Hattie’s Hangout: How Christians Should Engage in Politics

There is a deafening silence coming from Americas’ pulpits, and if the silence carries on, Americans will pay the price.

This silence is seen in the lack of Christian voices speaking loudly on political issues. 

More often than not, the church has allowed the government to take control of issues that Christians are commanded to be responsible for. Now, people are enslaved to government handouts and subsidies and shackled down by their reliance on a flawed system. The government filled in the holes where the foot soldiers of the Church were lacking, resulting in people’s dependence on man rather than God.

The Lord clearly outlined the ways in which we, his followers, should live in the inerrant Scriptures. Therefore, why do we shy away from acting upon this guidance when confronting the political battlefield?

We should strive to have Christianity be the leading influence in politics instead of passively sitting in silence, saying politics is too dirty of a business to engage in. I too have seen the world of politics as dark and past the point of any kind of reform, making me shy away for the lack of hope in anything changing. Yet, I am convicted of this thought.

I serve a God who overcomes all darkness with light. Who am I to doubt the sovereign power God has over the deepest depths of the dirty swamp known as Washington, D.C.? In Luke 1:79 we can see that Jesus came “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

Because I am guided by the light of Christ, I am convicted to act in a way which reflects that light. I am not looking to please man but to please God (1 Thess. 2:4), specifically in the political realm. Instead of seeing problems as “political issues” let’s see them as “Christian issues,” understanding the consequences of what happens when we don’t speak up.

Engagement by Christians in politics is crucial and necessary as we seek to spread the knowledge of salvation through the good news of the gospel. We cannot settle for passive and silent pulpits where our church leaders tiptoe around prevalent matters happening in the political sphere, and neglecting to shepherd their flock to carry out the commands found in Scripture. We must grab ahold and put on the armor of God, boldly carrying the sword of the spirit into every situation as Christians strive to influence a culture for Christ. 

When Christian voices are not heard in politics, a secular voice fills the void and tears down biblical morals. This is the price we have already started to pay on matters of marriage, abortion and gender, to name a few.

A Christian’s involvement in politics should not be based on the identity of a party, but rather on unwavering morals and principles centered on their urgency to make Christ known.

Politics is downstream from culture, acting on issues most important to the society to which it governs. Christ must be placed upstream from culture, influencing the water flowing down the stream. 

I pray the church never sits down in passivity but stands up boldly proclaiming the truth, especially in one of the darkest areas of society — politics. 

Hattie Troutman is the Editor-in-Chief. Follow her on Twitter at @hattrout.