There is No Christian Political Party

One thing that has been bothering me a lot has been the claim that there is a clear political affiliation that Christians should have- that God has a political party, and that religion and politics are synonymous. I want to share a challenge to that view.

No political party is perfect, because we, as humans, are not perfect. Many issues that are hot in politics right now are nuanced, with many variations of grey in terms of possibilities of ways things can move forward.

Gun rights

In general, Democrats have tended to want to limit access to certain types of guns, while Republicans have tended to want to protect against any attempts to limit gun ownership.

What is Jesus’ position on guns? You could say that Jesus is pro-peace, and urges Christians to be peaceful people, to not retaliate.

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:38-39 ESV

Similarly, you can say that Jesus spurs us on to love others, and if you live in place where wild animals might break into your home and attack your family, I could see an argument for having some kind of weapon to defend yourself with. If a gun really is the best way to humanely hunt some types of animals, I can see an argument for the benefits of gun ownership from the perspective of providing food for ones family. It isn’t “black and white”, all or nothing. (Democrats and Republicans, similarly, do not necessarily take all-or-nothing stances on the issue of guns, though there are extremists in both groups).

Reach of government, taxation and charity

In general, Democrats have tended to seek a larger role of the government, including using taxes to help alleviate societal problems like poverty. In general, Republican leaders have sought to lower taxes, and decrease the governmental social safety net, encouraging people to be generous on an individual level instead (with a focus on individual responsibility for social problems, not systemic roots of problems).

Is Jesus pro big-government or small-government? He urges us to pay our taxes to “Caesar.” Though that isn’t necessarily an argument for “big government,” it is an argument for respecting taxation. Some on the very far right would buckle against that, claiming that taxation is socialism and an infringement on property rights. By saying we should pay our taxes, Jesus is saying that our individual rights to property do not supersede our obligations to the government. He says there is a separation between things that are “Ceasar’s” and things that are “God’s.”

And they came to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ And they brought one. And he said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him.

Mark 12: 14-17 ESV

Similarly, I can see Jesus urging people to care for the sins in their own life before trying to remove the “log in the eye” of a brother- to humbly repent of your own problems first. Some might interpret this an exhortation to focus on fixing problems in oneself before fixing societal problems.

Judge not, that you not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

Jesus talks about giving to charity from a humble, individual view- like giving to someone on the street.

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4 ESV

His point is that when we give to the poor, it shouldn’t be a public bragging point. If someone interprets scripture based on the principle of “do what it says is written in it (and avoid doing things that are not written in it)” then they might see that as limiting the sources of charity. They might see Jesus talking about giving to the poor on an individual level, and interpret that to mean that Jesus does not encourage giving to the poor on a societal level. Certainly, to someone who views societal issues today like gay marriage and abortion rights as being part of a “war on Christianity,” they would be more likely to see Jesus as favoring small government, something that would not force people to subscribe to societal views they see as antithetical to Christianity (for example, not baking a cake for a gay wedding because they don’t want to have any part in a gay marriage ceremony).

Abortion

In general, Democrats have tended to want to protect the ruling of Roe vs. Wade, while Republicans have sought to limit or overturn it.

Is Jesus pro or anti-abortion? It’s easy to argue that he is against abortion, as an unborn child is a human life according to many scriptures. So, on a very surface level, I am comfortable saying Biblical teaching does not support abortion.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted my together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, ever one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16 ESV

However, legislation to limit abortion would need to establish legal personhood of a fetus. What would Jesus say in response to the ramifications of a fetus having legal personhood? What if pregnant women are denied medicine if there’s any chance it could harm the fetus? If a fetus is given legal personhood (the pathway that would be necessary to make abortion illegal), a woman could be investigated legally for having a natural miscarriage, to make sure it wasn’t an abortion. Could there be a new set of laws/rules for pregnant women about what medical care they’re allowed to have (including chemotherapy), what their nutrition must be, and what physical activities they are allowed to do? I know that may seem far out, but where would the line be drawn? Additionally, what if efforts to ban abortion defund programs that help impoverished communities, particularly women of color, with things like healthcare, birth control access, and sexual health information? These are complex, not simple, issues.

Gay marriage

In general, Democrats have supported extending the rights previously only afforded to heterosexual couples to gay couples as well, while Republicans have fought this efforts.

What would Jesus say? It is clear to me in scripture that homosexual sex is a sin (as is greed and stealing, both of which I have done).

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

But the principle of having laws and government treat people differently based on their particular sins has far reaching ramifications. What if lawmakers were to treat people differently based on whether they were greedy, or drunkards? As long as the group being targeted feels like an “other,” I would argue, many people feel comfortable with it, but since we are all sinners, why not pick a different sin to be targeted? What if I were prohibited from shopping at Target due to my greed? (it may seem silly, but from the perspective of some, is it it all that different from being allowed to buy a cake?) What if Target employees could decide not to sell to me, because they didn’t want to feel like they were participating in the sin of my greed, by indulging it with more stuff?

Or what if it became illegal to practice Christianity, because Christianity was viewed as abusive, for teaching views seen as being anti-science, or for teaching that sin is sin, or distinguishing between groups of people- for example, saying that not everyone goes to Heaven? I can imagine a very secular world in which it becomes socially unacceptable to talk about faith or God. The problem with legislating morality is that it is a form of flexing power over others based on what the group in power believes what is right, and doesn’t respect individuals’ rights to freedom of religion and freedom from religion. A society’s views of morality can change. As long as you agree with the morality being legislated, it may seem good, but what if the morality being legislated changes to be something that you disagree with? What if the morality being legislated changes to something that Jesus disagrees with?

Bottom line

My point is that every single one of these issues is messy. There is far more to each of them than meets the eye. We can’t claim that Jesus would have been a Democrat, or a Republican. Both parties are constantly shifting in terms of what they represent. Plus, it requires a huge amount of extrapolation to try to guess what Jesus would have to say about many of these issues.

We can each do our best to prayerfully consider scripture and vote in the way that seems to align most with it. We can work hard to listen to and respect each other. And yes, even I will feel angry and heated when something in politics seems to align or disalign with what seems morally right to me, or what I see in the Bible. It’s normal to get heated about things that are extremely important. What is most important, I think, is that we remain humble, and place our faith in God and allegiance to him, not primarily to any political ideology. We can have mutual respect with other Christians who disagree with us. Most importantly, we can get out of “black and white” thinking in our conversations with these people, and stop aligning something as powerful as the name of Jesus with any human political group or club. Because as soon as we’ve done that, logical conversation stops, and everything becomes either “for” or “against” Jesus in the conversation.

It is hard to sit and allow the discomfort that exists when things are grey. “Black and white” thinking- thinking that things are 100% right, or 100% wrong- is much more comfortable, at least on the surface, because it provides clear answers, and allows people to speak with confidence that their answer or view on a topic is infallibly right. If religion gets mixed in, and a perspective is stated as being connected with Jesus, it becomes even more impossible to talk about it with logic and humility, because faith has entered the conversation, and faith, when misplaced, can be a shield not against the slings and arrows of Satan, but against any kind of questioning or logic.

So let’s stay as humble as we can, listen to each other, and look to Jesus not as someone who backs the views we already have, but as someone who calls us to a morality and life of love that no political party can dream of approaching.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 ESV