Does God do politics?

7 Jul 2006 | public | email this page

Have been wondering lately whether or not there is a position on the political spectrum that is more "Christian" than another.

It's been well documented since George W Bush won the US Presidential election that the Christian vote in some states was instrumental to his win. On the other hand, there are many liberals I know who consider their's to be a philosophy closer to the heart of Christianity.

I wonder what God thinks of all this. I recall reading somewhere that in WWII, Goebbels contacted Hitler when he learned that Roosevelt had died. His words were to the effect that "God was with us". This seems obscene to me, but I wonder if it would have seemed perfectly logical to a common German at the time.

It seems every politician claims mandate from above ... I wonder if any have a legitimate claim?

Your thoughts, O reader?
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Submitted by kat on July 15, 2006 - 7:36pm.
Hey!

This is an interesting one.  I always thought I was slightly left of centre, but I think that was because of political parties in NZ, rather than any great understanding of how politics works. 

I've been challenged by getting to know an organisation (of Christians - although not explicitly so) in NZ called The Maxim Institute (http://www.maxim.org.nz/) who are right wing (although not as much as some newspapers have delighted in reporting).  You might enjoy some of their articles...  While they are NZ focused, there are general principles at play that apply across borders.

Of course, there is another organisation called something like Christians Against Maxim.  So much for being a united body huh?  I love what they are doing because I think we Christians are too apathetic about politics.  It is a messy and dirty arena, where we seem to frequently be labelled as intolerant, so we don't go there.  But as a result I don't think we make collective voice heard and hold sway proportionately.

In the UK, Christians have formed a cross-partisan organisation called Christians in Politics (I think), which is pretty cool.  Nice to realise we are aiming for the same goal, even if we don't always agree on how to get there!
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Submitted by jennifer on August 5, 2006 - 10:31pm.
Two books for you: God's Politics (Jim Wallis) and Moral Politics (Lakoff). Read parts of both; they're interesting takes. I've heard it said before God is not a Republican or Democrat. Being a American citizen, it is a continual frustration when one side or the other claims to have God on their side. They seemed to have missed the point alltogether if they make it about political platforms.

I can see in both ends of the spectrum different elements that I believe gets close to God's heart. For example, Democrats place a high value on social justice/services (looking after widows and orphans) and the Republicans place a high value on the life of an unborn baby...

I write all that knowing I am still a Christian who does not hold very strong political opinions but I do need to engage more and I'm working on that. As Christians, we're asked to represent Christ in all areas...even the confusing and messy ones!
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Submitted by rollsy on August 6, 2006 - 2:48pm.
Thanks to both of you ...
Kat - I took a look at the Maxim site. Interesting.
Hennessy I've heard of God's Politics, I plan to take a look at both those titles. Thanks for the suggestion.
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