my faith is not formed by politics
but i do let my faith inform my politics
but this doesn’t mean
that if we share the same faith
that we will share the same politics
we should care about politics
because it shapes society
but we should not care so much
that it shapes our faith
our faith is what shapes
you’ll notice i’ve never posted
on here about politics
i do not speak openly
or boldly about my politics
but i will about my faith
why?
my convictions
about my faith
are stronger than
my convictions
about politics
note, that conviction
does not equal care
just because i am not
convicted to speak
does not mean i do
not care about politics
likewise, just because i do not
advocate for policy or party
does not mean i do not care
about the privilege it is to vote
silence should
never lead to
a s s u m p t i o n s
about politics
sharing openly
sharing freely
about faith
is different
than
sharing openly
sharing freely
about politics
politics speaks to laws and
principles of societal governance
whilst faith speaks to beliefs
principals of spiritual governance
freedom of speech
in a diplomatic society
applies in both areas
but because we now live
in a culture that promotes
“political correctness”
we’ve seen a shift away
from freedom of speech
i’ve seen social media culture
promote “staying silent” on
social issues as controversial
i’ve seen failure to publicly respond to
matters of social and political importance
in the world deemed an irreconcilable
difference between friends and strangers
how have we become so
intolerant of others?
let alone, so intolerant
of others right
to speak or not to speak?
arguably, a freedom to speak
should also allow for the
freedom not to speak
but no
we read into silence
we label ‘us and them’
we judge others based on
whether or not they use
their voice the same as us
now i’m not saying
we should or should not
share our views
as i mentioned earlier
i believe we may all share
different convictions that
drive our desire to share
not everyone
will share
beliefs and views
and not everyone
will share
the conviction
to share
beliefs and views
…
i have never and will never
voice my political views online
i do not believe that my calling
is to share my politics
i have not been gifted
with wisdom over policies
but i have been given
as with every other believer
the gift of discernment
unfortunately, my lack of political dialogue
has led to losing the respect of acquaintances
i daresay, some even read into my silence
as though it was a statement on my views
but here, is where the true problem lies
a s s u m p t i o n
we are humans who love order and control
we look for patterns and meaning everywhere
we do not like uncertainty and disorder
and so, we love to apply assumptions
in order to understand the world
and interpret another’s behaviour
but assumptions are dangerous
and when left unchecked
can lead us to formulate
views and beliefs based on
perception not reality
faith and politics
are taboos because
we make them so
perception plays
a big part in this
taboos thrive on fear
and misunderstanding
taboos also reflect what
is deemed socially acceptable
the reason something becomes
a taboo is underpinned by
a lack of social agreement
taboos are placed in a
“morally-too-hard-to-deal-with”
category that, if explored
could rip open and expose
relationships and beliefs
and ultimately, the societal
illusion of law and order
faith and politics become taboos
because they play in the frays
of what is socially acceptable
we create divides and sides
… us and them
… left and right
… friend or foe
… enemy or ally
faith is not a fight
against flesh and blood
… but politics can be
jesus teaches in his parables
about the things of this world
political systems included
and we are invited to question
who has ultimate rule and authority?
who has the real power here?
God’s kingdom is not the same
as the kingdom of this world
… and politics belong to this world
so does this mean God wants us
to be passive politically?
no
it just means that faith is
not a political position
faith is following jesus, and allowing
the Spirit to shape our political positions
when we allow faith
to shape our politics
we allow God’s heart
and character
to transform us
from the inside out
God’s heart is
for mercy
for justice
for love
for the lost
for the lowly
we are called to allow scriptures
to shape us from the inside out
anything else that we allow
to shape us (cough, social media)
will transform us, inside out
so what are you allowing to shape you?
if you allow politics
to shape you
it will break you
why?
politics exist in the broken system
and power dynamics of this world
if you allow people
(societal norms)
to shape you
it will break you
people inherently flaw politics
this is why discernment is required
to adjust our political views
according to the people and powers
at play in the world at any given time
what we allow to shape us
is revealed in where we
look to for answers and
guidance on faith and politics
faith shapes and scriptures shape
but discernment fades if we
become too accustomed to
other voices, other than God’s voice
do you seek answers in scriptures or social media?
do you follow socially accepted views or follow Jesus?
…
“do not conform to the pattern of this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will”
– romans 12:2
how do we allow ourselves to be transformed?
how do we renew our minds?
“and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from one degree of glory to another.
for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
– 2 corinthians 3:18
transformation comes from the Spirit
nothing and no one else
we allow the Spirit to transform us when we
contemplate who God is beholding his glory (weight and worth)
remember what he has done and proclaim who he is to the world
practice being in God’s presence, and practice being in his Word, allowing ourselves
to be taught, rebuked, corrected, and trained in righteousness [2 timothy 3:16-17]
this shapes us
this transforms us
but, of course, if we dwell on other things, that will
shape our minds and hearts in a different way
our minds will not be renewed in the Spirit of truth
but filled with counterfeit truths and “patterns” as
Paul calls them. these patterns are the values,
the systems, the powers, the trends of the world
if we are not careful, these can begin
to teach and train us (shape us)
to be governed by the world (not God)
there are invisible dynamics
at play in the spiritual realm
the powers and principalities
that rule in this world
are fighting for your
attention and affection
the kingdom of God
calls you to wake up
to this spiritual reality
at play in our world
good and evil
light and dark
life and death
these are the true tensions
waging war in the world
any taboo is only revelatory
of the underpinning tension
the personality of Evil wants
to bend society towards a
departure from God’s good design
as soon as we awaken
to this spiritual reality
we can know longer see politics,
powers and principalities in this world
as purely about people and policies
the politics of this world are an image
made in the likeness of God’s law
many constitutions may align
to God’s covenant and law
but an image of likeness
while able to boast similarities
will never be the true source
so what is distinctly different between
a covenant over constitution?
covenants are established on promise
God’s covenantal law (old and new)
is made between Him and His people
constitutions are established on power
Government law is made between
one party or power with a nation’s people
the difference is subtle, but it is the scope
of the law and the agreements made that differ
God’s covenant clearly establishes his intention
to call a nation, the people of Israel, to himself
He calls this nation to be set apart from the world, to be
a holy nation, a royal priesthood, which is to say, as God’s
people, we are invited to rule in this world, and to act under
the authority and covenant He has made with his people
“but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. once you
were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you
had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
-1 Peter 2:9
the new covenant He established with His people
is one clearly demarcated from the darkness
a covenant that calls the lost to be chosen
a covenant that calls barbarity to mercy
God’s covenantal law establishes the ultimate vision
for what good governance looks like in this world
any other laws in this world are subordinate laws
these attempt to replicate good governance
but only do so within geographical boundaries
as a Truth over Tribe blog post articulates
(far better than i can in this post):
“God offers a moral vision of the universe”
faith shapes us and transforms us
because it calls us into God’s vision
and original design for this world
politics attempts to uphold elements
of this original vision and design
and post-Enlightenment politics and policies
are highly influenced by God’s moral vision
but where does this lead us?
if we allow faith to shape us
we are called to conform
to God’s covenantal design
critical to understanding this design
is addressing why this design
was established in the first place
God established the first covenant
with His people after they started
to be tainted by the unruly darkness
that threatens to steal, kill and destroy
God then established a new covenant
with His people once and for all
a covenant in blood [luke 22:20]
a covenant with a Mediator [hebrews 8:6]
why did we need a new covenant?
hebrews 8-9 sheds light on this
this need was foreshadowed in jeremiah 31:31-34
due to the inability of God’s people to remain
faithful to the first covenant He made with them
“i will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts
i will be their God,
and they will be my people.”
instead of writing His laws on stone, God’s plan
was to write them on the hearts of His People
that we would be governed by His Spirit
in the above passage, jeremiah points to the
prophesy of the Spirit being put “in” us, and
hebrews 8 confirms the fulfilment of this prophesy
we see this same prophesy in ezekiel 36:26:
“i will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit in you
i will remove from you
your heart of stone and
give you a heart of flesh.”
with the fulfilment in romans 8:1-2:
“through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who
gives life has set you free from the law of death”
God’s new covenant changed the game
when it came to living under God’s vision
no longer is the law written in stone
it is now written on our hearts
the provision of the law of the Spirit
is what sets us free from all other
governing forces, which lead to death
but why did God need
to take such measures?
remember the tensions?
life and death
the truly divisive forces
in this world are not politics
but the powers and principalities
the battle of life vs death, good vs evil
we need to understand the personality of Evil
it’s nature, it’s manifestations, it’s effects
if we are to be free from the law of death
and stand firm in God’s good design
Augustine teaches us that evil is not substance
but the negation of proper substance
Austin M. Freeman summarises in Tolkien Dogmatics:
“evil is loss, shadow, absence, cancer, deformity”
so how do we see Evil attempting
to rule and claim authority in this world?
the promotion of empty ideologies
the shadows and secrecy of governments
the absence and omission of truth
the pervasion of ill-thought over integrity
the perversion of power
and of course, as we learn in john 10:10
by stealing, killing and destroying
if this post achieves anything
i hope that it compels you
to be alert, and discerning
at the powers and policies
that try to govern this world
so what prompted this post?
last month, like many others, my social media was
covered with the political and faith leader Charlie Kirk
i grieve and lament for his family
no one should experience loss so publicly
violence regardless of motive
should not stem from politics
but there was something in me
that did not feel settled
with the unfolding events
and conversations around Kirk
and despite sharing beliefs with many
who i saw posting about Kirk
and celebrating his faith and life
i felt confused about why something
felt “off” or uneasy in me
many thoughts stirred in me as i pondered
why there was this certain level of discomfort
in my spirit in relation to the Kirk response
i share beliefs with the people
who responded publicly about Kirk
i see Kirk’s boldness with his faith
and that inspires me to be bold
so it took me a while to identify
what was unsettled in me, and
what i did not feel comfortable with:
it was the conflation
of faith and politics
the political dominance
alongside faith dominance
while i may align to his faith
do i align to his politics?
maybe i align to some of his political views
but what if i don’t agree with his approach?
i had to understand his approach in order
to try and understand my own internal battle
some of my discomfort was in the nature of
how Kirk conducted conversations with those
who did not share the same views as him
i was intrigued by how a lot of his
public domain conversations took
the form of public rallies and debates
where questions and dialogue were
encouraged from those of different views
this format of dialogue allows for healthy
debate, for empathy and understanding,
when both parties are willing to engage
and respecting of the view of other,
to collectively explore an idea or a topic
most of the videos where i have seen Kirk
in these debates, he is very confident,
assertive and sure of his views and values
arguably he is also gentle in his assertiveness at times
providing a thought-provoking question back to the other party
in an attempt to lead them to question their own views
this in itself is rare to find, someone who is
so bold and outspoken about faith and politics
with the intelligence to promote reflection
as someone who struggles
with directness, i acknowledge
that a large part of my discomfort
lies in the confrontational nature
of his approach in those forums
it does have the potential to either
provoke agreement or disagreement
and unfortunately, as his death reveals,
the end of the disagreement spectrum
can ultimately lead to hate and violence
this doesn’t mean the approach is wrong
it just means that in a culture that doesn’t
do well tolerating views that are different,
it’s becoming more and more risky to share
what may be provocative or confronting
to those who do not share the same views
there is resistance
there is backlash
there is threat
there is risk
so what’s the alternative?
how do we dismantle the darkness,
the powers and principalities of this world?
how do we expose the personality of Evil?
i don’t know
staying silent is safe …
but silence is not security
what is most under attack
is freedom of public speech
in a culture where it is possible
to go viral, and to have the masses
listening and and watching you
we have seen an increase in information
distribution and consumption
while simultaneously an increase in
misinformation and division
algorithms can divide
what information
we do and do not see
creating echo chambers
we are so blind to this
that we can easily assume
that others share the same
beliefs and politics as us
these assumptions
are not built on truth
but on algorithms
we only see what is shared
in our echo chamber
even if we intentionally
try to deconstruct
the echo chamber and
seek alternative voices
we will be limited
due to nature of how
social media and media
giants want us to behave
ultimately, anything
consumption-based
is created to shape
our behaviours
we are sold behaviours,
“patterns” of the world,
that want us to conform
to a certain civil shape
but for the faith-shaped
we know that we are not
slaves to this world, we
are not to conform to these
patterns, but to be shaped
and changed by Jesus
Jesus was also met
with a risky approach
the result? he was crucified
and maybe this is
the unfortunate reality
of our broken world
faith is cruciform in shape
in the instance of political tumult and murder
we want to believe there is a greater purpose
we want to side with the the good not the evil
when chaos breaks out
we cling onto the things
that we know to be true
good and evil are familiar labels for us
to harness to brand ‘us and them’
the risk is, in politics, the same labels
are applied to right and left wing faculties
but what if the good and evil and interwoven?
what if there is no clear distinction here
what if we can’t neatly label ‘sides’
what should be my approach
to sharing my faith, so boldly
or if i felt so convicted,
to sharing my politics, so boldly
the only answer
is to turn to jesus
jesus
you are the ultimate leader, rabbi, power
i turn to you for answers
i turn to you to learn and understand
what it means to be a light in this world
what it means to love the least of these
what it means to be your hand and feet
what it means to live by the Spirit
what it means to submit to the Father
what it means to bring glory to God
jesus
you loved the lowly in society
you did not regard borders
when you stopped for a samaritan
you did not create us and them
you taught your disciples
not to distinguish gentile and jew
your kingdom is backwards
the first in the world are last
the last in the world are first
you give a voice to the voiceless
the voiceless do not get the privilege
of political power and views
jesus call is simple
his request is clear
“come, follow me”
we are to follow him
not to follow politics
not to follow a party (left or right)
not to follow a leader
not to follow opinions
not to follow influencers and media
not to follow fear or coercion
we are to follow him
to follow his word
to follow his spirit
to follow his love
to follow his way
if we find ourselves
unsure
lost
afraid
uncomfortable
challenged
we return to him
we ask him
to guide us
to lead us
to rule us
we invite the Spirit
to rule in our hearts
(true rule and authority is
found in and through the Spirit!)
that we may be able
to discern good and evil
to discern truth and lie
to discern life and death
to discern light and dark
to discern
what is right
what is true
what is lovely
what is noble
what is trustworthy
what is praiseworthy
– Philippians 4:8
social media, friends, workmates, family, spouses, acquaintances
every one will have their own view
they may try to share their political stances
they may invite healthy conversations
but most often in love they will
naively assume that you agree with them
but
you are not accountable to them
you are accountable to God
you are to come before Him
to give an account for your life
and maybe God
doesn’t care
about politics
maybe He will not
ask you
to give an account
for what you believed
what you followed
but i think He will care about
your heart, your allegiance
He has given you free will
but that doesn’t mean
that there is not accountability
what if he does ask you
why you believed what you believed
why you followed what you followed
why you voiced what you voiced
if you consult him, come to him
for direction, for discernment
will he even need to ask?
if you submit and surrender to Him
and allow yourself to be sharped by the Spirit
there will be no need to give an account
to give an account is
for reporting purposes
b u t
when you are daily
coming to jesus
and meeting with Him
He can account for you
you invite Him into your
daily decision-making and activities
you invite Him to rule and have authority
over your thoughts actions and movements
this concept of jesus giving
an account on our behalf
is what he does
it’s who he is
it’s in his nature
he already went before us
and made a way for us
at the cross
we now are called
to work at our salvation
which is to say
we need to allow the cross
to shape us
to change us
to influence us
first and foremost in the world
the cross is where we put to death
our own self and views and put on jesus
and allow him to set us right before God
so that when we go to give an account for our lives
God looks to us and sees Jesus
sees the glory and radiance of salvation
woven throughout our story and days
the daily surrender and submission
not once did jesus say
to follow politics
he only said to follow him
but what else did he say?
to honour the church and
to honour those in authority
(including political leaders)
we are called to lead
with honour and respect
but respect and love differ
our love, he wants
our respect, he wants us to give
our respect flows from our love
and love shapes how we respect others
we can respect something or someone
honour them, without giving them our heart
God and God alone
asks for our hearts
He wants our allegiance and affections
He wants our undivided attention
our affections and attention should not be on
this world or on politics, they should be on Him
renewal of the mind
requires a right spirit
of submission to God’s will
discernment comes
from this submission
from testing that which
we encounter in this world
and bringing it before God
…
to finish:
in a world that loves
political polarisation
choose Jesus
in a world that loves
to promote political debate
and (the worst of all)
to prove political violence
choose prayer over power
choose discernment over debate
choose silence over social broadcasting
choose Jesus
Jesus chose love over politics
Jesus chose to serve over power
God chose covenant over constitution
God chose a moral vision over moral values
which is more captivating?
which is more transformative?
values shape your character and views
but a compelling vision shapes action
Jesus chose to lead as a rabbi
instead of leading as a ruler
when Jesus returns
i doubt he will care
for our political alignment
he will care far more
for our heart’s allegiance
the call to surrender our hearts
is a call to be shaped by his Spirit
when we are called to walk in the Light
we are called to walk under God’s laws
now written on our hearts by his Spirit
when we are called to follow Jesus
we are called to follow in His way
why do we follow Jesus?
in isaiah 9:5-7 it was prophesied
that the Son would be given and that:
“the government shall be
upon His shoulder… of the
increase of His government
and peace there shall be no end”
this proclamation that the government
would be on Jesus’ shoulders points
to His eternal rule and authority
so who has ultimate rule and authority?
who has ultimate power?
xx
