The Politics of the Kingdom
I recently had the chance to sit down with our congressman to discuss concerns I had with some of his policy stances and his combative tone on the news and Twitter. We had briefly worked together 20 years ago on a campaign and had stayed in touch on social media. Over the past few years, I watched myself grow frustrated and angry about things I disagreed with, and I made lots of judgmental assumptions in my mind about him. I have talked a lot about “walking with people, not standing on issues” and I felt convicted to meet with him in person - to practice what I preached. I knew it was possible to firmly hold him accountable and call him out on a few things without devaluing him as a person.
As I sat at a local coffee shop waiting for the meeting, I felt peaceful as I went over my notes and questions. Earlier that morning, I had practiced contemplative prayer, which is truly a practice and often a tough one for me. As a person who has spent 30 years “doing” for Jesus, my mind and heart are rewiring to be comfortable “being” with Jesus. Sometimes I hear from Jesus and sometimes I still can’t get my mind off the worries of the day. That day, I pictured Jesus talking with our congressman with a posture of compassion and curiosity. I decided to enter the meeting the same way.
And so I did. This particular congressman claims to be an evangelical Christian, and much of his commentary is centered around issues of religious liberty and culture wars. He has credited the former president for “teaching us to fight back against attacks on American culture and family”. I asked him to define what American culture he wanted to protect - the white Christian one, or the pluralistic multinational one that really makes up our country. With curiosity I asked him why he took a stance on certain issues, why he invoked such fearful language on social media, continuously creating an “us versus them” narrative, and if he truly believed some of the things he was saying. I gently (I hope!) called out his rhetoric and said that as people who love Jesus we are called to be humble, to have self-control, and to be peacemakers. We can defend our position on issues without name calling and fear mongering. I told him as a Jesus follower I believe there are ways to bring people together - that sitting around a table we can probably name more similarities than differences - and while we won’t always agree, we can at least come to a common understanding that people want safety, health, good education, and more for themselves and their loved ones. I asked for better leadership in a political climate dominated by lies and misinformation. I calmly laid out how many Christians like me in his district felt differently about many issues than he did, and that many of those issues are nuanced and involve an understanding of loving people and knowing a person’s story.
“Who do you think you are?” you might be thinking. I know I asked that of myself before the meeting. Thoughts had been racing through my mind, including “What good will this do?”, “politics will always be dishonorable”, and “he won’t change his mind.” Other people had told me that the world is too far gone to make any difference.
I felt compelled to speak up because we live in the “now but not yet”. N.T. Wright says, “the immediate stage between the resurrection of Jesus and the renewal of the whole world is the renewal of human beings…it means people are invited to come in, to join the party, to discover forgiveness of the past, an astonishing destiny in God’s future, and a vocation in the present.” We have work to do, but we don’t have to do it alone.
Kaitlyn Schiess, author of the incredible book “The Liturgy of Politics”, stated “the church isn’t a loose collection of individual believers with individual callings. We are a people with a commission to seek the flourishing of creation.” She goes on to say, “the church is gathered as a people who have all of creation as their horizon of concern. The church is a political body in that it is interested in the common good and not in the sense that it is a political party with members to represent.” That’s a lot to unpack - read her book for more!
This kingdom work Jesus calls us to can be expressed in the realm of politics - not partisanly (though we will have our opinions) but through faith expressing itself through love. How can we do that as part of Canvas Community?
We are called to be peacemakers - standing up for the marginalized and oppressed and working for restoration.
We are listeners, asking good questions, especially to people we might disagree with or don’t understand, and we especially listen to our Creator who breathes life and love into all things.
We are creators, engaging in political systems in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, non-profit organizations, and voting booths.
We grow together, partaking in sacraments and liturgies, learning contemplative practices, and taking time not only to rejoice but to lament on issues that affect us personally and as a society.
We learn from each other within the beauty of community, sharpening each other and growing in wisdom and understanding.
Politics will never be the ideal we want it to be. But small steps taken individually and communally give us a little taste of Jesus’ kingdom here and now. I want to engage in politics by following Jesus, who constantly rejected the misuse of power and persistently sought the good of the sick, poor, and outcast. Often, this has meant voting for policies that benefit people other than myself. This November, will you join me in being curious about how we can engage in politics from the perspective of Jesus in the Gospels?
— Jenni Smith
