Issue #20 — Kingdom Politics I
The first in a series
Recently, I started a class I have called “Kingdom Politics.” Given that our ministry year theme at Faith Reformed is “Life in the Kingdom” and given that we’re in an election year, it only made sense to offer a class combining the two.
I told people in the class that I would use the next couple issues of this newsletter to deliver content related to this class. If you’re a recipient that is uninterested, I hope you’ll hang on until afterward.
This is the objective of the class: that participants (including me!) would evaluate our current approach to political engagement and do what’s necessary to adopt a more Kingdom-driven approach.
I’m not interested in telling people who to vote for, but rather, I’m interested in a collective evaluation of how our way of being can reflect the Kingdom and how the Kingdom of God can affect the way we think through issues.
We will have five classes before the election is upon us, with the following schedule:
Sept. 15 — Surfacing our mental models of political engagement
Sept. 22 — Principles that guide our way of being
Oct. 6 — Obstacles to overcome and Pitfalls to avoid
Oct. 13 & 20 — Diagonalization and Transcendence (thinking through specific issues)
Here’s a summary of the classes we’ve had thus far:
Sept. 15: Surfacing our mental models of political engagement
If we are going to adopt a political approach that reflects the Kingdom of God, we first need to surface our current approach (our beliefs, values, actions, etc.). Once we have surfaced our current mental model, we can test it against the Kingdom of God, keeping the pieces that align and seeking to discard the pieces that do not.
I talked at length about mental models in the sermon on Sept. 8 (see here) and in order to surface mental models during the class, I had people do the autobiographical exercise HERE. If you haven’t done this before, I strongly encourage you to do so!
I ended this class by having people fill out a brief survey (here) about sources they use and questions they have. During the class on the next week, I shared the results. You can view my slides here, but of course, you’re missing my commentary. I was most impressed by the number of people that access sources that represent different biases so that they can compare what they’re hearing.
Sept. 22 — Principles that guide our way of being
Before we start thinking through particular issues and evaluating specific candidates, I first want us to assess the principles we invoke as we engage politically, whether online, in person, or simply in our own hearts & minds.
In other words, when we encounter political statements, signs, soundbites, and the like, what governs our way of being? Are our actions, in both word and deed, reflective of the Kingdom of God or the prevailing culture?
In class, I had people use this worksheet here to brainstorm their own principles and then, through both small group and large group conversation, we started generating a short list that included the following (we had rigorous discussion about each):
Truth/honesty — being truthful and honest when we speak and sharing resources that are the same (not spreading falsehoods)
Compassion — just as Jesus had compassion on the crowds, trying to have the same compassion for people whether they be those toward whom policies are aimed or those in particular political camps
Grace — showing grace toward all, whether they be candidates or neighbors or whomever
Curiosity — especially towards those that don’t immediately share our views. Rather than assuming we know their perspective, seeking clarity in a nonjudgmental way. (fits hand-in-glove with compassion and grace)
Calm/Gentle — as much as possible, being secure in Christ so that we can bring a different energy to many political spaces
Being direct — when wanting to address something with an individual, being direct (one-on-one) rather than publicly shaming the person
Of course, this list was incomplete. It was also collective rather than personal. So, I gave an assignment between this session and next:
Ask and answer this question more thoroughly: What are the primary principles that guide your political engagement?
AND, evaluate yourself: to what extent are you actually living into these expressed principles??
My Principles
As an act of integrity and as an example, please allow me to share some of my principles. In addition to affirming the principles stated in class, I would add some of these:
love — I want to love in such a way that I love my ‘enemies,’ both domestic and abroad. I also want to love others in such a way that strongly considers outcomes that benefit others instead of just myself. I refuse to demonize people, whether candidates (Harris, Trump, Bergman, Coffia), supporters, or whomever.
decency — the way of Jesus prevents me from acting in angry, vitriolic ways. I refuse to embrace the inflammatory rhetoric so popular in our culture (this includes “Let’s Go Brandon!” … and it’s new cousin “Let’s Go Brenda!”)
humility — I don’t know everything and I’m willing to admit when I get things wrong and my policy preferences turn out poorly. Moreover, I refuse to participate in what-aboutism because it lacks humility and integrity.
accountability — like Jesus, I reserve my sternest words of accountability for those inside the church (he was stern with the religious leaders of the day and unbelievably graceful toward those on the margins).
I will freely admit that I struggle to maintain integrity around these principles and the six articulated above. If I am not careful to ground myself in my Christ-centered identity and my Kingdom citizenship, I am prone to adhere to cultural values that contradict the way of Jesus. If I compare myself to the worst offenders, I’m doing great! But if I compare myself to the high bar of the Kingdom of God, I have a lot of potential for growth.
One last resource
In the class on the 22nd, I shared something making the rounds on social media. It’s a list of “10 Guidelines for Christian Voters” from the Assemblies of God in 1984. I have not been able to verify it’s legitimacy, but it seems to be legit. Regardless, it provides a great example of what it might look like to articulate “guiding principles of political engagement”:
Okay, that’s all for now. More in the days to come …