Politics&theBiblestudyguide

Politics & The Bible: A Study Guide For Christians

A publication of Evangelicals forSocialAction.org

Contents Lesson 1: Why care about politics? .............................................. 4 Lesson 2: Why do Good Christians Disagree About Politics? .......... 5 Lesson 3: Starting with a Normative Biblical Framework .............. 6 Lesson 4: Studying Society Accurately .......................................... 7 Lesson 5: More Than Just the Bible and the “Facts�: Toward a Christian Political Philosophy ........................................................ 8 Lesson 6: How Should Christians Judge Politicians? ...................... 9 Lesson 7: How Political Should the Church Be? ............................. 10 What Should Churches Do? ......................................................

For More Information + Christian Organizations Working on Politics ............................... + Resources for Assessing Candidates ........................................... + A Few Books for Further Reading ..............................................

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Lesson 1:

Why Care About Politics?

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hy should we spend our precious time on politics? Does it really make any difference? Does God care about what happens in politics? Does God want Christians to spend time on politics that we could devote to evangelism? There are four good reasons to care about politics: ) Christ is Lord of everything—including politics ) Political decisions—about taxes and education for example—affect all of us ) Jesus’ example compels us to care about the whole person, not just their soul ) The Bible shows that sin is both personal and social 1. Christ is Lord of All After the resurrection, Jesus assured his disciples that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). From the time of the first-century church, Christians have confessed that Jesus the carpenter is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion” (Eph. 1:21). He is now “ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1:5).

The Old Testament makes the same sweeping claim. God is King of kings and Lord of lords. Even when they do not know it, foreign conquerors and marching armies move at God’s command. Even Cyrus, the powerful Persian political master of the Middle East of his day, moved at God’s direction (Isa. 45:1-25).

Further Study: Read Isaiah 45 + Does Cyrus Know the God of Israel? + Who arms and supplies this powerful ruler + Why does God use Cyrus? + How far does Jehovah’s authority extend?

2. Political Decisions Affect Everyone Politicians ended slavery and introduced democracy. Today, political decisions frequently determine whether everyone will have quality education, whether the unborn will be protected, and whether our taxes will go up or down.

In the Bible, too, political decisions sometimes had a devastating impact. Pilate decided to execute Jesus. King David used his control of the army to murder Bathsheba’s husband (2 Sam. 1:14-17).

Government, however, can also do good. That is why God established government (Rom. 13:4). “Give the king thy justice, O God” was the Psalmist’s prayer (Ps. 72:1). Politicians can do much good and much evil.

Further Study: Read 1 Kings 21

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+ How did Jezebel arrange Naboth’s death? + What is God’s response?

If God does not allow wrong political decisions to go unchallenged, should we?

3. Evangelism and Social Action—Loving the Whole Person the Way Jesus Did Some Christians think followers of Jesus should not waste their time on politics—that evangelism is all that matters. Jesus himself said it is better to lose the whole world than to lose one’s relationship with God (Mark 8:34-38).

But did Jesus conclude that therefore he should spend all his time preaching the Gospel? Not at all. Matthew 9:35 summarizes Jesus’ activities: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.”

Jesus preached, taught, and healed. He cared about the whole person, and commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt.

22:39).

Political decisions affect our neighbors. How can we love our neighbors and yet ignore the political choices that injure or help them?

Further Study: Read Matthew 9:35, Matthew 25:31-46 + What examples in Jesus’ life illustrate his preaching? His ministering to physical needs of people? + How important is offering material help and ministering to people’s physical needs?

4. What is Social Sin? We all know what personal sin is—things like lying, stealing, and committing adultery. But what about participating in a citywide educational system that provides better schools in white neighborhoods? Or choosing to be part of an economic system that does not pay a whole group of working people a living wage? It that sin?

According to the Bible, sin is both personal and social. In one breath, the prophet Amos condemns both sexual sin and economic injustice (Amos 2:6-7) Isaiah denounces alcoholism and economic policies that wipe out poor farmers (Isa. 5:8-11). Laws may be legal and still unjust (Isa. 10:1-4). God abhors those who “contrive mischief by statute” (Ps. 94:20).

Further Study: Read Amos 4:1-2 + What happens to the wealthy women? + Does the text suggest that they personally cheated poor people? + Why were they punished? + Do these biblical texts teach that it is a sin to participate in systems that are unfair? + What does God do to people involved in social sin? + What social sins exist today? How are we involved in them?

+ In a democracy, citizens can change the law. Is it a sin to be aware of unjust laws and yet do nothing to change them?

5. Don’t Exaggerate—or Underestimate—the Importance of Politics Politics is not all-important. We cannot create a prefect world or bring in the kingdom of heaven through political activity. So we dare not expect too much from politics.

But was it not a good thing to end slavery and apartheid? Is it not a good thing to create more democratic societies and strengthen human rights? Would it not have been a wonderful gift to the world if German Christians before the rise of Hitler had worked politically to keep things from getting worse? Politics is important—but not all-important.

Final Questions: L Is Jesus Lord of the Congress just as much as of the church?

L Does Jesus care as much about how you vote as how you pray?

L How much time do you spend reading about and working on politics?

L If politics is important, how should your priorities change?

Your schedule?

Further Reading: Sider, Just Politics, Chapters 1 and 2

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Lesson 2:

Why Do Good Christians Disagree About Politics?

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ou probably know devout Christians who voted for different candidates in the last election. (Did their disagreement put a strain on their friendship?) One Senator votes against abortion, but for tobacco subsidies. Another Senator does just the opposite. Both claim to be Christians. Sincere believers voted for both.

Sharp political disagreement among committed Christians is simply a fact of life.

Why does it happen? Because you and I are limited. Our knowledge is incomplete. And we still have not been freed from all selfishness and sin.

If we had complete knowledge, then we would know what the best laws were and who the best politicians would be. If we were perfect, we would want the best politician even if that meant voting against our own narrow self-interest.

Yet God in his wisdom made us finite. Our knowledge is limited.

During this life, we see through a glass darkly. We can know only in part. Only in heaven will our knowledge be perfect (1 Cor. 13:12).

In addition, selfishness and sin still plague us—not even the apostle Paul claimed to be perfect (Phil. 3:12). So we and our political leaders sometimes make wrong choices because we care more about ourselves than others.

God could solve our ignorance instantly—if God thought that would be good for us. Sometimes, in the Old Testament, God supernaturally directed a prophet to pick a political leader. God could send us each a text or tweet to tell us who to vote for. But apparently the creator prefers free persons with minds. The creator intends us to use our brains to think carefully and choose wisely about political decisions. Yet even when we do our best thinking, our knowledge is still limited. So we get it wrong in spite of our most sincere efforts.

That’s why good Christians disagree about politics.

So what can we do?

We can never fully escape this dilemma in this world, but we could make some progress if we realized that four components go into every political judgment: [numbered list] our personal history a normative framework an analysis of the world and a (often unconscious) political philosophy.

Christians who understand each of these will find it easier to understand why they often disagree over politics. They will also be better able to resolve their disagreements.

1. Personal History We all know that children who grew up in Republican families and towns often vote Republican. The same thing happens in Demo-

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cratic families and wards. People whose friends all accept right-wing or left-wing ideologies tend to do the same.

Is this good?

Not if Jesus is our Lord. Christians dare not uncritically accept what their friends or their families tell them about politics. If Jesus is Lord of all, then he must be Lord of our political thinking and our voting.

That means Christians will try to set aside inherited, unexamined political ideas and seek a biblical approach.

How can that happen? It will only happen if we start with a normative biblical framework.

2. A Normative Biblical Framework Every political decision depends on some values, principles and understanding of persons. Karl Marx thought persons were just economic machines whose “decisions” the economic environment totally shapes; thus Marx’s normative framework (his values, understanding of history, etc.) led to totalitarian government and the murder of opponents. The bible says every person is created in the image of God and is called by God to be a co-worker with God freely exercising stewardship over God’s creation. That normative framework leads to different political decisions.

Every vote requires some norms about right and wrong, about the value of persons, and the meaning of life. Either Christians get this normative framework from God’s Word or we get it from some secular source. Too often Christians unthinkingly get the basic principles for our politics from secular sources—whether left or right. That’s one reason we disagree so often. If Christians were more careful to go back to the Bible for our normative framework, we could overcome some of our disagreement. (In Lesson 3, we will explore some key elements of a normative biblical framework.)

Further Study: Read Genesis 1-3 + What principles do you find in this text about the nature of persons? + What does it say about the creation and humanity’s call to stewardship? + Think of a current, prominent politician. What are the key values and norms that shape her or his decisions?

3. Analysis of the World We need more than the Bible to think Christianly about politics.

Should we use nuclear energy? Should there be a flat tax or a graduated income tax? Should there be a constitutional amendment on abortion? Not one text in all of Scripture gives us a direct answer. Biblical principles relate to each of those questions, but not one biblical text tells us exactly what laws to write.

We must combine biblical norms with careful analysis of the world.

That means studying what does and does not work over the broad course of human history. (For example, in the twentieth century we have learned that a market economy is far more efficient than a communist one.) Careful analysis also includes doing detailed study (economics, sociology, etc.) on every concrete issue.

Is it a good idea to raise the minimum wage? Complete knowledge of the Bible simply will not answer this question. To be sure, the Bible does tell us that God has a special concern for the poor. Some economists tell us that raising the minimum wage hurts the poor—

others disagree. God’s concern for the poor is a biblical matter. The impact of minimum wage laws on the poor is a matter of economics.

Wise politics requires careful study on every issue.

4. A Political Philosophy So we need a biblical framework and a careful study of our world.

Is that enough?

Not really. We make political decisions every week. It is impossible every time you want to vote or write your Senator, to go back and spend days (or months) studying the Bible and the world to learn what is relevant to that particular political decision. If we did that, it would take us years to decide how to vote.

So what do we do?

We need a road map, a short, handy guide that tells us the kind of laws and politicians we should support—a political philosophy. With a road map, you don’t have to call in the surveyors and do all the measurements again every time you want to know how to get from Chicago to Denver. A quick look at the map provides your answer.

That’s what a political philosophy does. (In Lesson 5, we will explore this in more detail.) It summarizes your conclusions on the big questions like the role of government, the place of the market, democracy, the best ways to work for economic justice, etc. Everybody has a political philosophy even though they often don’t realize it. Without one, we could not function in a democratic society.

Where does a political philosophy come from? Most people just accept what they learned from their family or their neighbors. That is not good enough for Christians.

A political philosophy ought to come from two things: a normative framework and social analysis of the world. Christians therefore should develop our political philosophy as we combine our normative biblical framework with honest study of society. We should be ready to modify our political philosophy whenever better biblical understanding or further analysis of the world requires a change.

Meanwhile, with confidence and humility, we apply our current road map even as we invite friend and foe to show us where the Bible or “the fats” suggest we should improve it.

Further Discussion: Choose as an example a specific political issue that divides Christians today. c What are the relevant biblical norms that relate to this issue? c What are the most significant factual questions? c What differences of political philosophy are at work here? c Where specifically do we disagree? What specific kinds of information would both sides accept to settle the disagreement?

(Note: It will help a lot if you specify precisely where and why you disagree and do not confuse a disagreement over how to interpret a biblical text with a disagreement over the economic facts or a political philosophy about the role of government.)

Further Research: Sider, Just Politics, Chapter 2

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Lesson 3:

Staring with a Normative Biblical Framework

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hould there be laws against abortion? Should government enact laws to protect endangered species? Is an ongoing federal budget deficit wise?

Answering these questions without some standard or normative framework is impossible. Are the unborn human beings? Are human beings asked by God to be careful stewards of God’s created garden? Is it ethical to ask our grandchildren to pay our bills?

Every political decision is grounded in some ethical principles and normative framework. Tragically, many Christians unconsciously get their norms for politics from secular thinkers rather than from Jesus and the Scriptures. That is flatly un-Christian.

Jesus is Lord. Lord of everything in heaven and earth—Lord even of politics. Therefore, Christians must look to God’s revelation for the principles and norms to guide our politics.

What are the crucial parts of a normative biblical framework for political thinking? It would take a library of books to give a detailed answer (see the bibliography for a few good ones.) This lesson develops a few of the most important ones.

1. The Special Dignity and Sanctity of Every Human Being Every person—and only human beings—is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). God calls us to stewardship of the nonhuman creation (Gen. 1:26-28, 2:15). The Creator made us to find fulfillment only when rightly related to God, neighbor, the earth, and self (Matt. 22:37-40). God summons each person to respond freely to his invitation of salvation, and to live forever in his presence (John 3:16).

2. Freedom of Belief Throughout biblical history, God gives persons enormous freedom to obey or to rebel (Matt. 5:45). Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-40) shows that God chooses to extend this freedom to persons until the final judgment. Therefore, religious freedom is an essential element of a good society.

3. The Family Strong, stable families (persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption) are essential for a good society. Keeping marriage vows, accepting God’s design that sexual intercourse is reserved for a man and a woman united in lifelong marriage covenant, and valuing singles in the extended family are all important aspects of strengthening the family (Mal. 2:13-16; Matt. 5:31-32; 1 Tim. 5:4-8).

4. Justice Justice includes fair, unbiased legal systems (Amos 5:10-15). Justice also involves economic structures that offer opportunity so that all who can work have the capital and the opportunity to earn a decent living and to be dignified, participating members of their community (Num. 26:52-56; Lev. 25).

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5. A Special Concern for the Poor Hundreds of biblical texts describe God’s special concern for the poor (Prov. 19:17; Ps. 140:12). God judges people and societies by what they do to the poorest, weakest, and most marginalized. We must care for those who cannot work (Acts 2:43-47; 2 Cor. 8:8-15).

6. Work Work is essential to the dignity of human beings. Every able person has the responsibility to work (2 Thess. 3:10-13). People also must structure society so that every person can work in a way that respects human dignity and earns a decent living (Lev. 25).

7. Peacemaking Christians look forward to the time when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore” (Mic. 4:3). Until the Lord returns, unfortunately, persons persistently resort to wars and rumors of wars (Matt. 24:6). Should Christians sometimes kill for the sake of preserving peace (Rom. 13:1-4)?

Christians disagree. Yet we can agree that Jesus’ words “Blessed are the peacemakers” are urgent in our time (Matt. 5:9).

8. Individuality and Community Biblical faith holds together two things: first, the inestimable value of each person and each person’s freedom to shape her own life; and second, the fact that God made persons for community and we can achieve wholeness only in right relationship with others in the family and the larger society.

9. Government The purpose of government is both to restrain evil and to promote good (Rom. 13:1-7). God calls the king to do justice (Ps. 72:1-4, 12-14). That includes nurturing both fair courts and economic systems that strengthen the poor.

10. Stewardship of Creation The earth is the Lord’s (Ps. 24:1). God calls us to “till and keep” his creation (Gen. 2:15). The word shamar (translated as “keep” here) is the same word used eight times in Psalm 121 to describe the way God gently watches over us: “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep… The Lord will keep you from all evil.”

11. One-Issue Politics or a Biblical Balance?

Should Christians be one-issue voters? The best way to answer that is to look again at what God cares about. The Bible tells us God cares a lot about the poor and the family, the sanctity of human life and the nonhuman creation, sexual integrity and peacemaking, freedom and justice. If Christ is Lord of our politics, we will work politically for a biblically balanced agenda.

Further Study: Read the biblical references in each of the above sections. + What do these texts tell us? + Do they support the summary of this study guide? + Are there other texts that say the same thing? + Are there other important teachings that are crucial for a biblical approach to politics? + What are they and what texts support them? + Are you ready to change your political opinions if careful biblical study demands it?

+ What would it mean if you refused? Or even were reluctant?

Further Reading: Sider, Just Politics, Chapter 3

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Lesson 4:

Studying Society Accurately

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hristians in politics sometimes do stupid things, and not always because we ignore biblical norms. Sometimes we simply fail to do our homework. Sometimes we rush into politics without studying society carefully. Just because we share God’s concern for the poor does not mean we know how to reform welfare!

Clear, vigorous, ruthlessly honest thinking is a Christian virtue. That is the kind of careful social analysis needed today. It would be an inestimable gift to democratic political debate.

Further Study: Read Proverbs 8:6-11 + What does this passage tell us about the importance of truth for our political decisions?

Most Christians agree that when people cannot care for themselves, then family first and finally government should help. Most also agree that welfare assistance through government should strengthen, not weaken, the family, personal responsibility and the obligation and opportunity to work.

+ Do you think most politicians seek honest, careful analysis the way this passage demands?

Yet agreement on these biblical norms does not by itself qualify us to tell the President and Congress how to reform welfare. We also need to know a lot about society. How many people are on welfare?

For how long? Does welfare itself create dependency that lasts for generations? Why are people on welfare? Is it because of sinful personal choices or social sin? Or both? Is it partly that our whole society has abandoned sexual integrity? Is it partly due to the long history of racism and the fact that low-skill, good paying jobs have moved to Mexico and China?

+ What should be the role of Christians (who worship the One who is the Truth) in promoting careful factual research?

This one “simple” question of welfare reform illustrates how essential and complex accurate study of society is for thoughtful politics.

Successful reform proposals require accurate answers to these big questions about the real causes of long-term dependence on welfare. But any contemporary social scientist who said they knew for sure the correct answers to these big questions would be lying.

Some questions of course are easier. We can discover how many people of what ethnic background are on welfare for how long. That kind of data is also important.

If careful social analysis is both essential and yet never complete, what do we do? Obviously, we must study as carefully as we can.

That means learning where to get accurate information. Regularly reading one national newspaper is a good place to start. Many research centers produce sophisticated studies on social policy (see a list of a few in the Appendix).

Careful study is a communal task. None of us has enough time to do all the study needed to obtain all the information we need for responsible political work. So we need to find a few good organizations doing social analysis. How do we find reliable ones? Ask two basic questions: Are the guiding norms of the organization grounded in God’s Word? Are they known for fairness and accuracy? Join those kinds of organizations and use their materials.

Some people feel overwhelmed with the complexity. They just throw up their hands in despair at all the conflicting voices. That is unnecessary. We should be humble about our present conclusions. We should be eager to find better information. But then we should go on confidently and humbly to act on our present knowledge. God never intended us to wait to act until we are all-knowing.

God does, however, intend for us to use our minds Jesus said we

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should serve God “with all our mind” (Matt. 22:37). In our social analysis, Christians should strive for the high standard outlined in Proverbs: “my mouth will utter truth… All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them” (Prov.

8:7-8). That kind of knowledge is better than “choice gold” (v. 10).

+ Can you think of recent examples were politicians have ignored “the facts”?

+ What does God want you to do to obtain more careful analysis? + How can you help each other in your church?

Lesson 5:

More Than Just the Bible & the "Facts": Toward a Christian Political Philosophy

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Should public officials only express their religious views in private?

Should government funding go only to secular agencies or should religious and secular non-profits, for example, be equally eligible for government funds authorized to promote some public good?

3. The Role of Government Government should provide the legal and social context to guarantee citizens safety and promote their well-being. Yet limited government should also offer a setting where the other institutions in society—church, family, media, business, etc.—flourish. Government should carefully strengthen rather than replace these other institutions when they experience trouble. ) What kinds of things should government legislate?

e have seen how every political decision rests on two things: normative principles and study of the world. In principle, every time we wanted to make a careful, responsible political decision we should examine all the relevant Christian norms and all the pertinent social analysis. But that’s impossible. We simply don’t have the time. We should not even feel bad about that because God made us finite.

) Should individuals normally be free to harm themselves (e.g., get drunk at home) if they do not harm others (drive while drunk)?

So we need a road map, but not just any will do. If our road map is going to help us let Christ be Lord of our politics, we must root it in a normative biblical worldview. If our road map is going to keep us close to the real world, it must grow out of honest, accurate knowledge of that world.

) Do people think that what is legal is moral? Is it?

The Bible nowhere teachers a specific political philosophy. So we never dare claim direct divine authority for ours. Political philosophies emerge as people work together over time to combine their normative framework with knowledge of the world.

In this lesson, we explore several aspects of a Christian political philosophy. Developing one takes a lifetime. (Refer to the bibliography to learn how other Christians have worked at it.) This lesson is just a beginning.

The most important question in every section is this: Does your conclusion follow from biblical norms and the best available relevant knowledge? Keep asking yourself and your friends that question and modify your political philosophy accordingly.

A political philosophy is only a very rough road map. Precise calculations here are much harder than in geography! So never claim your current road map is final, complete, or recently endorsed by heaven. Use it humbly—but also confidently—until friend or foe helps you improve it.

1. Human Rights The right to life and freedom come not from government but from God who made us in the divine image. Government should recognize and protect freedom of religion, speech, and political activity. [list] What is the ultimate basis for human rights?

Do these rights exist even when not recognized by the law of the land?

2. “Church and State” The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution rightly respects human dignity and freedom by: 1) forbidding the government to establish any official religion; and 2) guaranteeing the free exercise of religion. That means government should not directly fund churches, synagogues, and mosques.

Does this mean there should be an absolute “wall of separation” between church and state?

) Should we even pass good laws if we cannot enforce them? ) How important is the teaching function of laws?

4. Democratization and Decentralization of Power Power is dangerous because of sin. Long ago, Lord Acton said that power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. Sinful people almost always use unchecked, centralized power to benefit themselves rather than others. Therefore to avoid totalitarianism and injustice, we must decentralize power.

There is also a positive reason to democratize power. The creator gives each person a creation mandate to be a coworker with God in shaping history. If a few people make all the decisions, the rest of us cannot exercise our God-given mandate.

This principle of democratizing power shapes many aspects of a Christian political philosophy, especially the next three parts on democracy, civil society, and the economy. Other things being equal, decentralizing power is better—although some good things can only be done at a central level. ) When is the concern to decentralize power less important than some good that can only be done at a more central level? ) Can you think of concrete examples?

5. Democracy A concern for human rights, individual freedom, and the decentralization of power all lead to a democratic political order. When freedom of speech, secret voting and universal suffrage exist, people—at least in theory—have the political power to shape society for the benefit of the majority. Separating legislative, administrative and judicial functions also decentralizes power. So does balancing national, state, and local government. [list] To what extent does our nation have genuine democracy?

To what extent does centralized economic and political power undermine democracy today?

How could we strengthen democracy?

6. Civil Society Many institutions intermediate between the individual and government decentralize power, and provide smaller contexts for human communities to flourish. Theses include the family, the church, the

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media, the schools, businesses, and a host of smaller voluntary associations. These intermediate centers of power provide a check on governmental power and thus are a significant foundation of freedom.

So, the question is: how do we know when the best place to solve a real problem (e.g., the breakdown of the family or poverty) is some intermediate institution in civil society rather than government?

7. Private Ownership and a Market Economy The history of the twentieth century has taught us a clear lesson: When the state owns and controls most of the economy, it centralizes economic and political power so that totalitarianism is almost guaranteed. Decentralized private ownership, on the other hand, nurtures free individuals and serves as a counterbalance to political power. Determining prices and production via supply and demand has also been far more efficient than central planning.

Huge privately owned corporations, of course, can also become centers of enormous economic power. When the same corporations own the media and provide most of the funding for election campaigns, economic and political power is again dangerously centralized.

A concern for justice and freedom demands a continuing vigilance against all forms of centralized economic power and constant effort to strengthen smaller centers of economic life including familyowned farms and businesses, cooperatives, and widespread home ownership.

Then, how can government counteract centralize economic power without dangerously centralizing political power?

8. Family Government rightly recognizes and favors the family (those related by blood, marriage, and adoption) and especially the nuclear family (wife, husband, and children) with its larger circle of extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.). The family is an essential element in a stable society. The family, not government, has the primary responsibility for raising children. Religious institutions can do far more than government to strengthen the family, but government should do what it can. That includes discouraging (although not prohibiting) divorce and sexual promiscuity and recognizing that we best serve children when they live with both of their parents. It also includes not broadening the definition of marriage to include homosexual partners and not defining family as merely any two or more people cohabitating. Government should provide tax and other benefits that favor marriage rather than cohabitation or divorce. [list] How can government privilege two-parent families without being unfair to single parents?

How strongly should government discourage divorce?

Are there any rights, short of the benefits that go with legal marriage, that same-sex partners should have?

9. Care for Creation and a Sustainable Planet We face a long-term environmental crisis. We must aim to develop sustainable economic practices that enable us to pass on a lively, sustainable planet to our grandchildren. The needs of the poor and most vulnerable must be central in all environmental decisions; the rich must pay the major cost of reducing environmental damage. We must encourage alternative sources of energy that decrease our reliance on non-renewable sources. ) How much affluence should we be willing to give up in order not to destroy an entire endangered species or some other ir-

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replaceable part of God’s creation? ) How do we balance the needs of workers and the environment?

10. Work and Workers Work is essential to human dignity. Therefore, every able-bodied person should have the opportunity to work at a job that pays a living wage. Unemployment that denies the dignity of work to people other than those properly in transition from one job to another is immoral and socially destructive. Conversely, people who can work must do so to earn their living. Welfare policies should help those who cannot care for themselves but dare not discourage work and responsibility. Workers have a right to safe working conditions, a living wage, and reasonable job security. ) Is the legal right of workers to organize unions a good way to counterbalance corporate economic power and encourage justice? ) Do unions nurture dignity and self-respect?

11. The Priority of the Poor Poverty has many causes. Those who are poor because they are unable to provide for themselves should be given a decent living by their family where possible and the government where necessary.

Those who are poor because of personal irresponsibility should suffer appropriate consequences.

Justice at least demand that every person have equal opportunity to acquire the basic capital (whether land, money, or education) that will enable that person to earn a decent living and be a dignified participating member of society. Strengthening the poor by providing such opportunity should be a central concern of government. Every significant governmental decision should be judged by its impact on the poorest. ) What is the major cause of poverty? ) How can the government provide capital to the poor without creating dependency? Can you think of current policies that do that?

12. A Consistent Ethic of Life The first and most basic human right is the inviolable right to life of every human being. The first and most basic responsibility of civil law is to recognize and protect this right.

Abortion involves the direct, intentional and violent taking of human life. No law that legitimizes the direct killing of innocent human beings through abortion can be just. Therefore, we must work for the legal protection of the unborn, and oppose all public funding of abortions.

We must also develop a wide range of alternatives to abortion— both to reduce the evil of abortion and to recognize that two people are directly involved, not just one. A caring society will surround women facing unwanted pregnancies with love and concrete support including financial assistance and better adoption alternatives.

Euthanasia—the direct killing of the aged and infirm either with or without their consent—is wrong. That does not mean that it is immoral to refuse or withhold extraordinary medical treatment when death is imminent or inevitable. But we dare not blur the distinction between on the one hand allowing a person to die and on the other

killing a person.

Concern for a consistent ethic of life does not end with abortion and euthanasia. Life does not begin at conception and end at birth.

Tens of millions of people die unnecessarily each year of starvation and malnutrition. Tobacco and other drugs cause millions to die prematurely each year. Capital punishment kills human beings.

We should seek to protect the sanctity of human life wherever it is threatened and violated. [list] Under what circumstances, if any, should abortion be legal?

What is the moral difference between deaths caused by abortion, by capital punishment, and by lung cancer from smoking?

13. Peacemaking Those who threaten society, from within or without, must be restrained. Historically, that has usually been done through lethal force as a last resort. Historically, too, vast numbers of people have been killed, yet in some cases nonviolent methods of conflict resolution have successfully replaced lethal force. In the Twentieth Century, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and a host of others used nonviolent techniques to end oppression and seek justice. In this century, the world was shocked by nonviolent uprisings that overthrew decade-old dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt.

Christians today disagree over the extent to which nonviolent models of conflict resolution can replace most or all use of lethal force.

Yet we all should agree that we must greatly strengthen the search for nonviolent alternatives. Wherever possible, nonviolence must replace lethal force. ) Do you agree that, “wherever possible, nonviolence must replace lethal force�? ) Are there places where nonviolence will not work?

Final Questions L Do you agree that Christians need a Christian political philosophy?

L If so, how should we develop one?

L How much should we expect Christians to agree in their political philosophy?

L If all Christians submit to biblical revelation and honestly accept the best social analysis, will we all agree on one political philosophy?

L How do we resolve disagreements in political philosophy among Christians?

Further Reading: Sider, Just Politics, Chapters 4-12

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Lesson 6:

How Should Christians Judge Politicians

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n a democracy, we all vote frequently. At least we should! Regularly we face the tough task of choosing the best candidate. How can we do that in a way that pleases Christ?

The Bible tells us that God desires righteousness, justice and peace.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see God punishing Israel for personal and social injustices. God’s goal, however, is not punishment but a renewed society full of justice. Isaiah 1:1-26 is an amazing text. It predicts terrible destruction because of unfair courts and oppression of the poor. But it also promises that later, God will wonderfully restore the nation to wholeness. God has not changed.

God wants you and me to vote in a way that promotes goodness and wholeness in society.

But how do we know which candidate will do that best? (Or in bad years, which one will do the least damage?)

1. Evaluate Each Candidate’s Platform Lessons 3, 4, and 5 suggest one crucial part of the answer. We must ask how the candidates’ platforms measure up to the standards we have explored. Which platform is closer to the direction suggested by a biblically grounded, factually rooted political philosophy? (You must also ask if they are merely relying on some simplistic image or are they truly offering concrete policy proposals!)

Answering this question is not impossible. Candidates gladly supply detailed position papers if you call their local campaign office.

Project Vote Smart offers excellent nonpartisan information on candidates’ platforms (go to www.votesmart.org or call 1-888-8683762).

Small discussion groups at church can evaluate the platforms using a Christian political philosophy. Evaluating the candidates’ platforms—as long as you have reason to believe they mean it!—is probably the most basic way to choose among them.

2. Evaluate their Character Unfortunately, politicians do not always keep their word. So we also have to assess their character to see if we think they will do what they say and be wise, humble leaders.

Ask these questions about their character: [list] Integrity and honesty. Have they kept their most basic promise to their spouse? Have their dealings with others respected not just the letter but the spirit of the law? Have they been honest?

Servant leaders. Do they seek to serve others or themselves? Are they a voice only for themselves and for powerful interests? Or do they speak especially for the poor and weak?

Attitude toward opponents. Are they fair to opponents? Do they use half-truths and questionable attack ads? Do they twist the truth if their election is at risk?

3. Follow the Money

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The person who pays the piper calls the tune. Check out where each candidate’s money is coming from. Are special interests contributing a lot of campaign funds? Is the campaign high-budget or low-budget?

Getting this information is not hard. Visit Project Vote Smart’s website to get information on all candidates for national office. Similar information is available at the state and local level.

Further Discussion: c Should you vote for a non-Christian candidate who shares what you believe is a biblically shaped agenda rather than a Christian whose agenda is less “biblical?” c What kinds of help do people in the group most want in thinking through the questions in this lesson? How could you organize that?

Lesson 7:

How Political Should the Church Be?

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hould the pastor endorse political candidates? Or regularly promote specific legislation? Should the local congregation or the denomination take specific political stands? Three principles will help us with these questions.

1. Normally the Church as Official Church Should Not Take Sides Politically.

Normally, the pastor in the pulpit, or the church board or national denominational assembly in its official pronouncements should not endorse candidates or specific legislation. Why not? There are at least four reasons: ) The Church is not the state. Society has many different institutions. These include the family, schools, churches, media, businesses, and government. Earlier, we saw that Christian faith leads to religious freedom that requires some basic separation of church and state. In a good society, no one institution seeks to dominate or rule over the others. To be sure, all the different institutions affect each other. The official structures of the church, however, should not seek to dominate government. ) The leaders of the church are not equipped to make complex political decisions. Church leaders are trained to nurture faithful Christian disciples, not to substitute as leaders of schools or businesses or governments.

church as church rightly takes a specific political stand. But only very occasionally—after much prayer, biblical study, mutual discernment and study of the world.

3. Normally, Specific Political Stands Should Be Left to Others.

Individual members of churches in their role as citizens rightly take specific political stands. So do political clubs, organizations, and parties organized to deal with politics.

Groups of Christians should join in larger organizations to think together about politics. Such Christian organizations are necessary to develop careful, concrete proposals for the complex world of politics that they base in both a normative biblical framework and careful, extensive social analysis. Such organizations, however, must be careful not to claim that their specific political conclusions are the Christian position. (See the Appendix for some such organizations.)

For Discussion: c Do you agree with these criteria? c Can you add others reasons to support or dispute these criteria? c Can you think of other instances where the church should have taken a clear political stand? c Are there current examples? c When should your pastor make political pronouncements?

Your congregation? Your denomination?

Further Reading : Sider, Just Politics, Chapter 13

) Political decisions are complex. Therefore we should never claim our specific political conclusions possess direct authority from God or the church. Earlier, we saw that it is easy to make mistakes in our political thinking at many levels: When we develop our basic norms; when we study the world; when we develop a political philosophy. We know that our concrete political judgments inevitably include error. Therefore, we should avoid claiming too much certainty for our conclusions. Regular, frequent political pronouncements by pastors, congregations and denominations run the great risk of forgetting this complexity and neglecting this humility. ) A politicized church cannot fulfill central parts of its mission. Every church should be a winsome evangelistic witness to all its neighbors. Every church should disciple and nurture all its members. Every pastor should minister to people of every political persuasion in the congregation. A pastor or congregation that regularly adopts partisan political positions will find it difficult to perform these tasks in a way that people who differ sharply over politics can accept easily.

2. Exceptions to the Rule It would have been good for the German church to oppose Hitler. I wish the white Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa had publicly opposed apartheid.

Occasionally, the issues are so clear and so momentous that the

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What Should Churches Do?

Further Study: + Read Ephesians 4:15 and Philippians 4:8. Take a concordance and discover how many other biblical texts call Christians to truthfulness. + Re-read Galatians 2:11-14.

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f the church does not normally make explicit political pronouncements, does that mean the church has little to do with politics? By no means. Every local congregation should do four crucial things:

1. Articulate the Importance and Limitations of Politics Church leaders should help their members see how political decisions affect everyone. They should also help their people avoid the political illusion that politics is the most important way to solve all our problems.

2. Teach a Biblical Framework for Political Engagement Local pastors and other church leaders should preach and teach about the biblical framework and ethical principles that we need to think and act so that Christ is Lord of our politics. In a faithful church, the leaders will equip every member to approach politics from a biblical perspective.

3. Organize Small Groups to Study Issues Would not the church be an ideal setting for small study groups to meet to discuss complex political questions? That kind of group would be a great place to evaluate candidates and legislation using a normative biblical framework and careful study of the world. Such groups, however, rightly leave each member free to reach her own conclusions.

4. Model How to Disagree Politically in a Way That is Civil, Respectful and Honest Honest Christian disagree. So do citizens in larger society. Democratic life would be much better if the disagreements were fair and respectful. Would not the church be an ideal place to model more respectful civil disagreement over politics?

Four commitments could help Christians offer a new model of civility and respect: ) To avoid name calling: Let’s covenant to observe the difference between honest categorizing and distorted stereotyping. ) To avoid misrepresenting someone else: Let’s covenant to state an opponent’s views so accurately that they will say, “Yes, that is what I mean; we do disagree there.” (When in doubt, ask them!) ) To avoid judging motives: Let’s stick to what we can know rather than attribute bad motives. ) To promote honest submission to truth: Let’s invite those who disagree with us to join us in examining disputed data.

Should Christians take the lead in making political debate more civil, respectful and truthful? Paul calls Christians to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). We are to focus on what is true, honorable and gracious (Phil. 4:8). Think of the impact if Christian citizens modeled that spirit in politics.

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L What is the difference between vigorous disagreement and destructive verbal conflict?

L Can one run a successful political campaign using a biblical standard of honest civil debate?

L Do the Christians you know in politics improve the character of political debate?

L What could your church do to improve the level of political debate in your community?

L Is pointed disagreement always wrong?

Appendix Christian Organizations Working on Politics ) Evangelicals for Social Action has a regular Washington Update in its magazine, PRISM; careful studies on specific issues of public policy; and a weekly ePistle.

Visit EvangelicalsforSocialAction.org for more information. ) Bread for the World focuses on issues of hunger.

Visit www.bread.org Center for Public Justice is engaged in foundational reflection on politics. www.cpjustice.org ) National Association of Evangelicals. Their “For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility” is a widely referenced, important evangelical consensus document. Visit www.nae.net [for the document, http://www.nae.net/images/ content/For_The_Health_Of_The_Nation.pdf]

3. For Further Reading ) Ronald J. Sider, Just Politics: A Guide to Christian Action (Baker, 2012). ) David P. Gushee, The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center (Baylor, 2008). ) Michael J. Gerson, Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America’s Ideals (Harper, 2007). ) Stephen Monsma, Healing For a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy (Crossway, 2008). ) Charles Colson, God and Government: An Insider’s View of the Boundaries Between Faith and Politics (Zondervan, 2007). ) Jim Wallis, God’s Politics (Harper, 2005), and Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street and Your Street (Harvard, 2010).

) Faith in Public Life sends a daily faith news with relevant articles about the intersection of faith and politics.

Visit www.faithinpubliclife.org Resources for Assessing Candidates ) Project Vote Smart is a comprehensive resource for citizens seeking reliable and nonpartisan information about candidates.

Their nonprofit voters’ information center can give you: profiles of candidates and elected officials; voting records and promises on key issues; campaign finance data; evaluations of candidates by every competing conservative and liberal interest group that does them; issue briefs from interest groups and the media; and key contacts to put you in touch with whatever information they do not have themselves. www.votesmart.org ) The Candidates themselves usually have detailed position papers on the major issues of the election. These are usually available as a free resource for voters. Search online, write or call their campaign offices—and read critically! ) Political debates for national and regional offices are usually televised. Seeing the candidates in action will also give you insight into their character. ) Follow the money. Campaign finance disclosure laws make it easy to get this information. Project Vote Smart has this information available for all candidates for national office. You can also get it directly from the Federal Election Commission for federal candidates. Go to www.efc.gov to search by candidate, political action committee, or political party or call 800-424-9530. ) Campaign disclosure laws vary from state to state, but by calling the state, county, or city government offices, you can probably find the agency that keeps comparable records. Another valuable resource is the campaign finance watchdog group: www.commoncause.org

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