Dr,Sammy D.James

Politics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power"[1] and refers to the regulation of a political unit,[2] and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.[3]
The word "Politics" comes from the Greek word "polis" meaning state or city. "Politikos" describes anything concerning the state or city affairs. In Latin, this was "politicus" and in French "politique". Thus it became "politics" in .I think study science polotic don,t make onyone politician,The samme like medecin,theologian don,t make you a pastor,Before you born God already have a plan for all of us.Some of us became who we are by accident,not the will of God.God say to Jeremiah before you born iknow you,the reason why we have false diplomat,lie,false president,and so on.Never doing thing you are never born to do.You can in,but you don,t know what to do.Because it,s not place.you are in whong place.Every nations seaching for good government,good leader.Dr,Sammy D.James.
Why Liberal values are American values.
Liberal? Absolutely.

Seems these days Conservatives have convinced themselves, and some of the American public, that being a Liberal is akin to being a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. While this may be a great smear tactic for an election year, to believe such a notion proves that the believer is uneducated in the fundamentals of the American political system. Our nation was founded on Liberalism. Embodied in the Declaration of Independence are its three tenets: "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." The very term, itself, is taken from the same root as the second of these precepts. To be a Liberal is to defend the freedom - the Liberty - of all people who make up our great nation. To be a Liberal is to trust individuals and families to run their own lives as they see fit. To be a Liberal is to create a nation where anyone can excel if they are willing to do the work.

In order to understand the true nature of Liberalism, and to dispel the misconceptions fomented by those whose agenda is counter to our freedom, I will detail the tenets of Liberal thought and dispel the misconceptions so often put forth by Conservative rhetoric.

Liberalism is "Life." It is freedom from physical dangers that can kill or disable us. The Liberal believes it is a nation's job to protect its citizens from physical harm, whether from external sources, such as hostile nations, or internal ones, like crime, disease, or hunger. Without the solid ground of physical wellbeing, our nation and its citizens cannot enjoy the benefits of being free. Liberals believe in a strong military, well suited to defend the nation. Liberals believe in good laws, hard-working police, and a just legal system to protect its citizens from crime. Liberals believe in affordable health care for everyone, to keep our people strong. And Liberals believe in the availability of food and shelter for its needy, not as a hand out but as a reasonable step in moving all Americans toward self-reliance and the freedom that comes with it.

Liberalism is "Liberty." It is the freedom to do as your conscience dictates without impeding another's rights. Fleeing oppression in mother Europe, our founders established a nation where personal belief and self-determination are protected, not persecuted, where hard work is rewarded, not demanded, and where each person is bestowed with the ability to better his or her life because of citizenship, not class. Liberals believe in freedom of speech to protect us from political oppression. Liberals believe in sound regulations to protect us from economic oppression. Liberals believe in just laws to protect us from social oppression. And Liberals believe in quality education to protect us from the oppression of ignorance.

Liberalism is "The Pursuit of Happiness." It is the freedom to create an environment where the individual can excel. What is freedom if it cannot be used to better our lives? A truly free society must be one where its members can rise above their limitations and expand their futures. We call it "The American Dream," and it's alive and well in the heart of the Liberal. Liberals believe in equal opportunities for all to rise above our means. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our education levels. Liberals believe in equal opportunities to rise above our social status. And Liberals believe each and every family should have an equal opportunity to make this world better for their children.

Based on these tenets, we can see that Liberalism is not the monster it's made out to be by the opposition. It is pro individual and pro family. It is pro community and pro country. Liberalism is, by its very definition, the heart and soul of what it means to be an American. It stands against tyranny of any kind, whether international or domestic. It works to remove abuse and fight crime. And it strives to eliminate the idea of a wasted life by not wasting resources and opportunities.

By this time someone might ask, "if that is a Liberal, then what is a Conservative?"

Liberals and Conservatives received their names for good reasons. Just as Liberals get their label by standing for Liberty, Conservatives get their label from the desire to "conserve" a style of living. They, too, claim they are fighting to conserve our personal rights and our economic opportunities, but they do it with a different ideal than the Liberal. The term they use for the difference is "values." Values are norms or codes by which people live their lives. While most Americans share some common values, such as the right to own property and the right to protect our families, we also have many divergent values with which we raise our children. So if we try to impose values into the political framework of the nation, we are forced to ask, "whose values?" And in the search for such absolutes, we must also ask, "which generation's values?"

As the nation ages and new generations take over leadership, the values of its population change. Where once a woman was valued for how well she cooked, cleaned and entertained, today's women are gaining recognition that they offer as much, if not more, to the work force than men. Where once African Americans were forced to live as second-class citizens, now they have a legal status equal to that of whites, even if we still have a ways to go in actual practice. Changing values brings confusing times for many - especially for those who believe that America was better with an older set of values. These people want to "conserve" a style of American living they believe once existed, what they call, "traditional family values." They want to conserve the system that they believe made America wealthy and strong. Unfortunately that also means they want to force all of us to live according to their values.

Conservatives don't really fight for our rights - they fight for what they think our rights should be - putting limits on our freedom of speech in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional norm of what should be said. Conservatives don't really fight for our family values - they fight for what they believe our family values should be - putting limits on our behavior, even behavior between consenting adults, in order to "conserve" an older, more traditional view of acceptable personal activity. Conservatives don't really fight for our income - they fight for little or no regulations - putting limits on our ability to be treated fairly by large companies, who if left without restriction, can form monopolies that choke out competition and drive down wages.

Conservatives are willing to curb our freedom of speech if it clashes with their interpretation of "traditional" values, values from an older time where woman were in domestic servitude to men, where child abuse, sexual abuse, wife abuse, and homosexuality were all kept locked in closets, where minorities were second-class citizens and discrimination was free from incrimination, and where the inability to plan a family's growth meant an explosion of mouths to feed - a population explosion that today threatens to bankrupt our nation's retirement funds. The Conservative position, therefore, is inherently contradictory. You cannot be for legislating away freedom in the name of "family values" and also claim you are protecting individual and family rights.

As new generations have placed their own values into the laws that govern our land, Conservatives have sought to fight back by limiting the size and power of the government. Conservatives are willing to give away the very power needed to protect our liberties in the work place. Their idea of a smaller, less-intrusive government means a return to the days where business decisions and profits were more important than clean air and clean water, where a business could abuse its employees without incrimination, and where minorities and women could be passed over for jobs or paid less then white males for the same jobs. Again the Conservative position is at odds with itself. You cannot claim you are fighting for families at the same time that you allow the family bread winner to be overworked and underpaid and allow neighborhoods to be overrun by non-regulated big business. The Conservative would effectively shift power away from the people, who can elect public officials to fight for their rights, and into the hands of private businesses, who need not answer to the public when making decisions that affect us all.

Because Liberals fight to protect every citizen from having other people's values imposed on them, Conservatives like to label Liberals as being evil. The following list shows what Conservatives like to say against Liberals, and then goes on to show why such assertions are false:

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-family.
However . . .
Conservatives want to define what your family should be
Whereas . . .
Liberals put you in charge of your family
Liberals support your right to define what your family will be
Liberals fight for your family's rights against economic and political oppression

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-business.
However . . .
Conservatives are pro-money, but that often translates into monopolies, which hurt small business and competition, which hurts us all
Whereas . . .
Liberals protect small businesses by regulating the larger ones and by breaking up monopolies
Liberals protect workers in order to create a healthy workforce that will help businesses grow

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-religion.
However . . .
Conservatives are often for one dominant religion, and are, therefore, against others
Whereas . . .
Liberals support complete freedom of religion and from religion so that all citizen are free to choose the manner in which faith is a part of their lives
Liberals strive to keep government completely out of a family's religious choices

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-freedom.
However . . .
Conservatives want to stop homosexuals, stop abortions, stop the women's movement, and stop freedom of expression through the use of censorship
Whereas . . .
Liberals leave it up to the parents to teach such values to their children
Liberals believe each person or family should be free to choose how to behave as long as it does not interfere with another's rights

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-morality.
However . . .
Conservatives are for one specific kind of morality
Whereas . . .
Liberals are for the morality of free choice, where each person or family decides their own values
Liberals want the government to protect our freedom to choose what is important to us rather than to impose the laws and codes of another's morality

Conservatives say that Liberals are anti-military.
However . . .
Conservatives see the military as a means to impose their values and standards on others
Whereas . . .
Liberals see the military as a vital protection of our freedoms and our liberties, giving us a space in which to pursue happiness
Liberalism's Stance on Specific Issues

With the desire to promote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as the central motivation, the Liberal always defends these tenets when deciding how to stand on a particular issue. The following will show why Liberals often take the stance they do:

Abortion/Contraception - Liberty means the freedom to control your body, your reproductive system, and your future.

Affirmative Action - Liberty means having fair opportunities for those in society who are discriminated against.

Education - Liberty means the freedom to learn in order to build a better future for yourself, your family, your community, and your country.

Environment - Liberty means the fair use of our nation's natural resources for all citizens. Where possible, without unreasonable restriction to private enterprise, the government should strive to protect our natural environment so all can enjoy its bounty.

Gun Control - Liberty means the freedom to protect yourself, your family, and your property, with deadly force if necessary. People have a right to keep guns for such a purpose. People also have a right to use guns in sporting activities and in the event that citizens should be called on to form a citizen militia. We do not, however, have a right to own all the latest people-killing technology. The People, through the government, can restrict some of the more deadly weapons being sold today.

Health - Liberty means the freedom to overcome physical limitations in order to better yourself, your family, your community, and your country.

Regulations - Liberty means the freedom to live and work in an environment that best allows individuals and families to grow in the pursuit of happiness. Bad air, bad water, bad living and working conditions only stifle that liberty.

Sexuality - Liberty means the freedom to share mutual intimate affection with the person of your choice, regardless of gender.

Substance Abuse - Liberty means the freedom to decide what you put in your body. Unless the use of a substance is a danger to unwilling victims, its use should be kept legal. In situations where use of a substance may or may not effect bystanders, regulations - such as in the case with tobacco - should be enacted to protect the bystander without denying the individual's choice to use the substance. Smoking and non-smoking areas in public places are a prime example of this.

Taxation - Liberty is found within a system. That system does not happen by itself. It is created and supported by us, the People, and it is funded by our labors. The money we pay in taxes is what allows us to thrive in Liberty and work in fairness. Reasonable taxation is necessary because without it, many of us would find it difficult to get paid even a fraction of what we are paid now. And those who benefit more from the system should expect to pay more to help support it.

Women's/Minority Rights - Liberty means the freedom to be valued and judged on talent and work, not on the physical characteristics over which we have no control.

In closing let me state that freedom sometimes brings situations we don't like. Some people will choose to use their freedom to engage in activities that go against our personal values. It is a great temptation to use our democratic rights to try and enshrine our own personal values - whether they come from religious or humanistic origins - in the laws of the nation. The inherent problem with this is that when Liberty is restrained by any one group's values, even if that group represents the majority of the population at the time, it can easily be changed from one generation to the next, meaning that you could be forced to live under someone else's values as easily as you might force someone to live under yours.

The only true defense of our values is the defense of our liberties.

If you don't want to be forced to live under a foreign set of values, don't force others to live under yours. Instead, fight for the freedom to believe as you want while others believe as they want. Freedom of choice, as long as it does not infringe on another's rights, is the foundation upon which this nation was built. Liberalism is the ideology that strives to defend that freedom for everyone. And for that reason it pleases me to no end to state that I am proud to be Liberal.
Christian Politics in the 21st Century.By Dr Sammy D.James
One thing we know for sure about politics in the next century is that Jesus Christ will still be Lord over all authorities on earth. This is the confession that Christians have made from the beginning. Whether living under democratic or authoritarian governments, whether persecuted or free, Christians have trusted that Christ rules the world both for judgement and for blessing. God's kingdom embraces the whole world, the entire creation. We also believe that because of God's patience the climax of Christ's kingdom lies in the future and will come by God's decision, not ours. Christian politics in the 21st century must grow from this faith. It will build on this confession: that Christ is Lord over all, and that the full and final revelation of his government is still to come.
Time for creative Christian thinking and engagement


What does this confession mean for us today - for Christians in every other corner of the world? The first thing it means is that we need to engage in new and creative thinking about Christian political responsibility. During most of the last 2000 years, Christian thinking about politics took shape in contexts that have either disappeared or are no longer predominant. With few exceptions, open societies with representative and constitutionally limited governments are new to the world: less than 100 years old in most places where some form of democracy is now practised.
No longer relevant for us are the arguments developed during the western Middle Ages to justify the Roman Church's superior authority over governments. Nor may we allow the idol of nationalism, which still grips the hearts of many Christians in Europe, the United States, and all over the world, to be our guide. Ideologies inspired by the longing for liberation from foreign colonialists or military conquerors are also inadequate to fashion the Christian framework we need to define just governments after liberation. And many practices that have helped promote economic growth and distributive welfare within countries are insufficient or irrelevant for establishing international practices that will be economically just.
This transition moment in human history offers Christians a tremendous opportunity to pray and work together in new ways for new political understanding, for an understanding that will allow us to become more faithful witnesses in politics to the God who rules the world through Jesus Christ.
Three competing visions


When we stop to ask about Christian politics in the 21st century, we should remind ourselves that after the recent collapse of international communism, there are three major visions of the world's future that still compete for the human heart. I speak here of world-transforming visions of global unity - of how all peoples on earth should eventually be united.


The dominant vision appears to be the human-centred one generated by western secularism: the vision of a world organised for the purpose of achieving perpetual economic and technological growth, governed by enlightened elite who seek to satisfy humanity's common desire for peace and prosperity. A second vision of the world's future is that of Islam - of the world brought to submission before God on Muslim terms. The third vision is the biblical one. It is the vision of Christ's king-dom fulfilled. As Paul explains to the Corinthians, this will come when Christ has reconciled all things to God and has defeated every evil, including death that stands in the way (I Cor. 15:24-8). Christ's kingdom, organised for the glory of God, embraces everything that is human, including all technological, economic, and political dimensions of life. But it will be achieved not by secular design or by Islamic quest, but by God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.


Our political challenge as Christians is to learn how to exercise our earthly political responsi-bilities in obedience to Christ. What does this mean? How should we conduct ourselves politically between the times of Christ's first and second comings? In most countries around the world, Bible-believing Christians are a minority. But whether a minority or a majority, it should make no difference as regards the principles Christians appeal to in exercising the political responsibilities they have.
Gaining a Christian perspective on politics


Far too many Christians have, for too long, approached politics as if it lies outside their primary responsibility as Christians. When the distinction is drawn between "church" and the "world," for example, it usually implies that politics, economics, science, technology, and mass media are part of "the world." The Christian life is thus confined to personal piety, to church activities, to family prayer and Bible study. From this point of view, a Christian's engagement in politics or business is seen as a step into the secular world where Christian principles may apply to one's personal behaviour but not to the structures and functions of the political order or the corporation.
From a biblical point of view, this dualistic distinction between church and world, between the sacred and the secular, is mistaken. Christ is lord of the whole world, over every dimension of creation. Non-Christian aims and purposes may predominate in politics, business, and the public media, but that does not mean these areas of life exist outside God's standards for creaturely life or outside the domain of Christ's kingdom. To the contrary, from a Christian point of view, we should see that, in Christ, believers have been called to bring every thought, every activity, every responsibility, captive to Christ. All of life is God's creation and is claimed by Christ. Or if we want to insist that the word "secular" means what it originally meant in Latin, namely, "of or pertaining to this world," then even the church is a secular institution. In either case, our conclusion will be the same: everything in all creation, including everything secular, belongs to God and comes under Christ's sacred authority and claim of ownership.
Christian politics, therefore, must amount to more than the attempt to maintain upright personal behaviour in a non-Christian environment. It must mean more than crusading for a few moral causes by political means. Christian politics must be about politics in its entirety. It must be about defining the very nature of government - about the structure, limits, and policy responsi-bilities of government. Our personal piety and heart-deep dedication to Jesus Christ should work their way out in the way we seek to obey God with all the political responsibilities we bear as public officials and as citizens.
When we approach politics this way, we can see that the political arena is neither neutral nor non-religious. Rather, it is a world shaped by the religiously deep drives, commitments, and habits of a culture. Politics is organised by the vision of life that controls citizens and governments. Our challenge now is to avoid the easy path of simply going along with democratic, economic, and technological changes as they occur. Instead, our challenge is to develop a coherent Christian political perspective that will allow us to make judgements about the justice and injustice of the changes taking place. Even more, we should be seeking, as Christians, to exercise as much leadership as possible - leadership in our national parliaments, in our governments, in international organisations - to propose principled policies and changes in political structures that advance justice domestically and internationally.
Dr Sammy
Come Dine.
We should not fear that such a bold approach would give the appearance that we are trying to inject Christianity where it does not belong. Other religions, including humanist secularism, are seeking to lead and direct society and politics. Religions are what constitute and direct people's lives. They encompass and drive different cultures and their institutions. And what we find throughout the world today is that different religions are increasingly competing with one another within the same society. Few places on earth have only one religion that integrates the entire culture. Christians, therefore, must take their faith seriously in political life as most other religions do.
If Christians mistakenly assume that their religion can be confined to private and personal life, they will fail to come to grips with the various religious visions that are competing to shape their society and its politics. In fact, those who operate with a privatised understanding of Christianity will not be sufficiently aware that they themselves are being shaped by religions other than Christianity. In public life they develop the habit of accommodating themselves to other religious visions that take the lead in shaping politics and society. This is what has happened over a long period of time in the United States. Most American Christians hold to some form of civil religion, or liberal progressivism, or economic materialism in public life. They do not realise how their lives have become divided between Christian faith and competing religious visions. They have become double-minded by accepting the division of reality into the sacred and the secular, into private Christianity and public secularity.
We must fight to overcome this dualism in the 21st century. We must encourage one another to build communities of coherent Christian witness, communities of obedience to God in Christ through whom we can work to develop thoroughly Christian approaches to politics, business, science, and the media. The body of Christ is a community that cannot survive without wholeheartedly living out of the Spirit of Christ, as branches living in the vine, which is Christ. If Christians try to follow two spirits or two or more "ways of life," they deny the truth of Christ and they will not bear fruit. They will be cut off as dead branches. Our entire way of life, including political life, must exhibit the religion that binds us, the lordship of the Christ who owns us, the Creator-Redeemer in and through whom all things exist and by whom all things are being reconciled to God.
Christian citizens and public officials need to think and work together to generate ideas, strategies, and reform proposals. Without the full-time labours of Christians dedicated to developing a Christian approach to politics, Christian citizens will be dependent on the thinking, strategies, and reform proposals generated by people with other views of life.
What should characterise Christian politics in the next century?
When Christians make the commitment to change their approach to politics so that it becomes part of their wholehearted service to God, what should they expect? What kind of politics should they be calling for in the 21st century? On what basis will they be joining together, as Christian citizens, to labour in the political arena of God's world?
For our purposes today, allow me to make five brief points.
1. Christian politics must always be principled and comprehensive.
In politics, whether in the legislative chambers or in the executive branch of government, political issues come and go, and they usually require highly focused attention. One day the issue is defence policy, another day it may be welfare or education, the next it is monetary policy. Issues will often come to public attention in a crisis situation, as a matter of urgency. Even without a crisis, diverse opinions will be voiced and the time for weighing evidence and making decisions will be short. These are not the circumstances in which Christian officials will have time to construct a political philosophy and a comprehensive framework for evaluating specific issues. They will have to rely on what they already know and on the expertise of others. The groundwork of Christian thinking must have already been laid. The principled vision must already control the actors. The ability to relate each issue to the principles of justice involved must already belong to the decision-makers.THE CHRISTIAN AND POLITICS
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).
One would think that after a verse like that, no further commentary would be necessary. However, in light of increasing involvement of professing Christians in politics it has become necessary to expound more specifically such texts. Every Christian is a soldier of the Lord, and like it or not, is engaged in warfare. And one reason why so many wage an ineffective spiritual warfare, not being able to “fight the good fight of faith,” is entanglements. This world system dangles before every Christian various spider-webs of entanglement, and politics is one of those. The Lord, the One who enlisted us as soldiers, is never pleased with any such entanglement, let us be clear about that at the outset. Why, then, do Christians become entangled in politics?

Mixed Motives

Putting the best possible construction on the situation, we must say first of all that there are those who entangle themselves because in their heart they really believe that they are doing good and that God does not object, but rather approves. As our text insists, they are sadly, but honestly mistaken. There is nothing wrong with wanting things to be better, or being against injustice and the like. To those who feel that way, we say that we share their desire. But politics is tricky business, and there are others with other motives, such as fame, money, power, and self-aggrandizement. Of course, the only way to have those things that the political system offers is to be voted in, and to be voted in you must, among other things, be popular with people. And to be popular with people, you must tell them that you are interested in helping them and serving them, or else you'll get no votes from them. So there remains a serious question about the purity of motives and the depth of true, untarnished, humanitarian interest in all politicians. Those who deny it are either naive or not completely honest. The trouble is, a good number of people seem to not want to face that reality. Politics offers not only what it tells you, namely, improvements, but also power and fame and money. Those who sincerely enter for “good” motives soon find themselves in a large tree where many other birds can and do roost, or to put it another way, they find themselves in an entanglement. But this involves the voters, too, and not just those who run for office. Think of the hours spent campaigning and listening to campaigns. Think also of the money spent in the most modest campaign, and ask yourself if this time and money would not do more if invested in the kingdom of God, the progress of the gospel? They answer that it is ridiculous to suppose that alternative, because the political parties will not spend money on the gospel. We must reply, then, with the simple question, “Then what is a Christian doing entangled with them, devoting time and money to such things?”

Black Holes In Space

Perhaps you're aware of the discovery of what they call “black holes in space,” those collapsed stars, extremely dense, whose gravitational pull even draws light rays from nearby stars into them to disappear forever. Nothing ever appears again once it enters. That is an illustration of what has happened to some Christians, and will happen to others, who give their time and energy to the politics of this planet. It is a hopeless situation. Think about it, how many years of recorded history are there on this planet? Something over 3,000. How many of the basic problems of mankind today are the same as when they began? All of them. Selah. How many sins has man eliminated in all these thousands of years? Not one. Just think of all the myriads of kings, governors, parliaments, congresses, courts, and other officials and governing bodies that there have been. From all over the world, in every age, in every conceivable circumstance, they have been trying politics from every possible human angle of approach, and they still have not been able to solve mankind's problems. No, dear Christian, they don't merit one cent of the money nor one second of the time that God has entrusted to us as stewards who will give account.
On the other hand, consider the gospel. How many of the basic problems of mankind does the gospel solve? “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). What can repair marriages? The gospel. What can reform prisoners? The gospel. What can affect employer/employee relations? The gospel. What can guarantee the care of the elderly and sick? The gospel. Every time a person gets saved he becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit, and not only changes inwardly, but outwardly as well, and so his change affects those around him, permanently. Consider, then, which is the best investment of time regarding the world and it's problems. Politics, or the gospel? But don't make the mistake of trying to mix them, they're like oil and water!
There has never been a political system that has ushered in the millennium, nor will there be. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will personally introduce that era when He comes to reign in glory. What the politicians can do, as history proves, is rearrange the problems, treat the symptoms of sin, and even at times impede its advance, but they can't eliminate it. Therefore the Christian who becomes involved in the politics of this world unfortunately sees his time and money disappear into this “black hole in space,” instead of seeing them invested in the gospel and bringing him everlasting results. Politics cannot produce those kinds of results. Why not? Because mankind's basic problem is spiritual in nature, and not related in any way to political science. If someone has pneumonia, they need internal medicine and not a band-aid. The gospel gives man that internal medicine that he needs, but politics can only offer a band-aid.

Human Government Established By God

“But,” they argue back, “in Romans 13 and other passages the Bible supports human government going back as far as the time of Noah after the flood. After all, God ordained human government.” That is correct, God ordained human government. But He did not ordain all the accompanying political science that adorns government today. Neither did He ordain government to be the Savior of mankind. Politics cannot save souls or produce a truly better world to live in.
More laws! Better laws! Enforced laws! More law enforcers!” they cry to us. Well, if these are the tools of the politicians, then they only make loud confession that politics is not working, or else why would such things be needed? Yet they propose to us that through these administrative, executive, and judicial functions the Christian can serve God in the world today by making it a better place in which to live. Are they ignorant or arrogant who hang their hopes on such ideas? Let us ask a question. Who can make better laws than God? Is not His law good, perfect, and holy? But when will Christians learn that the law, not even God's Law, cannot impart to us the needed power to keep it? You cannot eliminate sin or wickedness by legislation, but you can by salvation.

Moral Obligation

Eliminate sin - that is a feat that the best of political scientists is absolutely powerless to achieve. So they tell us that they know they can't eliminate sin, but that Christians have a moral obligation to get involved (entangled) in government/politics as a means of restraining lawlessness. Well then, let them produce verses, in context, to support such claims. The Bible tells us in plain language that as Christians we have a moral obligation to obey the law, but it never tells us that we have a so-called moral obligation to become involved in politics. No, not even once.

Combating Humanism

No true Christian is in favor of any form of humanism or its creeds. On that we are agreed. However, it is a favorite approach of Christian political activists to alarm the Christian community with reports/statistics of how the humanists are taking over the government and what will happen as a result. They propose that we should all go to the polls and vote for the pro-Christian candidates to prevent this. The idea is to organize Christians as a powerful voting block. To this end they even produce reports and voting guides for Christians, giving the profiles of the views of different candidates on the issues. For example, they said we all should have voted for Reagan because he is for prayer in public schools and against abortion. So in not four, but eight years of President Reagan which of those two very specific issues has been solved? What they couldn't tell you is that the President wouldn't do anything about those items, but that he would subject himself and the affairs of the nation he represents to such occult influence as astrology. That is just one example. However, the main problem is not the surprises that elected officials produce, but the basic idea of fighting humanism in government by what amounts to a Christian version of humanism - producing a man/men who have the answers. Does man have the answers?

Human Responsibility

“What about our human responsibility?” they insist. “What are we supposed to do, then, just sit in Sunday School and let the world get worse and worse?” They insist that we cannot take such an passive and unrealistic approach to problems, but that it is our responsibility to vote, to campaign for certain candidates, and even to run for office so as to have Christians in government. The cry of “human responsibility!” is intended to wake us up to the fact that we're being overly spiritual and, in their eyes, irresponsible in the matter, taking an extreme position. In these days of “balance,” “balance,” and more “balance”, calling someone extreme is like calling them a heretic. But the early Christians were extreme enough to not get involved in politics, not even a little.
Another angle of attack is when we are told, “if you don't vote, then don't complain later about who is in office or what they do.” That's a nice political-scientist cliche, intended to shame us into entangling ourselves, but we reply that we will not complain, because it is a sin to do so, even if you do vote! And isn't it odd how the very ones who campaign and vote are the ones who are the most vocal with their complaints? Think about it.
Yet we must answer in the affirmative regarding our human responsibility. We do believe very much in being responsible Christians. But that responsibility is defined for the Christian by the Bible, not by university professors or political scientists or campaign advertisements. First of all, it is the responsibility and obligation of every Christian to PRAY as the Lord teaches us in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. This tremendous responsibility is often neglected by professing Christians. Some are disinterested. Others say they don't have time. Let us ask the Christian political activists how regular and consistent and fervent their personal prayer lives are, and if they are consistently devoted to the prayer meeting of their local assembly? If not, they should be ashamed to talk about responsibility to others. They talk about “putting feet to your prayers” - one of those sayings not found in the Bible. How about putting knees to your prayers? How about putting fasting to your prayers? God did say to pray, but He did NOT say to vote. Think about this - we can do more in 5 minutes on our knees in prayerful communion with God than we can do if 5 minutes in a voting booth. So why do they offer to provide transportation to vote but not to prayer meetings? A look at the private prayer lives of many, and the attendance at the prayer meetings of their churches, will tell you why professing Christians turn to politics. They do so because they believe that politics gets results, and that prayer doesn't. What kind of Christianity is that?
Second, we believe strongly that it is our human responsibility and moral obligation as Christians to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). We believe that we should follow the example of the early Christians, who according to Acts 8:4 “went everywhere preaching the word.” If we really believe this, then we believe that we can do more by going door-to-door for Christ, or by distributing gospel literature, than by canvassing door-to-door for some politician, however pious. Which campaign should we work for and support? The gospel campaign! What a shame it is to see some spending time and money in politics, laboring tirelessly, devotedly, always talking about politics and candidates and votes. They do it so well that they have little or no time for testimony or impact for Christ in the way that the early Christians did. They are entangled, and it is wrong, and Christ is not pleased. How much worse is the case when their own local church is struggling along and in need of help, or when we consider the tremendous amount of work that remains to be done in planting and edifying assemblies of God's people around the world. What responsibility to these who are involved in politics feel towards seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as the Bible commands?

Love Not The World
1 John 2:15 instructs us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” This is violated by those who give themselves to politics. It is never our responsibility to help the world system nor much less to love it. Yet they will tell us openly that they love politics! They pursue the mirage of doing good through politics in a way that the unsaved political scientists admire. But politics is something that the world has produced, not God. It is one of the things that is in the world. If you don't believe that, just read Luke 4:5-8 and see who is behind this world's kingdoms. We must remember that the world is an orderly system, organized and headed by the devil, leaving God out, designed for the purpose of making man happy without God. Why should any Christian want to mix with such a system, much less find it lovable? What communion has light with darkness? What ever happened to “come out from among them and be ye separate?”
The problem is often a case of misplaced love. As someone said, “Some Christians love the world so much that they anticipate making it their heaven.” But God expressly prohibits love of and entanglement with the world system. His Son received no justice from the best-developed political system that the world of that day knew, the Roman empire. The Holy Spirit, speaking by Paul, warned the Christians in Corinth against going to law and seeking justice before the unjust (1 Cor. 6:1-8). To whom does he refer as “unjust”? The context is clear, he refers to the lawmakers/enforcers of that day as “the unjust.” Why? Not just because spiritually speaking they are unjust in God's sight, but also because for the Christian, that is NOT the way to solve problems. But we are then told that Paul himself got involved in the political/legal system in order to continue propagating Christianity. They cite for us his trials first in Caesarea and then in Rome. Need we remind them that it was his unsaved enemies, and not Paul, who brought all that about? Also remember that the same system that freed Paul after his first trial in Rome later condemned and martyred him. And in all his trials there were never any votes or petitions or demonstrations concerning getting him released. It doesn't present a very solid case for the “Christian political scientists.”

Verses, Please
It's time we thought about asking these folks to defend their position from the Scriptures. What verses do they find that clearly teach the obligation of Christian political involvement? Careful! Don't let them quote you any verses about Moses or Daniel or Nehemiah or the good kings of Israel, all of whom were Jews, promised by God a land, a king, and a kingdom, all here on the earth. The Christian, on the other hand, is never promised any such thing, nor encouraged to get involved in the kingdoms of this world. His hope is heavenly, not earthbound (see Colossians 3:1-4). The Lord Jesus’ words to Pilate are full of meaning for us: “My kingdom is not of this world, else would my servants fight” (John 18:36). Since we are questioning them about “Christian” political involvement, they will have to give us some New Testament verses, teaching of the Lord or His apostles, that clearly and unmistakably teach Christians to become involved in any way in politics. Oops - there are none! This is one reason why saying “verses please” infuriates some religious politicians, because they know they cannot produce any!

Citizens Of Heaven
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). A citizen of one country cannot participate in the politics of another. That is a forgotten part of the Christian life. We are citizens of heaven. Some will argue for dual citizenship, that is, in heaven and in an earthly country at the same time. But this is merely what men impose by their laws, and is not something that requires our active participation. Our interests and our activities should be “heaven-oriented”, and we should decline to become entangled in another kingdom. Let us be like those of Hebrews 11, who “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return, But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Those heroes of the faith knew nothing of being entangled with the affairs of this life. They were “underwhelmed” with what the world system had to offer them, because they fixed the eye of faith on the promises of God, and desired a BETTER country. Did God tell them that they were being irresponsible? Did He tell them that they were so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good? No! The Scripture says, “God is not ashamed to be called their God.” This expression by implication introduces the possibility of living in such a way as to make God ashamed of our use of His name. Those who live separated from the world system do not make God ashamed. Are we in their company? Christians, let us remember that our heavenly citizenship is to be real, practical, not just a theory. Part of the practical application is to not become in any way involved with the politics of this present evil world. The same is true of those who are ambassadors. They most certainly may not become active in the politics of the country where they live. Their relationship is with another country, and there alone may they participate in such affairs. We, as Christians, are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), and our activity should be with the things of His kingdom. We should not become involved (entangled) in this world's politics.

The Example of Moses
Some try to use him as an example of a man using political influence to achieve good. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that God let Moses be educated 40 years in “the university of Egypt”, but it is also true that after that God sent him for 40 years to the silence and solitude of the desert to care for sheep. Only then was he ready. Hebrews 11 speaks of the example of Moses:
“By faith, Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Friends, the Biblical record is clear. Moses forsook the politics of Egypt: the name and the fame; the pleasures and the treasures. Yes, he is an example of faith for us. He could've tried to make Egypt a better place to live, but he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. That is a truth that we know precious little of anymore in practice: the experience of suffering affliction as the people of God. We have been sidetracked, entangled into fighting for our rights and privileges like the rest of the world. Not Moses. Perhaps he could've been the next Pharaoh, or at the least one of the most influential people in Egypt. But he gave it up to shepherd God's flock. Some assembly leaders could learn from his example. Instead of giving half of our available time to the assembly (a generous estimate!) and half to politics, whatever happened to that song we used to sing?:

All for Jesus, All for Jesus!
All my being's ransomed pow'rs:
All my tho'ts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I've lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit's vision,
Looking at the Crucified.

Did you notice those words: “Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside”? No wonder Tozer said that Christians tell more lies when they sing hymns than at all other times put together. The way around that problem in many churches is simply not to sing the old hymns, whose stanzas contain a message. They opt for the new light-weight choruses that are repetitive and shallow, and avoid the heavy, committing, convicting stuff!

“Looking at the Crucified” is a good expression of how to live. We should live as seeing by faith (not a vision) Him who is invisible, as Moses did. May the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified for us and raised for our justification, be all our vision and fill all our vision. May we go deeper than superficial, professing Christianity, and learn what it means to say: “for to me to live is Christ,” as the Apostle Paul did. Then we don't have to worry about who to vote for any longer.

When you stop and think about it, it is a pretty pathetic history. “They” told us to vote for Nixon, who turned out to be a bizarre man who broke the law and cursed with the foulest language those who pursued him. Then they said vote for Carter, who not only fumbled in office but also has turned out to be an ecumenical. Then it was “vote for Reagan,” only we found out later they must have meant Nancy, and her astrology. In eight years of Reagan’s administration that was supposedly favorable to the “evangelicals,” they did not gain one single thing from the federal government. There was no improvement under Bush. As for Clinton, as a church attending Baptist, he disgraced the office and the Baptists with his vanity, lies and adultery, not to mention his support for homosexuals. Some breathe a sigh of relief now that Bush the son is in the White House, but he has already shown the same truth-damaging ecumenical leanings. When will some people learn that the answer is not in Washington? The Lord Jesus is still saying, “come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Yes, it is a gospel verse, but there is a very real application for the Christian who in faith turns away from this world's politics to find rest in the Lord Jesus.

What The Future Holds

“...Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11). Who would go into a condemned building and start painting the walls and replacing broken windows? Who would stay on a sinking ship washing dirty dishes in the galley? That's what it is like to become entangled in this world and its politics. Not only is it prohibited, not only is it not pleasing to the Lord, but it is wasting precious resources that the Savior could use for His glory. Wasted hours, wasted funds, wasted lives! The ship is going down, the building is condemned, reserved for fire. What God is doing in this age is not improving society, but saving souls and adding them to the church through the proclamation of the gospel. Don't be a cinder soul, saved as by fire, with years and works burnt, consumed, dissolved in the fire of God's judgment. The logic of the Holy Spirit in 2 Peter 3 is that since we know the end of the world and its works, we ought to be different, holy, godly, not earthbound and worldly.

It is o.k. to go to the beach and build a sand castle for fun, but not to invest your life in playing with sand castles. A few waves roll over them and the beach is smooth again. You can't even tell where the castle was. That is what the future holds for those who insist on Christian politics. They are adults playing with sand castles - investing their lives in them. The world and all its works will be dissolved. The waves of God's judgment will roll over this planet, and the works of those Christians who got involved (entangled) in politics will be erased. The beach will be smooth, and we won't even be able to tell where their “castles” were. What a sad day that will be, and may we each avoid that tremendous disappointment. There are no crowns offered in heaven for being in politics. But there are crown’s waiting for faithful elders, for saints who suffer for righteousness sake, and for those who win others to the Lord. How much better to invest our lives, the time and money that we have, in proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and making disciples. Allow me to exhort you in the Lord’s Name, even as I say these things to my self: Listen to His voice! Renounce the world system. Heed His command!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (2 Cor.15:58).

Remember this refrain that we have heard before:

Only one life, 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Let the world take its human responsibility, and continue to do with it what it has done for thousands of years. The Scriptures teaches us not to get entangled with them. As for you, my friend, when are you going to decide to use your one life, the only one you have, for Christ. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time! Decide to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. Decide to take your Christian responsibility to pray, to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Then you may rest assured that you will see the difference in eternity between those who lived confessing that they were strangers and pilgrims, and those who sought to mix Christianity and politics. May God give you grace to live a separated and devoted life, for the One who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. To Him be the glory forever, amen.