Go Tell That Fox

If we are thinking Biblically, then we should be allowing the principles of Scripture, infused with the Holy Spirit, to govern our actions. Colossians 2 issues this warning:
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

There you have it - He is the head, it is the Lord Jesus whom we serve.  Our regard for human leaders should be subservient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  If He is at the center of our affection, then we will find ourselves relying on Him for the decisions we make and the direction of our lives.  Jesus is the King and Judge, He is the great Lawgiver, and our participation in and with human government should reflect we have that in the forefront of our minds.

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Over the last month, in a variety of churches, governmental leaders - you could call them political figures, visited churches.  One, a U.S. representative, visited a church in California.  Another, a former U.S. President, came to a church in Texas.  In the U.K., a member of the British royalty visited a church there.  

These occurrences, one in particular, it seems - generated debate about the role of politics and the church. On her website, well-known Christian author and Congressional candidate Heidi St. John echoed a theme that she shared on The Meeting House program.  She wrote in the introduction to one of her podcasts:

I reject the idea that Christianity and politics don’t mix. Churches aren’t prioritizing cultural issues, or we don’t understand what’s actually at stake. While this is not a theocracy, Christians need to be on the forefront of this cultural discussion. We must get #offthebench and #ontothebattlefield!

After one of the so-called "political" visits, there were warnings about mixing religion and politics, with the contention expressed that faith + politics = politics.  I don't think that idea is necessarily true.

In a FoxNews.com op-ed piece, Faith Radio programmer Robert Jeffress highlighted the injection of Biblical ideas into political outcomes, writing:

If Christ had never come, our nation as we know it would not exist. America was founded on the idea that "all men are created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." This singular truth led to the end of slavery and fueled the civil rights movement.

Before Christ came, there was no widespread belief in the inherent dignity and equality of each person. No pre-Christian political body ever had anything like the 14th Amendment, which gives every single person the full and equal protection of the law. Our modern sense of justice would simply be unimaginable apart from the birth and life and teachings of Jesus.

If Christ had not come, the daily lives of most people would look drastically different. Nearly every institution that enriches our lives, from charities to hospitals to universities, was founded by Christians who were responding to what happened at Christ’s advent.

If those today cautioning against mixing religion and politics had their way in the past, these achievements would not have occurred.  But Jeffress didn't merely emphasize what some would call the "political," he wrote:

Christmas is the annual reminder of the wonderful fact that we don’t ever have to live in an alternate, no-Christmas reality. Because Christ did come, we have a Bible in which every prophecy has been fulfilled, we have a Savior who has paid the penalty for our sin, we have a sympathetic friend in heaven who empathizes with our difficulties, and we have a hope waiting for us beyond the grave.

There are some who believe that Jesus kept out of politics. But, a passage in Luke 13 seems to suggest otherwise:

31 On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."
32 And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'
33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

Now, the Pharisees seem to have sold out to the Roman government, and even looked to Pontius Pilate to do their dirty work concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus, in fact, told Pilate in John 19:
10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"
11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."

I have just shared with you two examples of incidences in which Jesus called out what you could consider political leaders.  Romans 13 tells us that governmental authority is established by God.  1st Timothy 2 instructs us to pray for those leaders.  I would submit that if more Christians were involved in political matters, we might just have more of a Christian influence in our culture. And, if more evangelical Christians voted, there would certainly be a difference. 

We can consider how our worldview is shaped and how our actions are driven by that worldview. We should always make sure that Scripture is informing how we see the world, and make sure that the Holy Spirit is leading in all our decisions.  But, we should not be so consumed with politics that we revere those figures more than we exalt Christ.  God is the One who is to be exalted, Christ is our King and Judge, and our primary devotion is to Him.