Christian Citizenship
By Ferrell Foster, Dallas, TX
Note: This article originally appeared in Texas Baptists magazine, a publication of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Ferrell Foster is Director of News and Information, BGCT.
Marvin Griffin first voted in a federal election in 1944. He paid the required $1.75 poll tax in Texas for the chance to cast that vote for Franklin Roosevelt.
"I never miss voting," says the 81-year-old pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin. "Too great a price has been paid. Too many people have suffered and died for the right to vote."
A constitutional amendment in 1964 and a Supreme Court ruling in 1966 killed the poll tax because it was seen as an impediment to voting, but many people still do not vote.
Voting is one of the cornerstones of citizenship in a democratic nation. And good citizenship is one of the cornerstones of the Christian life, especially among Baptists.
Both terms-Christian and citizenship-are "terms of community," says Suzii Paynter, director of citizenship and public policy for the Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
Jesus set forth the principle for Christian citizenship when he said, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar`s, and to God the things that are God`s" (Mt. 22:21 NKJV).
Today, however, there is no Caesar. And, in a democracy, the people rule. But the principle of one`s responsibility to the broader community and to the government remains intact.
"Our ideals and principles have to be played out in our own community and in Texas and in the world," says Joe Trull, pastor of The Baptist Church of Driftwood and retired ethics professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Being a responsible citizen means a person "contributes something to make the community a better place."
Christian citizenship expresses itself in many ways, but one attitude should prevail. "To be a Christian means you`re not thinking primarily of your self-interest," Trull says. "You`re thinking more as Jesus taught us, you`re thinking of what you can give without any thought of return."
"We don`t base our Christian faith on what benefits us," Paynter says. "Our personal interest is informed by biblical principles and Baptist traditions."
That perspective can be especially foreign in the world of government and politics where multitudes of people are vying for their own interests. But that arena is where Baptists have centered most of their citizenship emphasis.
"Christian citizenship is our expression of Christian values in public policy," says Phil Strickland, CLC director. "In a democracy, we have the unique opportunity to influence those public decisions that have a huge impact on the lives of people."
With that opportunity, however, comes responsibility. "I am responsible for what our government does, and I am not absolved of that responsibility when I ignore political decisions," Strickland says.
Christians often read biblical injunctions and seek only to apply them in their personal life. Strickland sees a broader need.
"`Love thy neighbor as thyself` is not just a command to do so directly one-on-one; it is to care about what happens to our neighbors as a result of policy decisions that are made each day in local, state and national governments," he says. "Acts of kindness are not only from one person to another person. Acts of kindness involve being aware of policies that are destructive to our neighbor."
Christians will go to great lengths to help a friend, yet too often "ignore policies that are destructive to human life," Strickland says.
"In Matthew 25, when Jesus talks about separating the sheep and the goats, he asks what we have done to respond to the needs of those who are thirsty, hungry or in prison. The way we respond to those people in a democracy is partially through public policy."
"To take a Thanksgiving basket to a hungry family is good, but to fail to notice and sense responsibility for half a world that lives on $2 a day is to abdicate our Christian calling to care for everyone God has created," Strickland says.
Jack Hightower, a member of First Baptist Church in Austin, is one of the many Baptists who have occupied seats of influence in the government. Now retired, Hightower has served in the Texas House and Senate, U.S. Congress and Texas Supreme Court.
"It discourages me so much for people to say (voting) doesn`t matter," Hightower says. "One vote does make a difference." The contested 2000 election in Florida showed "it doesn`t take many people to make a huge difference."
When asked why so many people are apathetic about government, Hightower responds, "They don`t think they`re really represented."
Jane Nelson, the state senator from Grapevine, had similar feelings at one time, but she decided to do something about it.
"My faith played an enormous factor in my decision to run for office," says the member of Trietsch United Methodist Church in Flower Mound. "I felt strongly that the values and priorities of our community were inconsistent with the votes being cast on our behalf, and that is the main reason I decided to run for office."
Of course, not all citizen Christians need to run for office; but they do need to be informed.
"I have a far deeper respect for someone who is conscientiously trying to understand public issues and disagrees with me than I do for people who pay no attention," Strickland says.
Trull says he is "distressed that most Christians today . . . don`t really know what`s going on. They more often than not depend on one television news program or channel to keep them informed."
As a result, people can "become convinced of things that are not necessarily true," Justice Hightower says.
Trull encourages people to "get below the superficial level of information, get the facts." Read newspapers, including the opinion columns; read widely; listen to debates; and watch different TV channels.
The CLC`s Paynter works closely with politicians and their staffs. "It`s very easy to be swayed by one person`s stirring remarks," she says. To get beyond that emotion and passion, believers can use "filters of faith and filters of policy" in evaluating politicians and their positions on issues.
Those filters of faith are the starting point of Christian citizenship.
"To be a Christian citizen, first and foremost, you are to be aware of your role as a citizen of the kingdom of God," says Trull. This means the believer should live in the world "by the virtues and values of your Christian faith."
Using metaphors from the Bible, Trull says believers are to be salt and light. "Salt retards corruption, and we live in a world with a lot of corruption. We are to be the saving element. We ought to be beacons of light."
Throughout the centuries, Christians have arrived at different conclusions about how to relate to the broader culture. Some have withdrawn completely from the culture; others have virtually merged with the culture, either giving in to worldly values or seeking to force Christian values on nonbelievers. Most, however, have followed the scriptural injunction to be in the world but not of it.
As a result, believers should be both priest and prophet, especially in the political realm, Strickland says. "We must always be priest to those who are trying to make critical decisions that have enormous impact on all of us. We should pray for them and care about them. They have a tremendous responsibility."
"But we must also be prophets who challenge decisions that are dominated by special interests, and we must call for the ideals reflected in our understanding of Christian values," Strickland continues. "That`s why a Christian citizen`s first allegiance is never to a political party. If it is that, we have forfeited our prophetic word. We are to hold politicians accountable regardless of their political party."
Strickland encourages believers to "approach Christian citizenship with some humility. Political decisions are always proximate solutions," he says. "We are always short of fully understanding or implementing God`s perfect will."
In the process of seeking to influence government and the broader society, Christians will face frustration, will wonder why nonbelievers don`t get it.
"We are shaped by the story of God and God`s work in the world," Trull says. "We become like Jesus and we live out that story, and the world is living by another story. I don`t try to force them to live by my story."
