Why Politics and Faith Just Don't Mix

As you've probably figured out by now, I don't think terribly well of those who mix faith and politics. I don't care which political party you identify with, none of them are "Christian" in nature. Read my first post if you want to see why.

But even if there were a party that didn't compromise the message of Christ, where you could always vote that party and know you were voting for Christian values, politics would still be inherently secular. Here's why:

Back when this country was founded, shortly after it was determined that the Articles of Confederation had failed, the Constitution was written. The idea behind the whole system was people looking out for their own self-interests at the expense of others: the house of representatives favored the poor while the senate favored wealthy, the executive branch was originally designed to protect against a "tyranny of the masses," etc. The system has changed since then; senators are no longer elected by state legislatures but by the people, the president is more or less chosen by the people rather than state legislatures, and so on. But, the basic principle of balancing self-interests out remains; it is accomplished now via PACs, lobbyists, voter blocs, etc.

It goes without saying, but this system is fundamentally anti-Christian. As Christians, we are supposed to serve, not be served: "whoever wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all" (Mk. 9:35). Now granted, if our system were based on servant-leadership, it wouldn't work. You can pretty much guarantee the success of a system based on greed, and likewise, you can pretty much guarantee the failure of a system based on selflessness. But that doesn't change the fact that, as Christians, we are called to a higher standard than the world around us.

So how should you vote? I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for that. Vote your conscience. Pick the candidate whose position and values most closely match your own. Ultimately, this country is going to be run by selfish people looking out for themselves; its just how the system was designed.

But while I don't have a good answer for how to vote, I do have a terrific answer for how to handle the worldly nature of our country: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). Christ will return, and when He does, we will finally see the ultimate system of justice, fairness, and peace, because our leaders will be replaced by the ultimate leader, Jesus Christ.