Engaging Politics as a Jesus Follower (Without Being a Jerk)!

Politics and religion are two subjects that will spoil any party fast, right? Most people, most of the time, restrain themselves and refrain from ruining the festivities. But once every four years, for about a month, all bets are off.

At the time of writing this blog, we have entered that danger zone, and political chatter is rampant. Look, I am not opposed to politics. Ultimately, we need governance. What form it should take is massively contentious, but very few people are advocating for outright anarchy.

Whether you think the government is our savior or a necessary evil, it ain’t going anywhere.

I am a follower of Jesus - and if you are, the most important question we can ask is: How can we engage with politics without acting like jerks?

Let’s be honest; that’s a balance at which few of us excel.

Here are three keys to Jesus-honoring engagement with this divisive subject.

Remember Who We Are
I can identify myself in many ways: husband, dad, one-third each American, Kiwi, and Dutch. I am white, university-educated, and a writer. All those descriptions are accurate, yet they all come a distant second to my primary identity. I am a follower of Jesus.

God defines me. He gives me value, purpose, and a design to live by. My wife, kids, nationality, and political views are not unimportant; they simply are demoted to less important than Jesus.

This is crucial because only Jesus can save me. Everything else is subservient to Him. Only He defines reality and morality objectively.

This allows me to value politics and engage with it with conviction and passion, yet without making it my savior. I can evaluate political parties and candidates against the truths of Scripture, knowing they are fallible like the rest of us.

Remembering who I am allows me to put politics in its proper place, significantly decreasing the chance of my inner jerk rearing its ugly head in defense of something never meant to save me.

Remember Who They Are
A mom on my son’s sports team is a self-described liberal. She works at a local school, helping to clothe and feed the immigrant children who come through those doors. They show up in the middle of the brutal Minnesota winter without winter coats, only to have the ones she gives them stolen the next day. Undeterred, she perseveres in meeting their needs day after day.

Just another dumb liberal, right?

Before we open our mouths and utter caustic and foolish words about those people, we’d be wise to consider James 3:9-10,

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

Those who think and vote differently to us are not our enemies; they are image-bearers of God. I should think twice before messing with one of His kids.

The simple fact is that Scripture does not allow harsh and judgmental treatment of any person. Jesus instructs us to pray for our enemies.

One way to avoid acting like a jerk when engaging in politics is to remember the extraordinary value given to each person by God, and then to act accordingly.

Remember Why We Are Here
As we educate ourselves, engage in political discourse, and ultimately vote, we need to remember our primary mission as followers of Jesus.

John 15:9 reminds us that we are foreigners of this world,

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Understanding this reminds us of our focus: telling others the Good News. Our agenda isn’t, first and foremost, political. It wasn’t for Jesus either. The Jews expected a political messiah. Instead, they got a suffering servant who said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Matthew 18:36)

We will likely get off track when we make politics our primary focus. Jesus gave us an unambiguous purpose:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Lives change when the power of God moves through the proclamation of the Gospel. Knowing this allows us to engage in politics, not as the hope of the world but as just another flawed human institution, worthy of the time and energy we have left after putting first things first.

So, by all means, let’s be informed, passionate, and politically active. And let’s remember who we are and what matters most because the last thing the world needs is more Christian jerks.