect our communities, society and wider world.

2. Get involved. Politics is the process by which people make decisions together. Politics is concerned with the Polis, the Greek word for 'city'. In practice, political engagement could involve being part of a residents' association, being a school governor, campaigning, joining a political party or standing for the local council.

3. Get voting. In our democratic political context, engaging politically involves voting. Democracy offers us the possibility of sharing in political power and it's difficult to disclaim that opportunity. Of course, we have a 'right' not to vote, but shouldn't our vision be bigger than that? We should ensure that we influence which party gets into power instead of simply complaining about whatever party gets there.

4. Get praying. It's difficult to think of a more political action than prayer. Consider the Lord's Prayer for example. 'Your kingdom come.' Jesus commands his disciples to pray that God's kingly rule will impact every aspect of life - politics, economics, society and culture. In a recent Theos lecture, Tom Wright noted that 'When the early Christians said "Jesus is Lord," or "Jesus is Saviour", and when they spoke of his "gospel" and "kingdom", and the "peace" and "justice" which he has brought to the world, they were using political language; they were using Caesar's language, snatching his rhetorical weapons and claiming them for their Messiah.' The kingdom of God is not from this world said Jesus, but it is certainly for this world.

This edition of FNT isn't designed to guilt trip anyone; it's not even principally about getting us to the polling station on 6th May. It is intended to demonstrate that politics is essential to authentic Christianity and encourage us to respond accordingly.

Lord, let your kingdom come on this earth as in heaven.

Paul Woolley, Director of Theos, the public theology think tank

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