In our culture today, politics is seen by the Body of Christ as one of those yucky, muddy things that we don’t want to have anything to do with. Yet, whether we realize it or not, politics and government affect our lives more than anything else.

As Christians, when we start participating in the culture we discover some harsh realities. People are not always kind, and it is not easy to be a Christ-follower engaging within a hostile world.

Jesus taught that the first shall be last, the last shall be first, and whoever would be the greatest must be the servant of all (Matthew 19:30, Mark 10:43-44). This is an “upside-down kingdom.”

It’s here. As surely as the leaves are turning color and there’s a chill in the air. There’s no avoiding or escaping it, hope as we might. There’s no ignoring its urgent, pleading, grasping tentacles. It’s invading your email and interrupting your television. It’s blaring on the radio. It’s in your face.

Another season of politics is upon us, and the sky is falling.

A brief perusal of media including social media clearly reveals that this is a time for ALL hands to be “on deck” and engaged.

We, as Christians, must stand up for the issues that we care about, and we cannot be silent. Age should not be a deterrent – we need everyone in their 60’s, 70’s, and even 80’s – the gray-haired generation to rise up. 

This is the second blog post in our ongoing educational series, “FROM PRAYER TO ENGAGEMENT: EDUCATING CHRISTIANS ABOUT THE POLITICAL PROCESS”

What is a Political Party?

A political party is an organizational tool that is used to put forth ideas and to move agendas forward. Ordinary people join together in political parties to better define themselves in relation to the voting electorate and to make their message clear.

The people within the parties connect around issues, belief systems, and even personalities—leaders or candidates. When committed Christians are involved in a political party…

Part of our call within Christians Engaged is to help political activists spiritually navigate through what is sometimes the muck and mire of political activities and how to ever watch over our own hearts and spiritual lives as we engage as salt and light in our culture. To this end - I share my own heart cries concerning my latest trip to DC. I pray it is a blessing to you.

Most of us have heard this quote:

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” 

It is from Lord Action, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

I pondered this quote last week as I wandered around the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.

I was very honored that my Member of Congress had given me his only available ticket.

The annual Prayer Breakfast is an exclusive gathering of ministers, dignitaries, elected officials and thought leaders gathered together by a group called “The Fellowship.”

When I got into politics as an activist over 15 years ago and then as a career, my father, a former pastor, questioned whether I was doing the right thing. He didn’t want me to leave what he considered to be the “call on my life” to teach the Bible. He had this idea in his mind that Christians couldn’t really get involved with politics without corrupting themselves with the “evil”. He believed it was a corrupting game. I told him politely that I believed he was wrong.