Excerpts from “Christianity and Politics: A Memoir of Spiritual Formation and Field Guide for Christians in the Public Arena” by Richard Nelson (2024)
Some argue that Christians shouldn’t be involved in government and point to Paul’s statement to the Philippians: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Paul reminds the church that their ultimate citizenship is in heaven and their ultimate allegiance is to Christ. This does not mean that earthly citizenship does not matter. In Romans 13:6-7, Paul tells the church to “give to everyone what you owe them” and includes paying taxes and paying respect. Jesus also commands His followers to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s (Matthew 22:21). This includes honoring citizenship responsibilities like paying taxes.
Practically, Christians have dual citizenship. If you were born in the United States, you are automatically a U.S. citizen. If you were born in Kentucky, you are a native Kentucky citizen. As a citizen, you have obligations. Paying taxes, voting and participating in your community are a few citizenship duties. Fulfilling these duties is part of practically loving your neighbor.
Throughout Scripture, we see several examples of God’s people engaging in government. In fact, there are two main categories of heroes in the Old Testament: prophets and political leaders. Sometimes, their roles overlapped. Joseph served as second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. Daniel counseled and served four different pagan kings in Babylon and Persia. Esther, Moses and David were also political leaders used by God.
Christians who believe in the Lordship of Christ cannot but be good citizens in this earthly realm. In fact, they ought to be the best citizens, unselfishly involved as they’re able, even involving themselves with politics at some level. Christians must engage politically either through voting, helping good candidates get elected, or running for office themselves. The good of their neighbor and the good of the community is at stake. If God’s Word speaks to all of life and culture, then why would believers shun a platform of influence where these principles could be lived out through Christian leadership? If God’s principles speak to righteousness and justice, then why shouldn’t Christians bring their perspective to government?
Opponents of civil rights leaders in the 1950s and 1960s often argued that the heart of a racist could not be changed through the law. To this, Martin Luther King Jr. responded, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, religion and education will have to do that, but it can restrain him from lynching me. And I think that’s pretty important also.”
The purpose of the law was never meant to change hearts. Only God can do that. The function of the law is to restrain evil. The law implicitly protects human rights: life, liberty and property. It prohibits certain activities and imposes consequences on those who do wrong. It may be said that the law is about telling society what is expected and using force to stop someone from imposing their immorality on somebody else.
This reminds of an interesting conversation with a judge in Kentucky.
“Well, I’m a Baptist, and my faith tradition teaches there’s a separation of church and state,” the State Supreme Court Justice representing the 1st Judicial District at the time told me and a colleague. It was a chance meeting; as we were walking through the capitol, we crossed paths with the distinguished justice, who invited us into his office and gave us a brief tour of the courtroom. He continued, “I believe it’s necessary for the good of the church to stay out of politics.” His comment, not meant to be confrontational, came up during our conversation when I told him about the Commonwealth Policy Center’s work with churches to help them think about politics biblically and engage the culture appropriately.
The most common objection leveled at Christians seeking to influence the law and culture concerns “separation of church/state.” Many mistakenly assert that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says something about “separation” or “separating church and state.” It does not. It says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is a restriction on Congress – not a restriction on churches or individuals. It wasn’t even understood at the time of its writing to be a restriction on states. In fact, there were state-sponsored churches until the early 19th century.
The phrase “separation of church and state” can be traced to a letter Thomas Jefferson sent to a group of Baptists in Danbury, Conn. The Danbury Baptists were concerned about the state restricting their religious freedom and meddling in church affairs. At the time, there were state government-sponsored churches, and minority denominations like the Baptists were deeply concerned about unfavorable treatment from the government. To their relief, Jefferson assured them that the First Amendment “erects a wall of separation” protecting them from the federal government infringing on religious freedom.
Followers of Jesus who take the Lordship of Christ seriously see government as under God’s rule. To the believer, God is both Lord of the church and Lord of the state. Followers who take Jesus at His word cannot but pray for, engage, and influence government. This honors God and is for the good of others.
This does not mean that once in power, Christians can force their faith on the public through a law. This wrongly usurps the power of the Holy Spirit to bring someone to faith, and such power by the state would also violate conscience. Nor does this mean that Christians in public office can impose Christian doctrines on the population. For example, the law cannot compel church attendance (as did the Puritans) as a prerequisite to citizenship or holding office.
There are clearly two distinct realms of church and state. But they are not isolated. In fact, there is a nexus between the two. It may be said that the church deals in soul craft, or spiritual formation of individuals. The state, on the other hand, regulates how citizens should live with one another in community. The Declaration of Independence recognizes the nexus between what the church teaches, that there is a God who gives each of us rights, and the role of the state, which protects the inalienable God-given rights of its citizens.
A good society in which human rights are respected relies upon individuals embracing sound Christian doctrine and is tempered by sound Christian engagement. England’s Lord John Fletcher Moulton said citizens in a good society adhere to “obedience to the unenforceable.” In other words, subjects must embrace a personal self-discipline that the law cannot force. This is an obligation to something higher and unseen. Virtue is the result. The teaching of virtues comes from the church. This is why the church should be considered an ally in the state’s objective of keeping order and upholding human rights. When the church faithfully engages in the spiritual formation of its members, it inevitably creates good citizens, and this certainly makes the job of governing easier for the state.
There must be a healthy balance between the Christian community and the political realm. The church teaches the idea of human rights, moral restraints and love of neighbor. The state protects individual rights and restrains immorality. Our second president, John Adams, understood this when he told the Massachusetts militia, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Both the church and the state operate under God’s authority. Followers of Jesus must deliberately and carefully take the principles of the Christian faith with them into all of life, including the public and political realms.
Richard Nelson is founder and executive director of the Commonwealth Policy Center in Kentucky. His new book, “Christianity and Politics: A Memoir of Spiritual Formation and Field Guide for Christians in the Public Arena,” can be pre-ordered on Amazon. It will be released on Sept. 2.
