Is there a place for Politics in the Pulpit?

I had a friend whose opinion I respect asked about my pending message from the pulpit: “Are you going to be political?” Is my preaching political? As I aspire to “preach the truth in love” according to Paul’s admonition to the church at Ephesus (Eph. 4:15-16), it is a fair question: 

¹⁵but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 

The measure of this kind of preaching is soundness, compassion, and purpose whose objective is spiritual growth and communal welfare as exemplified by Christ—the Living Word of God. 

So, the concomitant questions are: What is political and was Christ political in his preaching?

What is politics? For the sake of discussion, since we live in the AI-driven information age, lets agree on AI’s definition: 

Politics is the process of making decisions for groups, involving how power, resources, and status are distributed, often through negotiation, competition, and governing. Simply put, it answers: "Who gets what, when, and how?" and managing conflict and setting rules for living together.   

In the New Testaments, Christ preached about “who gets what, when, and how" when it came to the care of the least including aging and needy parents in the context of Mathew 15: 5-6 and Mark 7:11.  Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who dedicated offerings to God called Corban, then use this tradition as a loophole to deny those resources to take care of their elderly parents. In effect, they were undermining God’s direct command to “Honor your father and mother”.   

⁵"But you say, 'Whoever says to [his] father or mother, "Whatever I have that would help you has been given [to God]," ⁶he is not to honor his father or his mother, and [by this] you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. Matthew 15:5-6 

Yes, Christ preached politics. His contemporary sermon subject: Don’t get funny with the money when it comes to God’s original Social Security to take care of Mee-maw and Pee-paw. Don’t say, “Sorry, Pops, I gave your money to the Church.” 

In the Old Testaments, God’s prophets like Micah preached politics, about "who gets what, when, and how" when it comes to God’s requirements of His covenant; how to distribute power, resources, and status through grace and governance. In Micah 6:8, God takes the universe to court as His attorney-prophet Micah lays out His three-point prosecution of a breach of contract: 

⁸He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 

Yes, Micah preached politics: 

• Do justice or be found guilty of injustice, gunning down the innocent, mistreating the marginalized, and alienating the aliens. 

• Love kindness or be found guilty of hate, driving division, despising the dispossessed because of orientation, origin and occupation.  

• Walk humbly with God or be guilty of pride, boasting of power, prosperity and privilege. 

Thus, I confess I qualify to be labelled a political preacher, not of parties and partisan affiliation, but of soundness of doctrine, laced with grace, fixed on Christ, called to serve. Click on the link to see what happens when His politics pours out onto the streets. 

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