Category: thoughts

a healthy relationship between Christianity and politics.

This is incredibly out of my comfort zone, but I will try my best to articulate my thoughts.

My favorite reference book of all time, ‘Politics according to the Bible‘ by Wayne Grudem, explores contemporary issues from a Christian perspective. He uses a balance of statistics and Bible verses to convey his points, allowing readers to gain a holistic understanding of the complex issues we often discuss today.

He begins his book by evaluating what he perceives to be a healthy relationship between Christianity and politics, and here are my thoughts that are generally inspired by his writing.

1. The Bible encourages us to be leaders in our own capacity.

God’s will is not for us all to become the Prime Minister of Australia. He has imparted specific gifts and talents for each on of us to use to our full capacity, in order to expand the Kingdom of God. Matthew 28:19 (NIV) says:

” Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

This verse compels Christians to be disciples in their fields. Whether that be teaching, sports or politics, He has given us our gifts and talents IN ORDER for us to use it to His glory. It is a simple yet important idea.

2. Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, should not be Government imposed.

Acts 28:23 (NIV) says:

“They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.”

In this verse, particular emphasis is placed on the beginning of the verse. They arranged to meet Paul. Paul did not force them to sit down and consume the Word. Our faith must be based on a genuine craving for Christ, not imposed by a third-party. Our relationship with Him should only be between us and Him.

It is because of this principle that a government-imposed religion would be detrimental to the nation. Becoming a Christian should come out of a genuine need for Him, not from a government forcing individuals to follow the faith.

This isn’t an excuse for Christians to give up when trying to create disciples. It is just a warning of the dangers of government-issued religion. Grudem writes,

“This does not mean that Jesus’ Kingdom has no effect on the world. Indeed, it transforms and overcomes the world, but it does so by changing people’s hearts and their deep convictions, not by military power. The power of government should never be used to compel a certain kind of religious belief or adherence to any specific religion, whether the Christian faith or any other faith.” (Politics According to the Bible, 2010)

3. Ultimately, it is all up to God’s will.

We have no ability to change what God’s will for our lives are, because they are already set by Him. Thus, we should remain faithful to His plans and continue to be subject under our leaders. Romans 13:1 (NIV) says,

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

why politics is not boring.

Politics are often portrayed as boring. Long speeches, corrupt individuals and old buildings are often what the youth associate with it. I beg to differ.

I have always been fascinated by politics. For me, it is exciting to see bills become law, to see YOUR representative, who lives in YOUR area, represent YOUR views to the nation. It is exciting to see your voice heard in the big stage.

I believe the next generation should get excited about this too. In recent years, the next generation (millennials, GenX, iGen or whatever it is called) have sought to have their voice heard louder. Putting aside their intentions and views, it is encouraging to see young people expressing their thoughts and ideas. It is healthy for our democracy to have a youth that expresses their opinion.

Politics provides a platform for the next generation to have their voice heard directly. Voting for bills, initiating bills and contributing to committees are all practical ways politicians have their voice heard every day.

I would love to see more young people in our parliament. Not only that, I would love to see more young people passionate about politics, and being a generation of informed and well-researched individuals who voice out their opinions, even if they conflict with mine.

Politics is exciting. Lots of young people aim to ‘change the world’, and representing your region gives you an opportunity to directly influence the direction in which Australia is headed.

Lots of people respond disgusted when I tell them that I have a passion in politics. Maybe their reaction is justified, maybe they have been impacted by a less-than-ideal politician. I wish to, one day, see more young people say that they aim to be a politician when they grow up. I also wish for society to not shun them for that.

For the Christian community, we must also encourage political aspirations. Politics is a pathway for Christians to further push Christian values in our nation.

Ultimately, it is important to be excited about politics. Research it, find out what’s going on. Discuss it with your friends and family. Though it may be difficult, it is vital for us to know about politics and get excited by it, because this next generation will make up our parliament one day.