11/29/19 Roberto (see conversation HERE)
So, I’m learning how to share the Gospel in a tactful, winsome manner. But what happens when politics get thrown in? Worse yet, what happens when I discover I’m talking with a politician?
He didn’t tell me right away, but I started to suspect that
a man named Roberto was a politician when he summed up his religious beliefs
with one word – “love”. This is probably
the most politically correct word one can use.
Who can argue with love? Who
wouldn’t vote for a politician who claims to have love as the guiding principal
for everything he does?
After all, didn’t Jesus Himself say love is the most
important commandment? So why is it that
so many politicians who identify as Christians don’t seem very loving these
days? For his part, Roberto identified
as a good catholic Christian, but he really didn’t like the idea of being held
accountable to any biblical description of love, reserving the right to define
it for himself.
Roberto referenced Jesus’ summary of the law – to “love the
Lord with all your heart..” and “to love your neighbor as yourself”. Sounds simple enough, but I believe there is
a purpose to the order in which these two commands are given. To put our love for God first before our love
for our neighbor means that rather than loving our neighbors on their terms, we
are called to love our neighbor according to God’s terms.
And God is not always politically correct.
Roberto talked with me about a good friend of mine whom he
also knows, whose love for God has led him to run for public office. My friend is a man of principle, and doesn’t
want to back down in the face of the corruption and mediocrity he sees in our
government. He believes in the power of
democracy over the tyranny of the powerful.
But there’s just one problem with that. Democracy, by its very nature, requires
compromise.
Where does that put the person striving to be an uncompromising
and principled politician? Maybe we need
to be honest about the limitations of democracy. After all, though the Jewish and Roman
leaders plotted against him, Jesus was essentially crucified through a
democratic process. It’s called mob
rule.
Maybe we need to admit that the majority opinion is not
always the morally superior opinion, and, more often than not, it is becoming
the opinion of instant gratification that is willing to sell the inheritance of
future generations for the short-term benefit of our own.
What we need is love, yes, but a tough love that protects us
against our own foolish and short-sighted choices, a love that puts up with our negative
pushback in order to enforce our long-term welfare as a society. Democracy reduces so many political decisions
to binary choices that defy an obvious good verses evil narrative, but are simply
a judgement call for the lesser of two evils or the greater good.
Because of the need for compromise and making less than
honorable choices, maybe what we need are God-fearing politicians who don’t
claim to represent God or religion in their public decisions, but who take the
responsibility for success or failure upon themselves, who know how to game the
system, to hold their cards close to their chest, to use non-literal speech
such as exaggeration and embellishments, to strategize, to hold political
grudges, to argue, to risk making enemies, and a host of many other messy
behaviors we don’t generally think of as “Christian”.
We read in James 4:4:
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world
means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the
world becomes an enemy of God.” Yet
democracy in a diverse society such as our own requires that we make alliances
with worldly people and groups who may not share our beliefs or values but with
whom we have some common goals.
Maybe Jesus was also referring to Christian politicians when
he said “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd
as snakes and as innocent as doves.” He
also said “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit
their soul?”
So my friend, who will go unnamed here, as you run for office
please know that I understand what a difficult path you are on, that this is an
extremely complicated world to take a stand in, that you may have to compromise
your principles from time to time, but that ultimately I hope you will be
willing to make short-term sacrifices of your own popularity for the sake of
your love for God and the long-term benefit of society.
And Roberto, my hope is that - as a politician - your love
for your neighbor will be guided by your love for God and His holy Word, even
as you find you must keep that God card very close to your chest.
Thanks, Roberto, for allowing me to record our
conversation! It can be seen on my YouTube channel HERE at https://youtu.be/1HPCPWUI338
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