Politics I ...

Monday, Jan 25, 2010. Should faith get involved in politics? Should politics be involved in faith issues? What is the relation between the two?

In Christianity, the relation between faith and politics, between faith and power, between the church and the state, has a long history. When we browse through the history of different countries, when we go back into the eras of our own civilization, we find all different kind of solutions which have been reality. We find brutality and violence in the name of faith. We find suppression and injustice - in the name of Jesus. When I think about history, I often have to remember the sentence which Jesus once said: “For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.” (Matth. 24). In the name of faith many things have been done, many things which are not the will of God and not in the spirit of Jesus. Politics is an area, which has been burned many times when it comes to faith.

Today, when the topics faith and politics are mentioned, we usually think first about the religious right. In some countries, such as the United States, religious politics is usually a special kind of conservative politics. People do not care so much about the bible or Jesus - though some of them might well be dedicated Christians, but more about special social habits, about particular social rules which are thought to be a consequence of the bible or of faith. It is interesting, for example, that the religious right resists a general health insurance - which is considered to be a key Christian topic in other countries. Do you realize, that when we start to talk about politics, we can quickly get between the various fronts which have been set up and are well established now for many years, in many countries.

However, politics IS important. As Christians, we need to get involved in politics. We need to take up the challenge. Politics in western democracies and beyond is about getting involved. It is about a public discussion of good solutions. It is about an efficient organization of things which are important for everyone. Christians need to be involved in this discussion. The ideas and principles, which Jesus has planted into our hearts, are of crucial importance for every society. Love, justice, solidarity, help, mercy, trustfulness etc etc … what would a society be without it. What would politics be if the key guiding principle would not be justice? What if politics is mere a fight about resources, but not guided any more by love for the humans it is working for.

I do not have an idealized image of politics. We are all human, Christians and Non-Christians alike. We all fail in many things, and we need to sit together and find solutions. We need the public debate. We need the right to have our say in freedom. We need the right to build parties, to work with them and in them, and to move our state forward. And we need the freedom to live in the spirit of Jesus, to work towards justice. To love and to fight for our society. Yes, we need Christians to be involved in politics on all levels. We will explore this in more depth over the following days here in the Jesus Network. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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