Some evangelical leaders have been quoted as saying our nation elects “a president, not a pastor,” explaining that – in electing a president (and, presumably, other government officials) – they are willing to ignore Christian values in the interest of electing someone who will “get things done,” in other words, further their own political agenda.
But why does the political agenda of these leaders (and their followers) so often appear to undermine the values taught and modeled by Jesus?
Maybe they’re viewing Jesus through the lens of their politics.
For me, if Jesus is to truly come first in my life, then my faith in Jesus must shape my politics, rather than the other way around.
But what exactly are Christ’s values? And how do they relate to the issues at stake in the U.S. and world of 2018?
Here’s what Jesus says in the Beatitudes portion (Matthew 5: 3-12) of the Sermon on the Mount, with each Beatitude followed, in italics, by how we might think of applying it as we consider our voting choices:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit
. . . not those who boast and bully - Blessed are those who mourn
. . . with those who suffer tragedy, and then take action to change the circumstances that lead to such tragedies - Blessed are the meek
. . . seeking the common good through compromise and understanding rather than domination - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
. . . favoring principle over partisanship . . . listening to those who have been abused, providing healing and holding their abusers accountable - Blessed are the merciful
. . . favoring redemption over punishment and retribution - Blessed are the pure in heart
. . . seeking the best for all people, even (especially?) those different than them - Blessed are the peacemakers
. . . diligently seeking peace for and among all peoples, recognizing that war and violence make losers of us all - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness
. . . facing persecution with faithfulness to the highest purposes and principles
Pie in the sky? Not realistic? Jesus dealt in the possible, saying that with God all things are possible. Human relations are certainly messy, making all of this challenging. But Jesus never called us to an easy life . . . he called us to take up our cross and follow him.
In part 2, I’ll look at Jesus’ teaching in another gospel passage and how we might apply its values to the issues in this election.
Go to: Part 2: The Sheep and the Goats Part 3: What do Christ’s values have to do with government?