The Christian Citizen

      I have a passion for politics, always have.  It seems that there is a battle within Christianity about whether or not Christians should care about politics.  Some would contend that Jesus is King (true), focus on the gospel, and stay out of politics it does not concern Christians.  On the other hand Politics effect morality that directly effects Christians (abortion, the poor, the orphan, homosexuality, human rights, the widow just to name a few) so what are we to do?  I have learned not to look at one scripture as the end all or two scriptures but the whole of the Biblical text.  Even beyond that to the nature of God, humanity, and church fathers.  Everyone, Christian and non-Christian, has a worldview and it influences all aspects of their life. This does not mean I want a Theocracy, but that either Christian's will influence policy or another worldview well ie: Atheism, Communism, Islam...  Frank Turek wrote a book titled Legislating Morality and he contends that all policy, is a legislation of morality.  Here is an article that he wrote summing up his book briefly http://www.midwestoutreach.org/journals/legislating.html. 

I recently read a book titled Politics for Christians: Statecraft as Soulcraft by Frank Beckwith.  Many times as Christians we look to the Acts church as the only source of truth and knowledge on the issue of Christianity in culture, including politics.  As Beckwith states the early church could never have imagined a liberal democracy.   "A liberal democracy is a form of government where citizens have the opportunity to pass laws and support policies that they believe to be just, fair, and advance the common good of the society."  America is a liberal democracy.  He contends that the church of the 4th century saw that they could either shape public policy for good or let the pagans who did not know God shape culture.  With that thought in mind I would contend Christians should be involved in Politics at every level.