Worldview & Politics
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” -Revelation 3:14-18
Have you ever read or been sent one of those challenges that say, “Go social media free for one day and see how it changes your mental state?” If you’ve ever followed through and done it, you know just how draining media really is on our mental, emotional, and spiritual states. Now, you might be thinking, “Gee Allison, I get stuff on the internet and TV is bad for me, but what does that have to do with politics and worldview?” Here’s a second experiment for you: have you ever turned on your Instagram or your TV to watch the news, and the second a political ad or story comes up you internally cringe or a part of you wants to go and hide? Yeah, me too.
The reason I included the verse at the beginning and talked about media is because today’s consumer culture of everything in your face, at your fingertips, all the time, has combined with many other things to create an atmosphere in politics that is very toxic and draining. We live in a time of acute polarization in politics and opinions, where you either agree with everything or else are ostracized and marked as offensive. Because of that, the temptation to just withdraw from politics entirely is something that many Christians (myself especially) struggle with. But we know that Jesus speaks on apathy and withdrawal; just because we are called to be not of the world doesn’t mean we’re supposed to completely leave it! For how can we be the salt of the earth if we do not engage others in thoughtful, Christ-centered discussions? Christians are called to honor God in every area of their lives. Therefore, we should seek to submit everything to the Lord, including our views on politics.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” -Matthew 5:13
So how do we submit our view on politics to God? The first thing is, of course, prayer, and the giving over of worries or any thoughts of real control over to Him; the Bible tells us in Proverbs 21 that God is sovereign and controls the hearts of kings, and that He sees all. The second is to make sure we are filtering anything and everything through a biblical worldview. We learned from my pals in previous articles that your worldview is the pair of glasses you see the entire world through, and politics is no exception to this. But how can we make a vague phrase such as “filter things through a biblical worldview” more applicable?
Pray
Seek God’s counsel in every stretch of your life, political views included. Jesus knows the ways of our hearts and the trains of our thoughts, so bring it all to Him and lay it at His feet.
Seek Wise Counsel
…and not just counsel you know you’ll always agree with! A mentor is invaluable for many chapters of life, and going to one or several Christians you trust is infinitely better than letting yourself be buried under countless news articles or stories.
Stay Informed, but not obsessively so
Just as apathy is the last thing God wants from us, so is pursuing politics to the point that it takes priority over all things. The minute you dismiss a brother in Christ because of their political stance, you’ve placed politics on the throne of your heart instead of Jesus.
Don’t just fact check - Scripture check
Do the morals and viewpoints and policies of a particular party or person match up with what is in the Bible (within context, as always)? No man is perfect, only Jesus, but be careful to make sure the people and groups you promote follow Jesus’ teachings and actions, not just what your heart desires or the next door neighbor thinks is right.
Check yourself, Worldview included
We are called to strive to become like Jesus, to become difference makers for a world of people far from God… but we stumble and fall too. Take time now and then in your quiet time or prayer and check in with yourself; compare your worldview to the Bible, ask a mentor or trusted accountability partner to give you a heart-to-heart evaluation. Are you getting too caught up in always being right instead of being loving? If you find yourself starting to think like and mirror the ways of the world, it’s a sign that things other than Jesus are ruling in your heart.
In a world so consumed with being right, Christians have an opportunity to be loving. I hope you take many things from this article, but if you only remember one thing, it’s that you have a chance to be loving instead. Does that mean you are wrong? Not every time, no; the world is fallen, this we know, and there will be times when you must choose to either stand up or stay seated. But perhaps, instead of fighting for the last word or bending over backwards every time a political opinion is brought up, we simply remain steadfast in our Lord, His commandments in our hearts, chief among them this: to love Him and your neighbor as yourself.