As I prepare for a term paper on Romans 13 and the Christian’s relationship with government, a lot of thoughts have been running through my mind. Specifically, I’m thinking about my own expectation of the political process. In the past, I’ve been guilty of equating the purposes of empire with the purposes of Kingdom. But as I delve deeper into Romans 13, I understand the Christian’s role is to bear faithful witness to Christ even amid a political landscape that may run counter to the way of Christ. For Paul, this is not just a matter of punishment, it is a matter of conscience (13:5).
But Paul leaves unanswered a slew of important questions. He refuses to fully flesh out how Christians are to faithfully interact within the political system. Thus, Christians have disagreed about how to apply this passage for years. The voices range from pro-military to pacifism to somewhere in between. It’s as if each of us is to determine how to be most faithful to Christ’s call.
Thus, I’ve wrestled with the better part of a year to develop my political ethic. I’m primarily drawn to Jesus declaration of mission in Luke 4 as a grid for my own developing political perspective. In a prophetic statement rife with political implication, Jesus outlines the aim of his ministry:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
As political candidates continue to declare their candidacy for next year’s Presidential race, I submit to you the issues that loom as the most pressing to this person of faith. In short, I would vote for…
- A candidate with a high regard for the sanctity of human life. Issues here are war, abortion & capital punishment. We desperately need a consistent ethic of human life.
- A candidate with a high regard for our role as stewards within the created order. I see environmentalism, global warming & our gross consumption of the earth’s resources as important spiritual issues.
- A candidate with a high regard for our our global responsibilities. I want a candidate who will seriously and faithfully consider our position in the global landscape and will then act for the good of the world. A generation of young people are being orphaned by the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Humans are being trafficked this very moment. What are we doing about it?
- A candidate with a high regard for the least of these among us. I long for the day when every working American can receive a quality education and affordable health care. We must be concerned about poverty, the hungry & the homeless. Did Katrina teach us anything?
- A candidate with a high regard for morality. This is where it gets sticky. Whose morality? Whose values are we talking about here? Christian values? Another faith group? Naturally, I will always vote for the candidate who aligns most fully with my values as a Christian. But I’ve read too much to think my understanding of what is “moral” or “immoral” is the majority view. Based on Romans 13, should I even have this expectation of the governing authorities?
These are some of the issues that are most important to me. I’d love to hear from you. Where are you at on these issues? What issues are most important to you? And should we have a “moral” expectation of our government, based on Romans 13?
already & not yet 
great thought-provoking questions! following these guidelines, I don’t think the current administration would pass. You’re absolutely on target with the values question. I’d always been content in my little world, thinking the entire world should do things my way. Then I met (and married) someone from another country. He has Jewish ancestery. He has taught me that this is a fine line . . . most of us have no problem with OUR values being upheld, but it makes us wiggle a little when someone has values different from us. For instance, if we want to demand public prayer, we have to be prepared for a Jewish prayer, a Muslim prayer, for Hindu, for Buddist. And so the list goes. It seems the majority of Americans have come to expect the rest of the country to follow their christian rules. But then we have to decide which form of christianity? Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic??
bpb,You’re right…the moral question is one that perplexes me. Like I said, I have no qualms voting for the individual that best represents those values. But the whole discussion does lead to some interesting dillemas, like the prayer issue you raised.
The first (concern over life) is my #1 (I am pro-military, but as a last resort). Next would be moralities that are close to mine.
I agree with you that the concern over life would be my first priority, Kenny. The others on my list aren’t in any particular order. Of the ones I mentioned, I suppose the environmental issues would be the least important to me, but even by saying that, it’s as if I’m saying these issues aren’t interlocked, which is false. The envorinmental issues have a pretty dramatic impact on the “least of these” that I mentioned, too. That’s why I listed all of these issues as important to me.