Should Christians seek political power at all? The question is misleading. It brings to mind a negative image of government and politics, and it also implies that the freedom to evangelize is secure and could never be taken away. If the first part of the question is actually, "should Christians corrupt themselves with the seedy side of politics?" or "should Christians revert to the unethical, unscriptural practices of modern day 'politicians'?" the answer is obviously "no."
If, however, the question is about political involvement and participation in general, there is a different answer: Christians should seek political participation and representation as they go about their duties of evangelizing the world. Without this participation and representation, there is no assurance that the freedom to evangelize will remain secure. Can we maintain the fundamental freedoms and liberties we enjoy while standing apart from the political process? The political and social trends of the last generation should offer clear warnings that freedom and liberty require diligent care and attention -- especially by the Christian community.
There are numerous perspectives on why Christians should be involved in the political process: Duty, responsibility, natural leadership, love of our brothers and sisters, a basic compassion for mankind, etc. One perspective that too often goes unnoticed is the concept of submission to government. Submission to our governing structures requires participation. As Paul wrote to the Romans:
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities
For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist
are established by God. (Romans 13:1)
The first seven verses of this chapter provided a fundamental blueprint for the relationship between the Christians in Rome and the existing governing authority -- the power of Rome. The Roman Christians exercised no political power in the secular order of things; participation was extremely limited. As Christians today, we lread Paul's letter, and other portions of Scripture, especially Mark 12, I Timothy 2:1-3, Acts 5, and I Peter 2:17, to determine our own relationship to government. Americans enjoy certain rights and liberties that would seem foreign to early Christians. Therefore, trusting that God offers Biblical provision for our modern situation, we apply the principles He has given. As we read in Romans, one of those principles is submission to governing authority.
In the American governing system, submission demands participation. Whether we like it or not, American citizens are participants in the American governing structure. No one is exempt from participation. It is involuntary. Citizens are assessed taxes; they are counted in the census; they are in government computer systems at all levels; they send their children to government-run schools; they are, in one way or another, participants in the government.
Working from the premise that we are all participants, political involvement is not a matter of seeking power. It is a matter of being fairly represented as we participate in government. To that extent, we must respect others' views who are also represented by government and are equally involuntary participants. That does not mean accepting those views opposing ours as necessarily valid, that simply means acknowledging that the holders of those views do not believe as we do. There will be differences of opinion, and legislating biblical principles into civil and criminal law has already been done, for the most part. Our system is said to rest on Roman law, but in truth Roman law was almost exclusively taken from the Mosaic Law. The proper level of biblical influence is already in the US Constitution. It is wise that the Founding Fathers were so insistent on states' rights. This i where we should be concentrating our efforts to outlaw abortion, euthenasia, gar marriage, etc. As we object to secular morality being foisted upon us, we should abhor the foisting of our morality on the secular world. Federal laws and courts should not be activist in forcing morality on the nation as a whole, since there is a huge collection of differing concepts of morality nationwide.
The issues of abortion, euthenasia, gay marriage, etc., are not matters to be decided nationally, but locally, as we go back to my point of acknowledging that there are differences of opinion. When federal law encroaches on states' rights, then we need to make our voices heard in resisting efforts to legislate their morals on us just as we should not legislate our morals on them.
So, as we participate, we have the opportunity of voting for our elected officials and of ensuring adequate choices as we vote. If we truly believe our government was divinely ordained and instituted, this luxury and opportunity should be enjoyed and exercised.
What does it mean to participate? At a minimum, it means voting. Voting implies a familiarity with those individuals on the ballot. And this familiarity is only appreciated by understanding the issues of our day. Thus, participation should drive one to an awareness of political issues. This would include social issues, economic issues, international issues, etc. Christians should rank among the most politically informed and astute people in America.
During the time the Founding Fathers were working toward independence and the establishment of our nation, that was the case. The pulpits were one of the primary sources for information. Education was guided by a Christian perspective. Churches were at the center of the political community, not on the periphery. Christians, of all types, exercised political and social leadership. We would do well to look back upon these earlier days, reflecting upon the role Christians assumed in creating our American form of government. Is it not ironic that we question the political involvement of Christians in a system predominately established by Christians? But should we presume to be the moral conscience for the entire nation? I don't think so. Push for our beliefs, but do not force them on others. That is best avoided by working for the various "Christian issues" at the state and local levels, and resisting efforts by the federal government to supersede those primarily local and state issues at the state and local levels by imposing nationwide adherence to rulings that go against our beliefs.