Discerning Citizens, Devoted Disciples
By N. Larry Baker
Dr. Larry Baker is pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pineville, Louisiana. He holds a Doctor of Theology degree with a major in Christian Ethics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before assuming his present position, he was a college teacher, a Christian ethics professor and then dean at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Executive Director of the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He and his wife Wanda have three grown children, two girls and a boy.
With the political pot beginning to boil throughout the country, it is appropriate for believers to think about matters related to government, politics, and citizenship. Therefore you are invited to consider these three concerns: (1) mixing faith and politics; (2) getting the church into the arena; and (3) freeing the minister for citizenship.
Mixing Faith and Politics
Why would 80 well-known evangelical leaders, including J.I. Packer and Tony Campolo, take aim at the Christian Coalition and charge it with a breach of faith?
The answer can be found in the diversity among American Christians and in the ways people carry their faith into the public arena. The question, "How do Christian carry faith into the public square," is a hot topic which can be posed in many ways: religion and politics, the church and politics, and Christians and politics.
Three basic questions stand at the heart of the discussion: What is the proper role of religion in public life? How should organized religion relate to the structures and processes of government and politics? How should the Christian layperson and/or the Christian minister express faith and commitment in the public arena?
Today, the issues are in the spotlight. Organizations like the Christian Coalition, and the Moral Majority before it, have pushed the questions to the center stage of politics. One national magazine, for example, posed the words, "The Right Hand of God," parallel to a close-up of Ralph Reed, head of the Christian Coalition. The weekly completed its front page with an invitation, "Meet Ralph Reed, 33. His Christian Coalition is on a crusade to take over U.S. politics–and it`s working." A wide range of groups and individuals identified as "The Christian Right" has waded into the fray and heightened the debate.
Earlier this year, the Christian Coalition showed up in Washington with an agenda. In their "Contract With the American Family," they set forth their platform of expectations and demands. They have aligned themselves with a single political party and threaten to withdraw support if that party doesn`t bend to the Coalition`s will. They are placing their "seal of approval" on specific candidates and are targeting others as unacceptable and calling for their defeat. They solicit political contributions for their cause and invest heavily in candidates who meet their Coalition standards.
Others with different perspectives have joined the contest. On the very day that the Christian Coalition presented its "Contract With the American Family" in Washington, the Interfaith Alliance conducted a press conference in opposition to the Reed organization. This group, less than a year old, organized to counter the religious right and has already elicited strong support across the nation.
Additionally, noted evangelicals have taken issue with the Coalition and its partners in the public arena. Well-known evangelical leaders such as Steven Hayner, president of Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, J.I. Packer, Tony Campolo, and Jim Wallis are among 80 supporters of "The Cry for Renewal," a document that takes aim at the Coalition. Likewise, in Dallas, Texas, recently the Center for Christian Ethics conducted a consultation that denounced the "Radical Religious Right" agenda of Robertson, Reed, and others who want to claim political power for themselves, their organization, and their agenda.
A Concern Long-standing
The debate, however, is only the current version of long-standing questions and issues. Southern Baptists, through the work of its Christian Life Commission, have addressed issues of government and politics for decades. In earlier years, however, the Commission addressed issues and concerns, but without promoting specific platforms, programs, or parties–and without supporting particular candidates. During Foy Valentine`s tenure as Executive Director, for example, the agency conducted national seminars in 1972, 1974, 1977 and 1981 that dealt with a variety of government-related topics. In 1976 and 1984, the Commission conducted national seminars dealing specifically with "Christian Citizenship." In 1988, while I served as head of the agency, we also conducted a national seminar on citizenship concerns with the event conducted in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Southern Baptists have underwritten organizations and addressed issues related to religious freedom and separation of church and state, both foundational matters. Most of the heads of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, including James Dunn, its current leader, have been Southern Baptists. For many years, the Southern Baptist Convention had a Public Affairs Committee, a group assigned the task of dealing with governmental issues related to the work of the Convention and its agencies and institutions. Many states have nondenominational organizations, like the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation, that deal with public policy issues. Some state Baptist conventions, such as Texas, also have Christian Life Commission, with staff persons who address government and political issues.
Citizens of Two Realms
No one should be surprised by the concern of Christians with matters of politics and government. We Christians have a dual citizenship. We are citizens in the kingdom of heaven, but we are also citizens of various human kingdoms. Our dual citizenship carries dual responsibilities and our pursuit of the Christian ideal unfolds in city, state, nation, and world communities.
Consider the scene at the intersection of Main and Reagan in Pineville, Louisiana, the city where I live. The campus of First Baptist Church stands on the West side of Main Street; City Hall and the City Court Building face the Baptist structures from the East. The central police station and a fire station operate behind the two major city buildings. One also sees the Pineville Elementary School to the South of the church`s buildings. The visible signs of church and state–of religion, government, law enforcement, the legal system, education, and public works–are evident.
A driver approaches the church grounds on streets built and maintained by government funds and personnel, stops at or proceeds through the intersection by the color of traffic signals paid for by tax revenue and operated by the Public Works Department, parks in compliance with rules established by government and walks into buildings built according to government codes. At night, city owned street lights provide illumination and a measure of safety for pedestrians and drivers alike; throughout the day, law enforcement personnel attend to safety needs of the church`s members as they carry on their lives. All the actions and programs of government unfold under the guidance of publicly elected officials, a mayor, and aldermen. People who work at the elementary school are paid by tax dollars and are responsible to publicly elected officials, a school board. First Baptist Church conducts its life in the midst of that and more.
The relationship is more complex. On Sunday morning, the Mayor and two aldermen and their families will be in worship. Three former mayors may also be present. A Republican candidate for the state legislature will attend with his family and a member of the Democratic County Committee will be present. A retired City Judge will attend as will the City Marshal. Two families represent school board members aligned on different sides of current controversial issues. State troopers, city police officers, a sheriff`s deputy, and an INS Agent will take part in worship. The director of a state funded mental health center will usher and public school personnel will help to lead worship; an assistant district attorney and trial lawyers will join in worship. The realities represented by the buildings across the street have come to church in persons with familiar faces and names.
The Bible Speaks
Turn to the Bible. A quick look at the Old Testament establishes the fact that God was for good government. He wanted peace and tranquillity to reign. He wanted justice and love to have full sway. He wanted his people to live in an atmosphere which encouraged service to God and man in peace and hope. The particular form that government took was apparently of lesser importance.
The New Testament also gives guidance on the matter. Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, set forth the classic passage on the subject in Romans 13. This passage teaches us that: (1) the institution of human government is divinely ordained and that government exists by the permissive and providential will of God; (2) God wants good government but does not dictate a particular form which civil authority must assume nor give direction as to the way in which a ruler properly comes to power; (3) government is to promote the common good for all the citizens of the land and when it does otherwise, it is running contrary to the will of the Almighty; and (4) citizens are to be obedient to the ordinances and statutes established by government. There is but one exception to this rule. When the government demands that citizens do something clearly contrary to the will of God, Christians are obligated to say, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
Foundations of Government
Why was government established? What are its functions? Our answer is shaped in the United States of America by the Preamble of our Constitution which sets forth the purpose and functions of government as four-fold: (1) to establish justice; (2) to provide for the common defense; (3) to promote the general welfare; and, (4) to secure the blessings of liberty.
Our answer is also shaped by the New Testament which summarizes its message in Romans 13. First, the state is to provide and maintain law and order. Another duty of the state is to provide justice for without justice, law and order are empty words. A third responsibility of the political order is to preserve liberty for its citizens.
Signposts for Action
The Christian who takes citizenship, government, and politics seriously will keep several truths in mind:
First, the believer knows that there is no "Christian politics." We remember there is no Christian government, no Christian political party, no Christian political platform, and no infallible "Christian Voters Guide." Christian may be and should be, active in all aspects of government and politics, but no one can claim to have the "only" Christian, or the uniquely Christian, approach.
Second, the believer knows that all political communities, systems, and policies stand under the judgment and mercy of God. The Creator God who birthed Israel and formed the church is the God who stands in judgment over all human allegiances, alliances, and actions. Democrats and Republicans, Liberals and Conservatives, The Christian Coalition and People for the American Way are all measured by and accountable alike to God. The One who spoke judgment through the prophets to the nations, said also to Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."
Third, the believer remembers the limits of government and politics. Government cannot save us and it cannot solve all our problems. Government cannot make us good and righteous and it cannot establish righteousness. Let the state be the state–and nothing more. The state is not God and we should not expect it to play God. Years ago, Senator Mark Hatfield wrote, "Our nation`s foremost need is the recovery of a relevant moral conscience. Ultimately, that can only be done through individuals, not by the state."
Fourth, the believer always asks a searching, personal question when carrying out the tasks of government and taking part in politics: What will most shape me? Will my agenda be shaped primarily by a political platform or a partisan group? Or, will my perspective and approach be formed first by faith and shaped by the Bible? I have some friends who rush to say, "I am a Republican" or "I am a Democrat" but are hesitant to talk of the place of biblical faith in the public arena.
Fifth, the believer will not use political means that contradict the Lord to whom we give ultimate allegiance. "The end justifies the means" is a hard-nosed, pragmatic political stratagem, but it contradicts the Bible and our Lord. David could not fight Goliath in Saul`s armor, nor can the Christian in politics use unholy weapons to accomplish worthy goals. In Jerusalem, the first disciples spoke in the halls of government; but they were detainees hauled before the magistrate because their message threatened the status quo and the reigning power brokers. The Early Church did not form an alliance with Rome, create a political action committee or verify the party membership or political ideology of its leaders. Paul was a court preacher, but one in chains, who preached as a prisoner and not as a political puppet. The Bible cautions, "Do not put your trust in princes." The greatest apostasy of the church in the 1990s may be the reliance of the church on secular means, political dirty tricks, and manipulative tactics to try to reach its goals.
Yes, Should, Must
Can religion and politics mix? Yes! They can. They do. They should.
They must. An editorial cartoon in our local newspaper depicts the urgent need. A plaque hangs on the wall of the state Capitol Building with photographs of legislators surrounding it. The plaque contain these words: "Warning. Smoke Free Zone. Truth Free Zone. Ethics Free Zone." Many feel that a similar plaque could hang in all places of government from city hall to the halls of the nation`s capitol.
This much is clear. The interaction between religion and politics is inevitable and it is in order for God`s people. Brooks Hays, himself a former President of the Southern Baptist Convention and a Congressman from Arkansas, once said words still applicable: "The dedicated sons and daughters of the Church have a magnificent opportunity in this crisis period to apply Christian ideals and standards to the political structure." The way is well summed up in the words of Jesus: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
Getting the Church into the Arena
"How to Get Your Church into Politics" is the title of a chapter that I read years ago. The title came to mind again as I thought about the relationship of faith and public life and that of the church and public affairs in 1995.
Some might suggest that the church isn`t involved in politics and shouldn`t be. However in the previous section on "Can Religion and Politics Mix?," I noted that the church is already involved in politics, first by its nature as a public entity and then in light of the involvement of its members in politics and government. I also suggested that the believer`s concern for good government leads to involvement in politics.
A Quick Look Backward
Reflect briefly on our nation`s history. Churches in the United States have been involved in politics and have addressed political issues from our earliest days. Baptist individuals and churches were in the forefront of the fight for freedom in the Colonies, especially religious freedom, and that was a highly incendiary political issue. Roger Williams, George Mason, Isaac Backus, and John Leland, and others like them, led the fight and, because of them, we savor the sweet taste of freedom more than two centuries later.
Baptists and their churches aligned themselves on both sides of the political issues that divided this country in its blood soaked, life shattering, and soul rending Civil War. Baptist believers and congregations have waded into political issues like alcohol and gambling throughout our nation`s history Although forgotten by many, it was an aroused Christian citizen corps which was responsible for the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment which provided for national prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.
Baptist ministers, lay persons, and churches struggled with civil rights issues during the 1960s and after. Baptists, individually and collectively, have addressed political issues related to the separation of church and state and freedom of religion throughout the 1900s as well as the seventeen and eighteenth centuries. Baptists, working individually and collectively, have spoken out against crooked politicians and dishonest officials as well as corrupt and destructive government practices and politics. Political action by Baptists and Baptist churches has aimed its energies at local situations and state and federal issues alike.
Not Whether, But How
The issue is not one of "whether," but one of "how" to be involved in politics appropriately. Foy Valentine`s observation is on target: "What is needed is a mixing of religion and politics according to a recipe that will enable religion to be true to God and politics to realize its finest potential." To that end, the church may "get into politics" through individuals and their actions and through corporate activity alike. Think first about congregations.
Someone noted recently that, "The cries for congregations to spring into action will increase with the heat of the weather, and the heat of the political battles." But, the writer continued, "Churches…that consider getting involved in the political process are wise to understand the ground rules for their involvement."
Churches, as tax exempt entities, carry out their activity within two restrictions set forth by Section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. First, the church cannot devote any "substantial part" of its activities to attempt to influence legislation. Second, a church cannot endorse or oppose candidates for elective public office or otherwise be involved in a political campaign to elect or defeat a candidate.
Section 501(c)(3) permits seven political actions by churches. First, a church may publish or distribute nonpartisan research, education, or analysis of legislative proposals or public policy issues. These, however, should not include references to particular legislators, except to describe their past actions, or their stated positions on issues. Great care should be given to insure the accuracy of such publications, even when the publication is offered by "experts."
A church may also publish news about pending legislation. Similarly, a church may engage in insubstantial legislative activities. This includes "occasional" statements about pending legislation, including referenda and initiatives. Likewise, a church may publish or distribute nonpartisan voter guides. Furthermore, a church may sponsor candidate debates or appearances to which all candidates for the same office are invited. Also, a church may publish articles referring to or describing the campaign. Finally, a church may sponsor nonpartisan voter registration and "get-out-the-vote" drives.
A church can be vocal and active politically without violating the Bible`s message or the government`s guidelines. Church and state can remain separate while faith engages aggressively with public policy, government and politics. And, the results can be significant. Paul Henry, a professor at Calvin College, wrote several years ago that "…one congregation of Christians seriously committed to involving itself in community affairs can have influence beyond all proportion to its numbers." While the church has an obligation to become involved at the educational and motivational levels of politics, it has an equal obligation to separate itself from the implementation level of politics.
Individual Christians can take their faith into the political arena with confidence and courage. In fact, the Christian lay person as a citizen of the world is obligated to act. A half-dozen challenges point the way: (1) be informed so as to understand the nature and processes of government and the issues before it; (2) take part in the selection of public officials and the formation of public policy; (3) work for the realization of the biblical and constitutional purposes and goals of government for all citizens, regardless of race, creed, or color; (4) serve in places of political leadership for which one is qualified; (5) challenge and criticize any force in society which tends to run counter to the claims of God and the worthy goals of good government; and (6) align oneself with a church and other constructive forces which seek to strengthen the spiritual and moral fiber of individuals and the nation. Believers may express their faith politically through political parties, by supporting individual candidates, regardless of party alignment, and/or participation in special interest groups.
Several faces come to mind now as I think of believers who take their faith into the public arena. One, a former church member, was named recently by Texas Monthly as one of the ten best members of the Texas Legislature, a forty-year old attorney described as one "who somehow rose to prominence in the Legislature without losing [his] idealism" Recently, I led the invocation for the campaign kickoff of a Baptist deacon-insurance executive running for state representative in my district. Earlier this year, I had the invocation at the swearing in of our city`s mayor and aldermen, three of them members of our church and the others members of various congregations. The Lieutenant Governor of a nearby state is a Baptist minister turned elected official. The Governor of one Midwestern state is an active Baptist. The President of our parish/county school board is a female educator active in the life of a suburban Baptist congregation in our city.
At every election, I see men and women from the church who work at the polls. Regularly, members attend council and board meetings to monitor and express their commitment to good government. Church members wear campaign buttons, place yard signs, affix bumper stickers, mail materials, make phone calls, ring doorbells to support candidates, and get out the vote. Although each of these might express their understanding with different words, all demonstrate their Christian service through civic involvement. All exercise a stewardship of influence.
Where We Begin
Where does one begin? A story told by Booker T. Washington provides perspective. "A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal: `Water, water, we die of thirst!` The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back: `Cast down your bucket where you are.` A second time the signal, `Water, water; send us water!` ran up from the distressed vessel and was answered: `Cast down your bucket where you are.` And a third and a fourth signal for water was answered: `Cast down your bucket where you are.` The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the Amazon River."
Believers are called to accept appropriate responsibilities in public life. The time to start is now, and the place to start is with the individual believer. In other words, let the Christian cast down his political bucket where he is.
A Word of Encouragement
The payoff from involvement can be significant. James Flamming, pastor of First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, recounted an experience from the ministry of a predecessor, Theodore Adams, "Mr. Richmond" to many. "There was a time in the late `50s and early `60s when racism was ugly. It had heated up. The government had been elected; it had been a terribly difficult campaign and the promises made were racist."
At the inaugural ball Dr. Adams talked about the governor. Nobody knows what was said. Later, the pastor and the governor met in conference but no one knows what they said then either.
However, "what is significant is that the governor now in office began carefully to turn things away from the racist platform that got him elected toward a more common sense and decent way of approaching the whole subject." Years later, Adams` family shared with [Flamming] one of their greatest treasures…a little note written from that governor many years after he had left office, and retired. The note said simply, "Now that I am in the later years of my life, the thing that I think I am most proud of is that I never betrayed the promises I made to Ted Adams."
There you have it. A single voice. A single city. A lone individual practicing the stewardship of influence. And, it made a difference!
Now, Finally
A few years ago, I sat before a microphone at the witness table in a hearing room in the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. That was a strange new world for me, a world that smelled of power and reeked of influence. Before me at the front of the room was the committee table with a congressman from Massachusetts, one from Florida, another from Texas, and three aides. I was there to present testimony against a bill that would remove all restrictions on the advertising of lotteries, casinos, and charitable gaming. Seven of us presented testimony–six for the bill and one against.
Two of the witnesses were U.S. congressmen. One was from the Justice Department and another from the U.S. Postal Service. One was President of the American Newspaper Publishers Association and the other, President of the National Association of Broadcasters. Heavy hitters, all of them. Behind me, I heard one observer say to another, "Wouldn`t you know the Southern Baptists would be there!"
I pray so! I hope that Baptists and all Christians will be there, and everywhere public policy is shaped and set.
Christians, putting their faith to work in politics, makes for good government.
Freeing the Minister for Citizenship
What do Jesse Jackson and Jerry Falwell, William Gray and Billy Graham, Walter Fauntroy and Lloyd John Ogilvie, Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Kennedy have in common? They differ in many ways, but they are alike on one: all are ministers who have been or are now involved in politics.
They are not the first ministers involved in politics in the twentieth century. However, such involvement in politics is not always applauded or appreciated. Lay persons and clergy differ sharply on the place of the minister in politics and on the ways open for a minister to be involved.
The issue is not new. Dwight L. Moody, for example, was criticized angrily for his involvement in Chicago politics. He reportedly declared, "My citizenship is in heaven, but right now I vote in Cook County." Change the names and the locations and the same can be said by every minister.
When it comes to politics, the minister has a serious problem. Like it or not, the minister is not "just another citizen." True: the minister is a citizen and should act responsibly in that role. But, the minister is also a religious leader and a public figure and ought to act responsibly in those roles as well. Biblical wisdom says that "unto whom much is given, much is required," and the minister is steward of much.
Being Realistic About Political Pressures
Today, the minister faces great pressures when he thinks about his responsibility and involvement in politics. Many expect the pastor to limit his political activity to casting a ballot on election day. Several years ago I served a church in northeast Louisiana. One of the men had been a State Senator for sixteen years and was president pro tempore of the Senate. He decided to run for the office of Lieutenant Governor. As his pastor and friend, I offered to help where possible. We decided that I would contact all the pastors throughout the state in his behalf and decided to do this by letter. I composed the letter, printed it on my personal stationery and mailed it several weeks before the Primary. The letter introduced my member-candidate; and it solicited the vote of the recipient. Several Baptist pastors responded. One wrote in very large letters across the bottom of my letter "Your job is to campaign for Jesus Christ and not for one of your members." His response illustrates our tendency to limit a pastor`s political activity to casting a ballot on election day.
Rereading a Page from Our History
Americans, however have not always placed such restrictions on ministers. Early American preachers played a significant role in political life–without which this nation would never have taken the shape that it took.
There is a widespread recognition that churchmen joined actively with non-churchmen in building the American political society. President Coolidge once said, "America was born in a revival of religion." Religious leaders were midwives in helping bring this nation to birth.
Early Colonial leaders also expected ministers to be involved in political life. Thomas Jefferson, for example, recognized, accepted, supported, and fostered the idea that churchmen, who were also citizens, would speak to political and social issues.
Likewise, for 150 years, many of the key leaders of Colonial New England were preachers. The New England clergy of the eighteenth century occupied a position of peculiar influence and power in the life of their communities and of the colonies. They were, for the most part, "learned clergy," and many were graduates of Harvard or of Yale. For the most part, the ministers lived in small towns or smaller villages. Here they lived among their people. On weekdays, they often settled disputes. Occasionally they served as doctor or town lawyer or school teacher. On Sunday they preached to men and women whose lives they shared intimately; and their words helped shape the political lives of their members.
Furthermore, churches dominated the countryside. By 1775 there were 3,105 churches in the thirteen colonies and they served the population of 2.5 million. Geographically, the churches stood at the heart of the community; and in the flow of community life they held an importance that no other organization held.
Nevertheless, there was not complete agreement among the clergy who spoke up on the great issues of that troubled time. The record reveals otherwise. Some zealously advocated American independence; others were loyal to the king. The issues were not as clear then as they are now more than 200 years later–and equally committed ministers stood on opposite sides.
Ministers loyal to the king and ancestral ways were insulted and frequently asked to leave their churches and towns. The fissure in their fellowship was so deep that the Protestant Episcopal Church severed legal ties with the mother church in England when independence had been won.
Early American ministers agreed, however, in two ways. They agreed, first, in their concern for the moral principles involved. They agreed, also, in the uncompromising conviction that it was their sacred duty to speak on them. They sometimes disagreed violently on the meaning of the facts involved in the issues; but, they agreed that facts of far-reaching importance were involved. And they agreed that those facts deserved public attention and consideration.
Also, there were no clear distinctions between secular and religious topics or attitudes. The early American preachers did not espouse an "area code" theology that limited Christ`s reign to the individual heart or that enclave of the faithful that we call the church. Only later did the notion emerge that there is one ethic for the church and another for business, one for the private life and another for public life.
Recalling the Patterns of Participation
Early American preachers took part in political life in many ways. One form was the election day sermon–second only in importance to the Easter sermon in the life of the colonial church. On election day, a special minister was chosen to preach a sermon. In turn, the sermon was printed by order of the Assembly and distributed. For a hundred years before the American Revolution, and year-by-year throughout the long conflict, these sermons dealt with matters of government. They were sent to friends in other colonies and in England. They were distributed regularly to the country towns where they became the "textbooks of politics." Thus, they passed from hand to hand and from colony to colony. Their theories, and even their phrases, reached the ears of the townsmen and countrymen alike. That very repetition through so many years helped to drive the ideas and phrases home until they became a part of New England thought.
Early American preachers participated in political life in other ways. Many preached political sermons to their own people in towns and country villages. They wrote letters and articles to newspapers. They corresponded with friends. They frequently helped to draw up town and county documents.
Involvement in political life continued throughout the years–both inside and outside the church, and in many forms. Look closely at our coins. The work of M.R. Watkinson, a pastor in Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, produced the inscriptions, "Liberty" and "In God We Trust." A Baptist clergyman, Samuel Francis Smith, wrote our great patriotic hymn, "My Country, Tis of Thee," in 1832. Another Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy, wrote The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in 1892.
Sometimes the minister`s involvement in politics took the form of dissent. At College Church in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for example, a nineteenth century Lutheran, Samuel Schmucker, preached hour-long sermons against the Mexican War in 1846 and against slavery in the 1850s. In those days, the members of the church agreed and disagreed with the sermonic thrust, but they never argued that the pulpit should be silent on those political issues.
Following the American Revolution, many outstanding Baptist preachers took part directly in politics and held political office during our early years as a nation. One of the most outstanding was Robert Emmet Bledsoe Baylor. George Washington Baines, the great-grandfather of Lyndon Baines Johnson, was another preacher directly involved in political life. Kentuckians twice elected Thomas J. Chilton to Congress in Kentucky before he moved to a Houston, Texas, pastorate.
John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister, signed the Declaration of Independence. He served on committees of correspondence, in Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress, and in the State Assembly of New Jersey.
Thinking Again About Today
Today, ministers and lay persons alike need to renew their commitment to the involvement of ministers in the world of politics. Consider: First, the responsible use of our citizenship counts more than we know. Second, one of the marks of our American churches and early American preachers has been the steady conviction that clergy do not responsibility for the kind of city, country, and world in which we live. Third, for ministers to wash our hands of the whole political process and say that we don`t belong in it and shouldn`t mess with it is only to deny the roots that have brought us into being. In an era concerned about values and virtues, the well-being of people and the welfare of our nation, the moral fiber of this country and the quality of our national life, the minister`s involvement in politics is imperative, not elective.
In most places during this century chuchmen in America have moved backward in addressing social and political issues. This flight from political responsibility is not biblical or constitutional and it is not realistic.
Fourth, to argue that the Christian minister should be involved in political life does not mean that the church should be turned into a political machine, or turned into a pawn on some political chessboard. It is not the function of the church to speak ex cathedra on every controversial issue that comes down the pike, to "bless" one political party and "curse" another, to champion political machines or to promote partisan platforms. The church is not here to respond to candidates on the basis of partisanship in the name of expediency. It is here to respond to issues on the basis of principles in the name and spirit of Christ; and the discerning minister keeps that clearly in mind.
Fifth, ministers will not always agree on issues or candidates and we should not be expected to. But, as individual Christians we are challenged to enter the rough-tough arena of human activity where the earthbound destiny of people is determined. The minister can relate to and be involved in the world of politics in countless and significant ways without violating his calling, compromising his message, discrediting the church that he serves, or dishonoring the Lord whom he follows.
Sixth, the minister should not lose touch with the biblical word. We must not forget that the source of greatest authority and the one most commonly used by the early American preachers was the Bible. As ministers, we are called to bring the light of God to the life of humankind. The minister is obligated to listen first to the Word and to judge all politics in its light rather than listening to the beat of some doctrinaire drummer and then mouthing those shibboleths.
Seventh, the minister should not limit political action to the sermon, but neither should the minister give up on the sermon The minister should neither overlook nor underestimate the importance of the sermon on the world of politics.
Well, Now
Almost a quarter century ago, I disagreed with my fellow minister who chided, "Your job is to campaign for Jesus Christ and not one of your members." I still do. I believed then, and now, that Dwight L. Moody was correct: "My citizenship is in heaven, but I vote in Cook County." I, as a minister, live under the same mandate with lay persons: I must render unto Caesar what is his and to God what is his.
The heart of the issue is wrapped up in a brief vignette from the play, "Valley Forge." Maxwell Anderson dramatizes Washington helping his tattered and freezing soldiers bury their dead. He turns and says, "This liberty will look easy by-and-by when nobody dies to get it." Upon reading this, another American said, "Their sacrifice and sense of dedication should haunt our contentment."
