Politics Can Be a Powerful Tool for Good
“‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”
In college and seminary, I read the 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, and the more I questioned his writings, the more I revered him. Dr. Niebuhr (June 21, 1892-June 1, 1971) is described on Wikipedia as "An American Mainline Protestant theologian in the Reformed tradition, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary [PCUSA] for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of America's leading public intellectuals for several decades of the 20th century and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964." Equally impressive is that, many decades later, Dr. Niebuhr's writings remain profoundly relevant.
A single sentence written by Dr. Niebuhr stopped me cold and redefined my ministry and Westminster Presbyterian Church's God-given call. "The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world." When Christians cry out to get politics out of their religion, they are wrong. Further, denying the role of politics in the Christian life is a failed or sinful misunderstanding. God calls all people of faith to utilize every arrow in their quiver to meet the needs of God's children. As the book of Isaiah proclaims, "If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday." In our world, the way to make lasting, beneficial change is through the political system.
Politics is a "sad duty" because political systems are made up of sinful human beings. Even the best of us has moments of selfish intent. The myriad times when a deeply dysfunctional human being is given, or takes, political power, the sinful, selfish intent hurts society, especially those most in need, and makes God sad. As God's ambassadors, we are called to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, follow Scripture, and draw on wise theological wisdom, so we can faithfully impact the community, state, nation, and world with God's ethical imperatives.
Historically, political systems have shown the power to destroy but also redeem. An example of redemption came when the United States and other allied nations decided to rebuild Germany, rather than crush it further, which not only provided a buffer as the Cold War began but also nurtured healing between former enemies. Prayer for our and all other nations is a sacred act. Striving to transform sad political systems and their unjust leaders is sacred because it is the way to move beyond simple charity to the lasting, systemic transformation necessary to care for all God's children. Thank you, Reinhold Niebuhr, for challenging and expanding our understanding of how to bring about compassionate, lasting change.
