Looking Back: Should Christians engage in politics?

From September 1972

“The area is part of our mission field.”

Says G.T.H. Reid

Howard Spring, the novelist, has told how, as a young man he attended a fashionable wealthy church. One Sunday morning before municipal elections, the minister urged on the congregation their Christian duty to cast their vote for one or other party.

The intrusion of politics into worship was too much for his frock-coated congregation. Many of the men walked out.

This attitude dies hard. Yet the General Assembly this year approved a Report calling on Christians to engage in politics more fully. No doubt this will be regarded by some with suspicion, especially by those who have not read the Report for themselves.

The Report does not suggest that the church itself should enter politics; or identify itself with any political party; or form a new party. It does ask the Church to show fuller appreciation of the importance of politics.

IN THE PULPIT

The Report does not encourage ministers to sound off their own uninformed political notions from the pulpit. It does give explicit warning: “The minister must be careful not to abuse the privilege of his pulpit by making political pronouncements to a captive audience gathered to hear the word of God”.

On the other hand the Report urges Christians as individuals to recognise their political responsibilities and to honour them more fully, and it adds: “There is a legitimate place for informed political comment in the pulpit that is subject to the word of God, and the minister must accept this obligation.”

Surely no minister brought up in the Church Of Scotland to honour the tradition of John Knox can quarrel with that!

GOOD REASONS

There are five good reasons why the Christian should engage in politics.

1.    POLITICS IS A SPHERE FOR CHRISTIAN ACTION

In politics decisions are taken which determine the kind of social structure and style of life of a nation is to be given. No Christians should think of this as being irrelevant to Christianity. In the decision-making the Christian should use his voice.

2.    POLITICS IS A SPHERE OF CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION

If Christians do not accept their responsibilities here, others will soon take command. After the last world war, the apathy of Christians and others enabled the Communists to enter positions of power and influence out of all proportion to their actual number.

3.    POLITICS IS A SPHERE FOR CHRISTIAN AID

The great human social problems can only be solved by political action. There are the needs of the third world, in which two thirds of the world’s population are sinking deeper into hunger and poverty each year, while each year the Western world grows richer and fatter.

Christian Aid seeks to serve such need, but it can never solve the problem. The solution can only be brought about by political action, and only through such action can Christian Aid be made truly effective.

CONTEXT OF MISSION

4.    POLITICS IS A SPHERE FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE

If some enter the sphere of politics for the sake of personal prestige and power, there is the greater need for others to enter seeking only to serve. There are Christians at present serving as politicians. They should be encouraged by the sense that the Church is supporting them and recognises that here is a sphere in which important Christian service can be given.

5.    POLITICS IS A SPHERE FOR CHRISTIAN MISSION

The report on “The Christian engagement in politics” was the result of a request made by the “Special Commission on priorities of mission in Scotland in the 1970’s.” That commission had stated: ‘Nothing short of a much fuller engagement in local and national politics can meet the demands of discipleship today.’

The important point to note here is that engagement in politics is seen in the context of Christian mission.

Christian mission is concerned with saving souls – that is its service in evangelism. It is concerned with the enlightenment of minds – that is its service in education. It is concerned with the health of bodies – that is its medical and welfare service.

In the 70’s Christians must also recognise the area of politics as a mission field, and seek to serve there until all the social structures of the peoples at last afford that freedom from want and fear and injustice that belong to the glorious liberty of the children of God, and all the areas of human life are brought together under the lordship of Jesus Christ, so that the realm of politics may also confess that He is Lord.

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