Politics And Religion

by HICKLING, P.L. | Category: N/a | Feb 2008

As I write this candidates are battling for party nomination for the American Presidential elections, although not all states have yet declared. By the time you read it you should know who has won on each side. It is strange that the First Amendment to the American Constitution specifically says ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...’, yet the 'religious vote' has a very strong influence on the outcome of the elections, particularly in some states. In Iowa, the first state to declare, the result of the Republican primary was a win for Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, apparently because of strong backing from evangelical Christians. Barack Obama won the Democrat caucuses, and he too made a strong profession of his faith, admitting past errors. Contrast this with England, which has an Established Church, of which the Queen, as Head of State, is head, yet profession of Christian faith has virtually no influence on political fortunes, to the extent that politicians seem almost apologetic about it.

In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury has recently (February 2008) commented on the tension between a revealed religion and a secular state, particularly referring to Islam. The lecture in which he made his first comments was heavy going; rather highbrow and intellectual, although well-argued. Dr. Williams is a very clever man (much more so than this writer!), but he misjudged what the practical results of his arguments might be. He was misled by his acceptance of multiculturalism. Although there is an Established Church, in practice the British state does give everyone the right to worship or not as he wishes. You cannot use the force of law to make the people of a 'Christian country' Christians, but our concepts of right and wrong are still based largely on Christian principles, and the majority would definitely accept them. It is therefore reasonable to require those who live here to accept laws based on them.

What does Scripture say about it? The state of affairs in New Testament times was rather different from today; among the early Christians ‘not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth’ (1 Cor. 1:26), and their worldly influence was negligible. Although Greece is regarded as the cradle of democracy, even there only a small proportion of people could vote. However, the apostle Paul urged the believers ‘that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way’ (1 Tim. 2:1,2). This still applies; although the Queen (in England) has no executive power she upholds a standard of personal faith and devotion to duty which gives us a duty to support her with prayer. As for the politicians, popular cynicism views them as mainly open to corruption and self-serving, but surely that is a greater reason to pray for them. Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:9-15 make it clear that Christians have the obligation to obey the government and to pay their taxes, even if they disapprove of the laws and the purposes to which the taxes are put – the exception only comes at the point where they must say, ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29). Christian action comes from the convictions of individuals; a past example in England is Wilberforce and slavery. Fundamental changes can come through people with conviction and Spirit power, such as Paul and his fellows had when they turned the world upside down with their preaching (Acts 17:6).

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HICKLING, P.L. | Feb 2008
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