COLUMN: Grey Matters – Faith and politics

“Christian faith, which is at its heart about self-giving – God’s self-giving and human self-giving – and not about self-imposing.” -Philip Yancey.

As our communities prepare for their municipal elections on Oct. 28 this is a good time to do a series on faith and politics. Last week we looked at how God called Joseph, Esther and Daniel to prominent positions of influence for the sake of serving people in need and to deal with corruption. We also looked at Micah 6:8 and were reminded that a politician of faith should first desire to love justice and seek mercy (kindness) for all and walk humbly with God.

Can one still serve God while exercising political power? After all, Jesus said, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” (Mark 10:43). In modern politics we still use the term of ‘serving in office’. It seems that servant mentality is key. Jesus is not saying we should belittle ourselves and not desire great things, it’s just that we should start with the right heart that desires great things for all. It is easy for politicians to fall into the trap of doing only what makes them look good and helps their own reputation and polling.

However, for the Christian, political leadership is not primarily an opportunity to gain power. It is an opportunity to steward power in service to God and neighbour. Religious leaders once asked Jesus a politically explosive question about paying taxes to Caesar. His response is remarkable: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Jesus recognizes a legitimate sphere for civil government, but he also establishes something much larger. Caesar has a claim. God has a bigger claim. The coin bears Caesar’s image, but the human being bears God’s image.

In Mark 10:35-45 Jesus’ disciples argue with James and John when they ask Jesus if they can have the seats of honour next to Jesus (probably because they are upset at themselves for not thinking of it sooner). Jesus then gives some of his most direct statements on political power. He observes that rulers commonly exercise authority over others. Then he tells his disciples: “Not so with you.” Jesus then replaces domination of all with service for all. This was a revolutionary vision of leadership then, and it remains revolutionary today.

The challenge for Christians in politics is not simply to win elections or hold positions of influence. It is to exercise leadership in ways that reflect the character of Christ: humility instead of pride, service instead of self-interest, and love instead of domination. To sum up, below is a chart of Jesus’ call for a politics that aligns with God’s heart compared to what politicians are often tempted to do instead:

The lure of politics vs. the call of Jesus in politics

Status service vs. winning faithfulness

Recognition humility vs. control stewardship

Defeating opponents vs. loving neighbours

Protecting positions vs. protecting others

Gary Dyck is a chaplain and spiritual care provider at a hospital and personal care home in the Southeast. He is also a candidate for Steinbach city council.