GUIDING CHRISTIANS TO THINK BIBLICALLY ABOUT POLITICS: THE PURPOSE OF THE ERLC GUIDELINES

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Saturday, February 10, 2024 Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican presidential candidate, fills out his ballot on Election Day in Columbus, Ohio, on November 7, 2023. Ohio voters on Tuesday are choosing whether to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution, in what may well be a bellwether on an issue likely to dominate next year's US presidential race. | MEGAN JELINGER/AFP via Getty Images 

Guidance on Christian political involvement amid a divisive presidential election year has been issued by the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Freedom Commission.

Andrew Walker, an assistant professor of ethics and Apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and fellow at the ERLC Research Institute, wrote the book "The Nations Belong to God: a Christian Guide for Political Engagement" which was released last week.

In the guide's introduction, Walker states that politics is a call to engage in a world that belongs to God, not to princes, presidents, or prime ministers.

My goal in writing this resource is to encourage Christians to participate strategically. It begins with the realization that the nations belong to God, primarily.

According to a statement provided to the Christian Post on Friday by ERLC vice president and research director Miles Mullin, the commission intends to offer assistance to the church in dealing with issues arising from election year politics.

Mullin explained, " We were thinking about the best way to serve our church during this election cycle, but we wanted something useful after 2022."We wanted a resource that was based on Scripture, a thorough Baptist approach, and relevant to the day-to-day politics of the local community."

This guide, created by Andrew Walker, our colleague, is like that. It offers a perspective on political engagement that includes more than just elections, but also encourages Christians to engage in politics at every level in ways that honor God and love our neighbors.

Each chapter is given a question title, with a short answer, and a longer comment based on the answer. These guidelines are structured like a catechism.

The guide includes forty questions, such as "what is politics?", "What is the proper relationship between church and government?", "What Is The Common Good?", "Does Scripture Command A Specific Form Of Government?", "What is unique about Christian political involvement?", "What is justice?", and "do I have an obligation to vote?"

Walker outlines the" overall goal of Christian political engagement " as follows:

Given that Christ is the true king of Kings, Christians should pursue wisdom, justice, and righteousness for the common good in the world, hoping to recognize how God has arranged and maintained the world for our good, and ultimately, for his glory.

According to the guide, Scripture does not offer a "precise formula" for an ideal governmental structure. Walker, however, emphasizes that "[f] ually, a government that defies God's moral law is an unbiblical government and will not last long because its ultimate destiny is chaos."

According to these guidelines, the concept of State promotion of religion or formal denomination

He wrote, " Scripture shows that the jurisdiction of government is concerned only with worldly affairs and not to impede, promote, or directly interfere in the affairs of religion."

The guide went on to state: "Baptists view the established church-state arrangement with great concern. First, there is no long-term vitality of the Christian faith maintained by the state's relationship with it."State churches have always produced secular and nominal beliefs adapted to the needs of the state. Christian identity is marred by the inability to distinguish what is Christian from non-Christian.

Walker called on Christians to reduce their hopes of political victory.

The document states: "a Christian should beat expectations about politics in this day and age."Apart from Christ, who delivers his kingdom, we are not promised complete victory or complete defeat.

In addition, Mullin informed CP that although the ERLC "released a summary of past platform analysis", the commission "does not release political engagement guidelines."

He stated, " this guide should serve as a framework for Christians to think biblically about all their political activities, not just one election, unlike other guides that focus on specific policy details."

The guide also encourages Christians to think not only nationally, but also locally, where they tend to have the most influence. It is our hope that Christians will be inspired to do more than just vote, and instead get involved in their local communities, get to know their neighbors, and work for their common good without compromising their Christian beliefs.

Referring to Jeremiah 29: 7, which reads in part "seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have led you into exile," Mullin says that they "want to help Christians as they serve their communities and seek well-being in the places where God has placed them."

"At ERLC, we hope this guide helps remind people that politics is important but not the most important. And political engagement, at its best, should be a tangible manifestation of the commandment to love our neighbor as we work toward a common good that honors God and serves our neighbor well."

"I think that as we engage in politics as a way that is considered pleasing and honorable to him, God will also open up more opportunities to fulfill the Great Commission."

Many people believe that the United States, including its churches, was experiencing an unprecedented political split, when this guide appeared.

David Platt, former head of the SBC International Board of missions and pastor of McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C. C., published a book last year warning about how American political power could interfere with the church's mission.

Platt, in his book Don't Hold Back: Leaving Behind the American Gospel to Follow Jesus, warns that the "American Gospel," a belief system that "uses Jesus for comfort, power, politics, and prosperity in the world," poses an internal threat to churches in the United States.

In an earlier interview with CP, Platt said, "If we're not careful, we can confuse the Gospel with American ideals and values, power, and politics, and in the process, lose the way of Jesus."

"What he is calling for is far greater than what we are tempted to be trapped in this world, and in particular my country, by the pursuit of comfort, power, politics and prosperity here."

There are "two equal and opposite errors when it comes to a Christian evaluating their love for their country," according to the ERLC guidelines.

"A Christian is tempted to give uncritical love to their country as a 'patriot'," he wrote. "Other Christians have always been critical of their country, considering themselves to be 'prophets'.'A better Model of prophetic patriotism is one who loves his country while admitting his mistakes and who loves his country even when criticism is necessary to reform it."

Walker asserts that love for Christ results in greater love than what we can give our country or nation. "Christ demands our highest loyalty, and it is the highest loyalty that teaches us how we should act and live in the midst of the nation in which God has placed us."We can love our country with all our hearts if we do not consider it a love that the Scriptures consider unworthy of possession.

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