The Liturgy of Politics

1. Political engagement is unavoidable and deeply formative

Political participation has a unique ability to inspire idolatry in people precisely because it so often involves promises of protection and provision, requires sacrifices, legitimizes authority, and inspires submission and worship.

Politics is inescapable. Every aspect of our lives is touched by political decisions and systems, from the neighborhoods we live in to the food we eat. Even when we try to avoid politics, we are making a political choice.

Political engagement forms us. Our political participation shapes our loves, loyalties, and ultimate values. It affects not just our views on specific issues, but our fundamental orientation to the world and understanding of what is good and true.

• Ways politics forms us:
  • Media consumption habits
  • Political discussions and debates
  • Campaign events and rallies
  • Voting and civic participation

Political idolatry is a constant danger. Because politics touches on fundamental questions of identity, community, and the good life, it can easily become an idol that demands our ultimate allegiance. Christians must be vigilant to keep politics in its proper place.

2. False gospels compete with the true gospel for our allegiance

Our political participation is at unique risk of idolization precisely because it is so tangled up with these idols.

Competing narratives. Several false "gospels" vie for our loyalty and shape our political engagement in subtle ways:

• The prosperity gospel: Wealth and success indicate God's blessing
• The patriotic gospel: America has a special role in God's plan
• The security gospel: Safety and protection are ultimate goods
• The gospel of white supremacy: Racial hierarchy is natural/good

Powerful formation. These false gospels shape our loves and loyalties through:

• Captivating narratives and origin stories
• Rituals and symbols (e.g. national anthems, pledges)
• Promises of salvation and fulfillment

Distorted priorities. When embraced, these false gospels lead to:

• Moral compromises for the sake of wealth or power
• Uncritical nationalism and xenophobia
• Fear-based politics and militarism
• Racial injustice and white Christian nationalism

3. The church is called to be a counterculture for the common good

The church is political not because she is isolated from the earthly nation she inhabits but because she refuses to entirely abdicate the realm of political action and formation to the state.

An alternative community. The church is called to be a distinct people shaped by the gospel, not the values of empire:

• Centered on worship of the true King
• Practicing radical hospitality and equality
• Resisting idolatry and injustice

For the life of the world. The church exists not for itself, but as a witness to God's coming kingdom:

• Seeking the flourishing of all people
• Pursuing justice and shalom
• Offering a prophetic critique of unjust systems

Political without being partisan. The church should:

• Speak truth to power
• Work for the common good
• Avoid being co-opted by any political party

4. Scripture shapes our political imagination and engagement

When we read Scripture with the needs and burdens of other people in mind, it changes our perspective.

Community-centered reading. Scripture is best understood in the context of the church community, both local and global:

• Public reading and teaching
• Discussion and application
• Learning from diverse perspectives

Whole-Bible approach. We need to engage the full narrative of Scripture:

• Creation, fall, redemption, restoration
• Old and New Testament
• Diverse genres (law, prophecy, gospels, epistles)

Prophetic critique. Scripture offers a powerful critique of unjust systems and calls us to pursue justice:

• Care for the vulnerable (widows, orphans, immigrants)
• Economic justice and generosity
• Peacemaking and reconciliation

5. The church's practices form us as political beings

Our corporate worship trains us in a story and then sends us with that story into our various manifestations of worship—in our stewardship of earthly resources, in our care for the vulnerable, in our cultural creativity, and in our responsibility to the communities we live in.

Sacraments as political acts. Baptism and communion shape our identity and loyalties:

• Baptism as citizenship in God's kingdom
• Communion as an alternative economic practice

Church calendar. Following the liturgical year orients us to God's story:

• Advent: Longing for Christ's return and justice
• Lent: Repentance and solidarity with the suffering
• Easter: Hope for resurrection and new creation

Worship practices. Regular rhythms form our loves and imaginations:

• Music and singing
• Corporate prayer and confession
• Preaching and teaching

6. Spiritual disciplines have profound political implications

When we understand that our consumption practices implicate others, we should find ourselves advocating for more responsible regulation of resources and more aid to the structurally disadvantaged.

Prayer. Shapes our priorities and dependence on God:

• Praying for leaders and those in authority
• Intercession for justice and the common good
• The Lord's Prayer as a political manifesto

Sabbath. Reorients our relationship to work and rest:

• Resisting the idolatry of productivity
• Creating space for justice and community

Hospitality. Cultivates love for neighbor and stranger:

• Welcoming the marginalized
• Breaking down social barriers

Fasting and feasting. Reshape our economic practices:

• Solidarity with the hungry
• Generosity and celebration

7. Christian eschatology impacts our political engagement

Our work on earth is changed—both in content and in motivation—by the end we have in mind.

New creation, not escape. The biblical vision is for the renewal of all things, not abandonment of the earth:

• Bodily resurrection
• Redemption of culture and creation
• The New Jerusalem as a redeemed city

Present implications. This vision shapes our engagement now:

• Environmental stewardship
• Cultural creativity and innovation
• Working for justice and flourishing

Revelation as political resistance. The book of Revelation offers a powerful critique of empire:

• Exposing the idolatry of power and wealth
• Calling the church to faithful witness
• Offering an alternative vision of the good life

8. The kingdom of God offers an alternative vision of power and flourishing

God does not defeat the powers of sin and darkness by human understandings of power or victory, but by self-sacrifice and suffering.

Power through weakness. The cross redefines true power:

• Servant leadership
• Nonviolent resistance
• Solidarity with the marginalized

Shalom as the goal. The kingdom aims at holistic flourishing:

• Justice and righteousness
• Reconciliation and peace
• Creativity and cultural renewal

Prophetic imagination. The church is called to embody and proclaim this alternative:

• Resisting the dominant narratives of empire
• Offering hope in the face of injustice
• Practicing the ways of the kingdom here and now

Last updated: November 28, 2024