We have entered a new year, the year of our Lord 2024. It is another opportunity for us to bring glory to Christ (1 Cor. 10:31). It is another opportunity for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). It is another opportunity for us to store up the Word of God in our hearts (Ps. 119:11). It is another opportunity for us to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20; Col. 1:28). Brothers and sisters, let us testify of the excellencies of our God who has redeemed us (1 Pet. 1:9b). As we face another year let us do so with the mindset that each day is another opportunity for us to serve and honor our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we enter a new year we also face temptations, attacks, and pitfalls. Brothers and sisters, I am about to talk about two subjects rumored to be things you should never discuss, religion and politics. G.K. Chesterton is quoted as saying, “I never discuss anything else except politics and religion. There is nothing else to discuss.” It is an election year. Presidential debates and primaries have already been occurring. We are witnessing, for the first time in U.S. history, a presidential candidate being investigated and prosecuted by the administration of his chief political rival. Americans are divided over what they think about this reality. Some think it is just. Others think it is a miscarriage of justice, an abuse of power. The nation appears to be at a tipping point. People are angry and tense. People are afraid. The world (media, education, etc.) is fanning the flames of fear and animosity.
As Christians, we live in the world but we are not to live like it (John 17:15-16). So, we must conduct ourselves chiefly as Christians, not Republicans, Democrats, or Libertarians. Why is this? Brothers and sisters, our identity is in Christ (Rom. 6:1-14; 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:30-31; Eph. 1:3-4). This is who we are. We are Christians. The doctrine of Christ should define us (Matt. 28:19-20; 1 John 2:6; 5:1-5; Col. 2:6). Other philosophies and causes are competing for our attention and allegiance. None of them should be the rudder that steers our lives. This highlights one of our problems. As sinners, we are too frequently drawn to philosophies and causes that seem to run parallel to our Christian commitments, but can be competitors for our allegiance. In the end, before we realize it, we end up championing causes that are detached from our commitment to Christ. This does not mean we should have no convictions regarding politics. We should. Our political convictions and actions should be informed by Scripture, by the doctrine of Christ. Scripture is sufficient and authoritative in all matters, including politics.
The enemy of our souls, Satan, is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44c). He specializes in deception and falsehood. The demon Screwtape taught, “Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping [the believer] from the Church… It is jargon, not reason, you must rely on.”[1] Carl Trueman writes the following about our day, “The modern self is not simply one that sees inner feelings as authoritative; the modern self also largely rejects the idea that human nature has any intrinsic moral structure or significance… The idea that merely being a human carries an intrinsic morality and moral purpose is seen as a fiction, and often regarded as one confected in order to justify the exploitation of one group by another.”[2] The enemy seeks to divide (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 4:26-27; cf. Rom. 12:17-21; Eph. 4:31-32). He hates God, the redeemed, and mankind in general. The Lord Jesus described Satan as a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44b). The enemy divides people through anger, fear, and hatred. He divides people via politics. He divides people via Cultural Marxism (i.e. Critical Theory). Al Mohler observes the following about the founder of Marxism, “Karl Marx declared that the modern age would sweep all conventional morality and political structures aside in a complete transformation of values. In his memorable words, ‘All that is solid melts into air.’ We are in the age of the advanced meltdown of those values. What Marx promised is now happening before our eyes.”[3] Trueman details Marx’s thoughts on religion here, “Marx regards religion as a human creation with no transcendent status and no necessarily abiding significance… Religion is a sign of intellectual weakness in its adherents and a means of social oppression for its proponents.”[4] The intellectual elites, cultural power brokers, and the media have heralded the message of Cultural Marxism. It is the belief that in every situation there is an oppressor and a person who is oppressed. It is a worldview of victimhood. Unsurprisingly, according to the power brokers of Western Civilization, the group that is oppressing others happens to be conservative and Christian. Why are they considered oppressors? Conservative Christians hold to the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. As a result, they hold to a biblically defined morality. So, Christians who call out sin and do not approve of it are labeled as hateful and oppressive. This should not surprise us when we consider Marx’s thoughts and goals, the eradication of religion.
How should conservative Christians respond to these accusations? First, we must evaluate whether or not these accusations are true. The question is not about feelings or perceptions, it is about truth. What do the Scriptures say? Here is something else to consider, is there an agenda at work? The enemy of our souls and the world system under his sway have a strong interest in silencing and neutralizing conservative Christians. They want Christians to keep out of government, schools, and the political process, unless those professing Christians are willing to support a progressive, liberal trajectory. Beware when popular, influential Christians declare that you should not be so politically or civically minded. Curiously, the same popular, influential Christians happen to be very politically and civically minded themselves. Some of those same people have encouraged Christians to vote for candidates whose goals are the expansion of abortion and the LGBTQ+ agenda (including Drag Queen Story Hour at Public Schools and Libraries, Pride Parades, and “Gender Transition”). What we have found is these popular, influential Christians sound like advocates for the Political Left. According to them, political and civic engagement is fine as long as you support the platform of the Political Left. This is their message. Once again, the question we must answer is, what is true? What does the Bible have to say about these things? By what standard are these things acceptable for Christians? By whose authority are they acceptable for Christians?
As Christians, we know that political candidates are vying for our vote. They have advisors and public relations experts guiding them in how to appeal to voters. So, how do you know what the candidates believe? How will they govern? It is important to research these things. These are critical questions to answer. Frequently you can learn the answers to these questions by learning which organizations are supporting the particular candidates. If Planned Parenthood and LGBTQ+ organizations are supporting a particular candidate, you can be assured that those organizations believe the candidate will support their causes. Christians who claim that Christ is Lord and believe the Bible is the authority in all matters should find it impossible to vote for candidates who support unfettered abortion and the LGBTQ+ agenda. Do we think the Bible informs how we function outside of the church building? If we function as though the Bible is optional outside of the church building, we will also function as though the Bible is optional inside of the church building. G.K. Chesterton challenges us here, “We cannot be vague about what we believe in, what we are willing to fight for, and to die for.”[5] He goes on to write, “God Himself will not help us ignore evil, but only to defy and to defeat it.”[6]
Christians making decisions as though God’s revelation in Scripture is merely advice rather than authoritative is not merely inconsistent, it is greatly troubling. It sounds strikingly similar to the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:24–27). Scripture defines for us how we should think, speak, and live as followers of Christ. These are not standards that should be abandoned. Once again, Chesterton is helpful here. He wrote, “There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, ‘I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.’ To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: ‘If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.’”[7] Reform or change for the sake of change is unwise. The question of “why?” must be answered first. By whose authority are we doing things? Christ is the authority in all matters. By what standard are we judging things? Scripture is the standard in all matters. In the case of Scripture, we must first know what it says. May God help us to honor Christ in our convictions and conduct.
[1] C. S. Lewis, The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics. Mere Christianity, the Screwtape Letters, Miracles, the Great Divorce, the Problem of Pain, a Grief Observed, the Abolition of Man, the Four Loves, (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne, 2017) 185, 211.
[2] Carl R. Trueman, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 51.
[3] R. Albert Mohler Jr., The Gathering Storm, n.d.
[4] Carl R. Trueman, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 58.
[5] Dale Ahlquist, Common Sense 101: Lessons from G.K. Chesterton. (United States: Ignatius Press, 2006), 22.
[6] Ibd., 167.
[7] Gilbert Keith Chesterton, The Thing. (United Kingdom: Sheed & Ward, 1929), out of print.