With everything going on lately, and with the upcoming November 5th elections quickly approaching, I felt it was imperative to follow God’s urging, and write up an article about how important it is for Christians to get involved politically within our country.
In this article, I will touch on not only the why, but also the how, to get involved politically. I’ll shine a light on the problems our country faces due to the fact that many Christians have abstained from getting involved in politics due to a misplaced faith. And finally, I’ll show you how your trust in God will enable you to impact your country with local actions, which will then impact the world as a whole.
The elephant-sized silence in the room
It is pretty standard fare nowadays to not discuss two things with people: Religion & Politics. Which I find to be quite ironic, because by not discussing these things, we have lost the ability as a nation to have civil discourse on either subject. Instead, if either subject arises, anger, frustration, rejection, name-calling, and other ill-advised reactions come to a head, stifling any meaningful discussion. At best, those discussions, if they can be called as such, end with a statement of “well, let’s agree to disagree.”
This is not healthy for any country which wishes to advance beyond the point in which it has fallen stagnant. In fact, it does quite the opposite and allows for deterioration of the country and it’s people. You see, the elephant-sized silence in our country right now, that is playing out before our very eyes, is the fact that these discussions are starting to happen like never before, and most people are unsure as to how to handle it, because we’ve been taught that “Politics & Religion” are two forbidden subjects to discuss. Coupled with technology, and things being discussed from behind screens and words on a screen, you lose a lot of the body language and intonations that assist in vital discussions and understanding within those discussions.
You can see that the children of our country have grown up to be discouraged from making waves, or saying things that are not popular to say, for fear of “triggering” others. This halts all potential progress that could occur from talking about uncomfortable things that could bring about new and innovative progress and understanding. It stifles freedom of thought as well as freedom of speech. Both are integral for a country and its’ citizens to grow beyond it’s current state.
Take for instance how Christianity has grown ever since Martin Luther (1483-1546) took his bold action of nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the University of Wittenberg, back in 1517, for discussion. Our world would be a drastically different place had this bold action not been taken, and had people from all over the world, not discussed these theses. Had Martin Luther simply stayed comfortable in his teaching position at the University, and stayed quiet on his inner thoughts, I cannot say with any sort of certainty that our world would be better off for it. You’ll find that doing the right thing is typically the most uncomfortable thing you can imagine doing, and it takes real bravery to tackle.
Our country, founded upon Christian principles and morals
Unfortunately, the “Land of the Free and Home of the Brave” seems to have lost our bravery, and thereby too, our freedoms. By focusing on staying comfortable and not upsetting others with our own thoughts and ideals regarding the tough subjects of Religion and Politics, we have cut ourselves off from our freedoms. We see this daily with calls for censorship of those whom we disagree with on Social Media platforms, coupled with incessant name-calling and irrational emotions running wild.
The United States of America was founded upon such principles as Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion, due to the tyranny our Founding Fathers faced by the Crown of England. England sought to control the colonies, and the people within by telling them exactly what could be said, and what could be practiced, in regards to religion. Again, this was stifling creation, freedom, and progress within the New World as they called it.
When you look at the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and the supportive writings of our Founding Fathers that determined both, you can see just how much they relied upon God and the Bible to envision the structure of how our country should appear. They spent many hours and days at at time, discussing their ideals with each other, in spite of having a differing of opinions on the exact details. Only after all the discussion had taken place, and everyone had agreed as much as they comfortably could, did our Country come into being. Our country then began to move forward onto a path that no other country in the world had ever tread upon.
Here is a fun fact for you to consider regarding the Law of the Land, our United States Constitution. Did you know that the most referred to book that was used to create this document, was the Book of Deuteronomy from the Bible? If you have not had the pleasure of reading this book in the Bible, I recommend doing so, as it is where, after being freed from tyrannical Egypt, the people of Israel, led by Moses, received their laws from God. And we can find that today, these laws are still just as important now, as they were thousands of years ago.
The misconception of “Separation of Church & State”
There is a huge misconception, propagated by Satan’s agents no doubt, about our Constitution and the First Amendment. Specifically, concerning Religion and “the State”. You see, this concept of “Separation of Church & State” has been taught for a few decades now at least, stating that it is the reason we need to abolish God, the Bible, prayer, and the 10 Commandments from schools and government buildings. However, no matter where you look in our Constitution, nor our Declaration of Independence, do you see this explicitly stated. So, where did this massive misconception come from?
We first see this metaphor espoused by Roger Williams, who founded Providence Colony, or as it is currently known, Rhode Island. However, this concept of “Separation of Church & State” was referenced as well, by the more well known, and third US President, Thomas Jefferson, when he wrote a letter to the Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut. In this letter, he argued that the First Amendment had created a wall of separation between Church and State.
If you read the above, you’ll think it means what it has come to stand for today, which is the idea that Church has no place in Government. However, the truth of the matter is much different than it’s portrayal of the 21st Century. After fighting with Tyrannical England, as well as the official Church of England, both men wanted to ensure that the United States never created it’s own State Church. They wanted to preserve the freedom to worship without linking political and economic privilege to church membership, thereby corrupting honest religious life. And this is why, the First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”.
I feel the above is a much needed background for the Christians of today in the United States to understand, in order to move forward, out of their comfort zones, and into the realm of politics. It is vital that we, as Christians, stand up for and take part in politics and how our Government operates. Otherwise, we will continue to have people in office who despise Christians, our Government, our Constitution, our Rights as given to us from God, and work continually and unopposed towards destroying everything we hold dear.
Righting the ship before it runs aground, as seen in Old Testament examples
You can see multiple examples of this very thing happening to the people of Israel in the Old Testament times. Just look over 2nd Kings, and you’ll see a phrase over and over again, which should be eye opening to you. “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord”. This book is about the Kings of Israel, and is overall, an example of how our government should not be. The downslide happens quickly, and starts out as a small thing here or there, typically. And these evils found in the Old Testament are being done today, all the while being called “good” by those who wish the evils to continue.
For example, when you look at the issue of Abortion, those who are for it call it “pro-choice” or “healthcare”. I’m sorry, but no matter how you look at it, it is outright murder. And, being dead is not being “healthy” by any measure, nor is the one being killed given a choice in the matter. However, proponents of this slaughter of the innocent, continue forth, because many Christians are simply too afraid to speak out against this evil, for fear of being called names, or losing a job, etc.
The kings of old that did evil in the sight of the Lord also practiced such abominations, and Israel was besieged by all sides and knew not peace because of it. If you look at our country today, you see this is very much about to happen within and without our borders as well. Not only are we being flooded with criminals from countries all over the world, but the world itself, having seemingly lost it’s light upon the hill, is now at the brink of World War 3. You may think this is hyperbole, but unfortunately those who are paying attention politically can see this truth.
But, fear not, there is still time and hope, even if both are in short supply.
Following Jesus’s example, and starting locally
So, what can you do? Where do you start? Well, start by following Jesus. Sounds simple enough, I know, but seriously, Jesus is the Way. He says so Himself even. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 KJV. So, I recommend looking at His ministry and seeing how it came about. He started locally, and it grew from there!
This is a lesson we can take when confronting politics. The great thing about our country, is that we were founded to have an approach unlike the rest of the world. Our government is supposed to be a bottom to top approach, instead of the typical top to bottom approach. What does this mean? It means that your local community is supposed to have the most say and impact in what you do in your day to day life, not those at the very top who are furthest from you. (IE: The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court.)
If you want the way things are to change, you need to get involved on a local level. Start showing up to your local meetings. This means, your township, village, city, or even county level meetings. Learn more about what they are doing, what they are proposing to do, and what has already been done. Ask questions. Record the meetings with your phone. Take notes. Use the Public Comment time to ask questions, make points, and discuss how you feel they should proceed.
As more and more people get involved with these meetings, the easier it is to hold accountable any who may be misusing or abusing their positions within the community. And this is exactly what Jesus was doing. He would walk around to the local communities, and discuss his ideas and teachings with the people. Then, they too, would go forth and discuss those teachings with others. This continued on for centuries, and here we are today, still discussing His teachings with those around us.
And before you start to feel dismayed or discouraged, just do what you can do to the best of your ability. Do not worry if you do not know exactly what is going on. Do not get hung up on Robert’s Rules of Order or anything else like that. Just take it one step at a time. Go to a meeting, take notes about what you don’t understand, and research those points later on. Sure, this takes time, but doing the right thing in life has rarely been the easy thing.
Leaning on your proverbial shovel, and misplaced faith
There is another point here, that I must make. A lot of Christians in the United States are under some false pretense that God will handle everything for them. And because they are relying on God to take of everything for them, they assume that they have to do nothing other than pray and hope that God takes care of these things for them.
I envision this misplaced faith and attitude like this: You are in need of a hole. The why is not important, only the fact that you need a hole is relevant here. And so, you kneel down next to a shovel, and you pray to God for the hole you need. “Please Lord, help me! I desperately need a hole. I know this ground is perfect for a hole, so if You could please, grant me this hole.” And on and on and on. All the while, you ignore the perfectly good shovel sitting next to you. Some, will actually lean on the shovel while praying for the hole.
While it is important to have faith that God will provide for you, that does not mean that God will do everything for you, while you stand around or kneel around doing nothing to help yourself. This is misplaced faith, and we hear it time and time again concerning politics. “Oh, I don’t get involved with politics. God will take care of that.”
To that, I point you to Matthew 7:21 (KJV, emphasis mine): “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” I also point you to the following parable: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46 (KJV)
You must do your part in this world, or else your prayers are in vain. We are called to do God’s will, here on Earth, not to simply pray for it all to be taken care of for us, so that we can sit idly by and do nothing.
Picking up your proverbial shovel, spreading truth and awareness
At this point, you may be wondering then, what the shovel means. I will tell you, the proverbial shovel in my example above are the gifts that God bestowed upon you. These are your talents and your abilities that others may not possess. For me, this is my ability to take a great picture, use technology in ways that others can’t, write articles like this one, or speaking in front of others even if I’m shaking profusely. These are the things that I am good at.
You must examine yourself and determine what your talents are, and how you can bring them into the fold within your community. So, being that I am good at graphic design, I do that for my county GOP party free of charge, for example. I’ve talked during Public Comment sections of meetings at my local county Board of Commissioners meetings, shaking profusely all the while. Once I learned what a Resolution is, I began writing them for both my county Republican party, as well as for citizens who wish to present those Resolutions to their local forms of government. I began to tire of the direction that the world around me was going, and decided to stop praying next to my proverbial shovel, and instead, to pick it up and start digging.
You may wonder too, what the hole in my example above represents. Well, that could be many things. It could be a simple divot in the ground to trip up Satan. It could be a giant pit fall for others who are like minded to be inspired by you, and join into the fray themselves. Or, it could be a rabbit hole, to wander into while digging for the deeper truths of this world to share with others.
Regardless of what you may feel or think the hole represents, it is not nearly as important as finding your shovel. Once you discover your shovel and start digging, you will find that you will inspire others to do the same. And the more of us that are digging, instead of simply praying for a hole, the better our communities around us will be. You are truly the shovel of God, and by using the gifts that He bestowed upon you, you will impact the world around you. And just as Jesus had His teachings inspired others and spread around Him, all throughout the ages, you may just be the next one to alter the course of history.
In closing…
I truly hope that this article has brought forth a wellspring of information for you to consider, and to act upon. It is my prayer and my hope that we all start to use our God-given talents to impact the world around us for good, as intended. If we fail at this, especially during this crucial turning point in our history as a country, and as a people, utter darkness will justly fall upon us. God is calling us all to go forth without fear, and to trust Him in righting the ship, the last gleaming light on the hill, of the United States of America.
So please, pick up your proverbial shovel, and start digging for the hole you are praying for. It is not only for your sake that you do so, but the sake of your children, and for God’s sake as well. It is your choice whether or not to do this, and that has always been the case. Choose God and righteousness, not fear and darkness.
God Bless you and keep you!
♥ Jess ♥
