Tuesday Review: UnChristian - Chapter 7: Political

Okay so last week I purposely skipped my Tuesday Review of UnChristian because the chapter was about politics and I just didn’t want to talk about it. But now it’s back! And you guessed it, this week’s chapter is about Politics!

Three-quarters of young outsiders and half of young churchgoers describe present-day Christianity as “too involved in politics (155).”



Party affiliation does not always translate directly to candidate choice, but it is a reminder that the Christian community is more diverse, less cohesive, and less unified than is typically assumed.
Just as the Christian audience is diverse, we have to understand that a similar reality holds true for the opposite side of the fence. Outsiders have far less political unity, consistency, and commonality than Christians might assume. They are not uniformly antagonistic toward Christians (160).

…most Christian voters do not embrace foundational evangelical perspectives (161).

Many outsiders clarified that they believe Christians have a right (even an obligation) to pursue political involvement, but they disagree with our methods and our attitudes. They say we seem to be pursuing an agenda that benefits only ourselves; they assert that we expect too much out of politics; they question whether we are motivated by our economic status rather than faith perspectives when we support conservative politics; they claim we act and say things in an unchristian manner; they wonder whether Jesus would use political power as we do; and they are concerned that we overpower the voices of other groups (165-6).

“A lot of times the church would take a conservative Republican stance, and anyone who did not fit into that mold was judged as not as good a Christian as everyone else (166).”

There is nothing gained by winning elections if we lose our soul in the process (168).

It is important that, in trying to achieve political ends, we do not sacrifice our integrity by using unChristian means (169).

I just don’t think pastors should turn their pulpits into public policy platforms. It cheapens the gospel. Our congregation doesn’t need another political opinion. They need spiritual revelation. They don’t need to think about politics on the weekend. They need to be reminded to seek first the kingdom of God (174-5).
- Mark Batterson (pastor, National Christian Church)

The young people I meet don’t want to go Left or right. They reject these narrow political orthodoxies. They’re not happy with Christianity being either a list of things you shouldn’t do, or just about being nice. They want to go deeper.

In the end, social movements are what change politics—and the best movements always have spiritual foundations. With his Bible in one hand and the US Constitution in the other, Martin Luther King Jr. changed the wind in our nation, inspiring a whole generation to engage in the struggle for civil rights. The politicians came around last, as they often do (179).
- Jim Wallis (founder and executive director, Sojourners/Call to Renewel)