As a minister of the gospel serving at the center of the pro-life movement, I often used the phrase “non-political” to distance myself from unhelpful associations with white Republicanism and single-issue voting. Additionally, as a “never-Trumper,” I did it to protect myself from being canceled by many in my own network. I say this last statement not to disparage those who feel or vote differently, only to accurately tell my story.
Although I found safety and solace in identifying as “non-political,” the truth is I was political. I just wasn’t a culture-warrior. I was focused more on heart change, civility, listening conversations, and one of the most distinctive features of Christianity: loving one’s enemies. In carrying out my role, I resonated with language like: “The courts can make abortion illegal, but only God through his Church can make abortion unthinkable.” My vision for a pro-life culture was holistic and demanded that God show up.
Politics is defined as “the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government.”[1] This art or science can certainly promote justice and mercy, and many good people serve honorably and sacrificially in the political sphere. But as we all know, politics can be an ugly business—one that is tied to the topic of the separation of Church and State. Navigating this separation has certainly been a challenge for any age and in our day I’m grateful for wise guidance like the following:
- “While Church and State are separable, there is always going to be a connection between religion and politics because of the intersection of values and voting. Religion is going to be part of the conversation whether everyone likes it or not.”[2]
- “To insist that religious considerations can never be brought into the political realm would be impractical (since people cannot compartmentalize their beliefs), impossible (because Church and State relationships are not always clear-cut…), and illegal (because you cannot disenfranchise people of faith”.”[3]
So how do Christians who prioritize gospel transformation and issues of the heart navigate the world of politics, a world fraught with danger for people of sincere faith? Although this is a complicated question deserving fresh resources,[4] I developed a simple two-column set of contrasts to help identify some of the landmines.
| Gospel Transformation | Politics |
| Presence of the Spirit (Ex. 33:15; John 15:5) | Party affiliation |
| Love (Jn. 13:35) | Hate |
| Peace and unity (Jn. 17:23) | Striving and disunity |
| Grace is central (1Pet. 1:2, etc.) | “Politics is the language of ungrace.”- Phillip Yancy |
| Focused on the heart (Prov. 4:23) | Focused on external conformity |
| Civility—gentleness and respect (1 Pet. 3:15) | Incivility—harshness and disrespect |
| Humility/brokenness (Matt. 5:3) | Power/rights (compare Jms. 1:19-20) |
In talking with God, Moses voiced one of his foundational convictions– one that we would do well to embrace:
“If your presence will not go, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
Ex. 33:15, NRSVUE
In other words, “God, if you don’t go with us, we don’t want to go. Further, it’s only your presence and anointing that will cause us to stand out in ways that draw people to God.” This is (or should be) the shared sentiment of all who yearn for gospel transformation. In politics, however, the Holy Spirit is not necessary. It’s all about tribal affiliation and binary choices.
In sync with Moses’ prayer, Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He then added a second “stand-out from the world” essential:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35, NRSVUE
Although there are many loving and caring people in politics, politics—even when not characterized by hate—is about undermining and outmaneuvering one’s opponents. It’s not about loving them.
And this leads us to our third contrast, as well as our third and final “stand-out from the word in a magnetic way” differentiator. Jesus, caught up in prayer to his Father said:
“I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:23, NRSVUE
The world, then, will see a transformative difference in Christians when these three things are evident: the Spirit’s anointing, love, and unity. Politics, on the other hand, needs none of these; its distinguishing features are strife and disunity.
In gospel transformation, grace is central. It is both the foundation (Romans 5:1) and primary catalyst for change: “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:7). In contrast, as Phillip Yancy notes, “Politics in the language of ungrace.” And let’s be honest: Grace, often defined as God’s unmerited favor, isn’t a helpful tool when you’re goal is winning or holding control.
Next gospel transformation, as referenced already, is focused on the heart—change from the inside out: “Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). Conversely, politics is focused on external conformity either to a party platform or some piece of legislation.
A commitment to gospel transformation also requires doing things the Jesus way (Matt. 5:1-12). In other words, how we carry our convictions is as important as what those convictions are. The apostle Peter said it this way: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” (1 Pet. 3:15, ESV) In other words, civility, treating others with gentleness and respect, is central to Christianity. Politics, however, more often than not, is characterized by incivility and harshness.
Finally, gospel transformation seeks out and cultivates humility and brokenness. Politics—the art and science of winning and holding control—is instead interested in rights and power. And to protect those rights or reclaim that power, it often seems to many that the brashest, angriest individual in the room is just what is needed. In the world of gospel transformation, however, as James the brother of Jesus reminds us, it’s exactly the opposite:
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
James 1:19-20, NIV
[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politics
[2] N.T. Wright & Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024), 36.
[3] Ibid., 92.
[4] My favorites right now are The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta (a journalist for The Atlantic and an EPC pastor’s son) and Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird.