Source: https://www.sightline.org/2022/02/15/our-maps-shouldnt-lie-about-our-votes/
Red or blue? Conservative or progressive? Trump or Harris? In the end, Americans voted heavily in favour of Donald Trump. Political analysts cite the desire for change, especially economic change, to be a huge reason why Americans swung red. Perhaps this desire for change is not surprising at all – Americans have often alternated between the two. Since the administration of Bush Senior (1989-1993), Americans have swung from red (Bush Sr.) to blue (Clinton) to red (Bush Jr.) to blue (Obama) to red (Trump) to blue (Biden) and now to red again (Trump).
In a bid to make tactical advances in the campaigning process, politicians often slice and dice the voting population – in hopes that optimal allocation of campaign resources will maximise their chances of winning. But broadly, we are told that there are two kinds of voters, loyal ones and undecided ones. With regard the former, I’ve often wondered what are the factors that make one a die-hard red or a die-hard blue. More pertinent to Christians, should American Christians be die-hard reds or blues? I suppose in such a polarised state of affairs, you’d probably get strong reactions on either side of the spectrum. But is it alright not to give your heart and soul either to ‘conservative’ or ‘progressive’ values? Is there a third way? For American Christians like the late Timothy Keller, the overarching framework for the Christian’s political engagement cannot be red or blue. Rather, it must be rooted in the Kingdom of God – such a notion has been called Third Way Politics.
Below we briefly consider what the Kingdom of God means for Christian political engagement. In particular, I want to consider how the paradoxical[1] nature of the Kingdom of God frames our approach to political engagement.
Christians are both Political and Apolitical
Christians experience a paradoxical Kingdom of God that has been inaugurated but yet to be consummated. How should this shape our political engagement?
Political Engagement
First, the fact that the Kingdom has been inaugurated means that Christians are irreducibly political. The central Christian proclamation is ‘Jesus is Lord’ (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3) – not Augustus Caesar in the first century; not Adolf Hitler in the twentieth century; not Donald Trump or Kamala Harris – but Jesus is Lord. The ascension of Christ to the right hand of the father means that He presides over all human and non-human existence. In the famous words of the former Prime Minister (1901-1905) of the Netherlands, who himself was a Reformed theologian, Abraham Kuyper, ‘“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!”’
Because Jesus is Lord over all, Christians are to:
‘do good to everyone’ (Gal 6:10);
love their neighbours as themselves (Matt 19:19, 22:39);
‘Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.’ (Isa 1:17).
In other words, Christians must care about social issues. Christians must uphold conservative values and care about the sanctity of life; yet Christians must also uphold progressive values and care for the marginalized. The fact of the inaugurated kingdom means that Christians have no basis to sit out the processes of political engagement. The call to love our neighbours isn’t just about caring for their eternal outcomes but their present sufferings too.
Apolitical Engagement
Second, the fact that the Kingdom is yet to be consummated means that Christians are thoroughly apolitical. They are not to pledge unrestrained allegiance to any political party. They are not to idolise political leaders. They are not to proclaim that the Kingdom was consummated in fourth century Roman Empire or twentieth century Nazi Germany. No matter how idyllic a society is, no matter how developed or progressive a nation is, no matter how rich and abundant – until Christ makes ‘all things new’ (Rev 21:5), until all enemies of Christ are subdued (Ps 110:1) – Christians must live in lament and hope – lament that sin, Satan and death still wreak havoc in this world and hope for Christ’s coming again.
When Christ comes again to consummate the Kingdom of God and when he has made all things new, what is good about both conservative and progressive values will be fulfilled: murder of babies will no longer happen – human beings will live forever; oppression of those in the margins will cease – ‘But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.’ (Isa 11:4) Death and suffering will cease: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ (Rev 21:4)
Until then, while Christians can be thankful and obedient to authorities (Rom 13:1-2; 1 Pet 2:13-14), Christians cannot be partisan. The only absolute political statement that can be made is Jesus is Lord!
So What?
One may wonder, ‘So what? How can this be applied in an actual voting situation? At the end of the day, don’t we have to vote in a partisan way? Aren’t our votes going one way or the other? Unless we don’t vote or vote for a third party.’
Yes, when push comes to shove, Christians do have to vote one way or another. And often, thoughtful voters will come to the conclusion that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. But political engagement is more than just voting – how we serve others from different racial and economic backgrounds, how we pray in hope and lament, how we speak out on societal issues, how we live and proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mk 1:14-15) – is political engagement. Christians in America cannot excuse themselves from their political environment but they need not be painted red or blue.
[1] A paradox is ‘a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.’ (Oxford Dictionary)