The First and Second Commandments as Fundamental to Political Philosophy

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Editor’s Note: Our friends at Crossway have generously allowed our readers this month to download a free copy of D.A. Carson’s important work The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God. We hope this resource will help you understand the manifold love of God.

“No politics or religion at the bar.”

That was the sign taped to the cash register at the bar in a local restaurant. The bartender did not want either of those subjects to mark the conversation of customers, particularly given the presence of alcohol. It was, more or less, a sign that called for disengagement. You can come to the bar, watch whatever ballgame was on, talk about your day, but do not dare dive into the serious subjects of religious belief and political opinion.

This bent to disengage is not merely found in local bars. That particular sign simply communicated a long-standing idea that in order for neighbors to be neighborly, and families to enjoy their holidays, they needed to lean away from serious matters. Everyone needs to keep beliefs and politics private. And this idea is not something we find only in restaurants and around family dinner tables; it is an actual strategy that many, including followers of Jesus, have seemingly adopted.

Disengaging from Politics: Pious or Problematic?

This is how many have understood The Benedict Option of Rod Dreher. The Benedict Option was a call to learn from and perhaps follow the ideals of the Saint Benedict of Nursia (fifth and sixth centuries). Though Dreher does not believe that his Option is a call for retreat and disengagement, many have made this conclusion based upon a misreading of his book title. According to some, the monastic model leaned away from the culture and retreated into the desert.

Regardless of whether or not interpreting Dreher as promoting disengagement is right or wrong, the tendency to disengage from the public square, or at least to promote the wisdom of disengagement, is not uncommon in our cultural moment. We often see or hear calls to “keep the main thing the main thing,” to unite around what some call first-tier issues, and to leave secondary matters alone. Evidently, politics is something on a lower theological-tier, a matter of indifference, and therefore isn’t worth fighting over. Functionally, this pietistic approach to worldly matters means we simply unite around the gospel, focus on getting the good news to the lost world, and leave everything else (including politics) alone.

Now, it is certainly true that politics is often marked by emotional turmoil. Political engagement can lead to disunity with and at times hatred towards our neighbors. This is part of living in Genesis 3 world, and in response some, echoing the bartenders warning, have responded like this:

If our aim is to love our God and our neighbors, perhaps we should leave politics (and religion) out of dinner time conversations. If divisiveness marks political discourse, it is worth considering whether or not preachers might steer clear of political issues in the pulpit in order to shepherd their people the best. And, if our aim is to win some of our neighbors to Jesus, standing on the sidelines while they debate each other over politics is an evangelistic strategy we might consider. After all, Jesus’ people know that the current world is temporary and passing away. We have no lasting city on this earth and, indeed, seek the city that is to come (Heb 13:14). Aren’t we better off casting political involvement aside, saving our opinions for the private voting booth, and simply loving our neighbor? This, in the end, is the first and greatest commandment. Simply love God and love our neighbors. If political opinions and action gets in the way of that, then perhaps it’s best to disengage.

At least that’s how some argue.

To Love God and Neighbor Means Engaging Politics

Our response to such intellectual wrangling is to say, Not so fast! “No politics or religion at the [church]” isn’t a realistic strategy. Particularly when we realize that our churches are made up of people who have to live in a political world and are often on opposite sides of the political divide. That means pastors enter the pulpit and look out at a congregation that will usually contain Republicans and Democrats in the pew. So, helping men and women live together in the context of a Christian community in the unity of the Spirit is part of the pastoral calling—even amidst political differences. And simply calling men and women to check their opinions at the sanctuary door will not work. We cannot jettison any and all talk of politics. Rather than disengage, we need to engage . . . and engage Christianly.

Although disengagement might loosen the tension for a moment, Christian love demands more. As Albert Mohler has argued, “Trouble in the City of Man is a call to action for the citizens of the City of God, and that call to action must involve political involvement.”[1]

1. Albert Mohler, Culture Shift, 5.

Writing in 2008, Albert Mohler called a generation to political involvement not despite Jesus’s call to love God and people but because of these commands:

Love of neighbor for the sake of loving God is a profound political philosophy that strikes a balance between the disobedience of political disengagement and the idolatry of politics as our main priority. As evangelical Christians, we must engage in political action, not because we believe the conceit of politics is ultimate, but because we must obey our Redeemer when He commands us to love our neighbor. On the other hand, we are concerned for the culture, not because we believe that the culture is ultimate, but because we know that our neighbors must hear the gospel, even as we hope and strive for good, peace, security, and well-being.[2]

2. Ibid, 4.

Thus, loving God supremely and loving our neighbors as ourselves is not an escape clause that allows us to lean away from political involvement and action. Instead, loving God and loving our neighbor is a foundational principle in Christian political philosophy. That is, our politics should be built on these immovable and unchangeable ideas. Embrace of Jesus’s command to love God and neighbor is not antithetical to political involvement. Rather, Jesus’s words inform and commend such involvement. Christians should be involved in politics because one of the ways Christians love God is by obeying him (John 14:21–24); one of the ways Christians obey God is by loving their neighbor; and one of the ways Christians love their neighbor is striving to help establish societies that secure “good, peace, security, and well-being.” That striving is inherently political.

Defining Our Terms: Why Politics Is Inherently “Loving”

Perhaps, however, we need more definition in order for us to see why loving God and neighbor is a call for political action. If you think politics is merely about debating non-essential ideas, or attending a partisan political rally, or merely filling in a bubble on a voting sheet, then we are not talking about the same thing. When I call for Christian political engagement, I’m working off of a broader understanding of politics.

Simply put, politics is a reference to the way human beings order society. In the sixteenth century, Althusius defined politics this way: “Politics is the art of associating men for the purpose of establishing, cultivating, and conserving social life among them.”[3] That is, politics is a reference to how the polis (i.e. the city) functions in ordered (rather than disordered) ways. Therefore, when we reference politics, we are not merely referring to voting during an election or spending time lobbying in the halls of government. Politics is a broader principle. It involves associating with men and women around us, in a specific part of the world, and working to establish and cultivate a society that is, to borrow another phrase from Althusisus, “harmonious.”

3. Johannes Althusius, Politica (trans. Frederick S. Carney), 17.

Therefore, engaging in community life, whether that means attending your local city council meetings, speaking into the educational system at a school board meeting, supporting the endeavors of your local leaders to improve community life, placing a yard sign in your yard that promotes a particular candidate, or talking with your neighbor over a meal about the politics of the day, are not things to leave to the side of life. If we are to play our part in establishing a harmonious society that leads to human flourishing, we must labor to see a society marked by – to some degree—justice and righteousness. Such a society honors the God of justice and righteousness, and this leads to greater degrees of human flourishing. Rightly understood, politics is simply a vehicle for loving our neighbor.

Re-Imagining the First and Second Commandment

Do you see the first and greatest commandment in those ideas? We love God and want to honor him. Honoring God and loving him means obeying him by loving our neighbor. Our political engagement (defined broadly) is one means towards that end. Again, as we engage in political and public discourse and as we aim to elect leaders who will lead our towns, schools, states, and our nation in ways that help form a just and righteous public square, we do so in order to help our fellow citizens flourish.

On this side of the return of King Jesus, we will never establish perfectly just and righteous societies. Sin will remain until Christ returns to bring his kingdom to fruition fully and finally. But that is no excuse to accept the status quo, sit on the sidelines, and watch wickedness run rampant. We pray that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). And as we pray, we act. We publicly speak up for righteousness sake, ask political candidates good questions, volunteer to serve on local commissions, and vote for politicians who will lead in righteous ways. Furthermore, rather than leaving our opinions at the door, we enter into the debate of ideas. All because we love God and our neighbors.

We can see, then, that far from implying disengagement from politics, the two greatest commandments drive our commitment and involvement in the political process. Building off Augustine, Albert Mohler has stated, “This is no time for America’s Christians to confuse the City of Man with the City of God. At the same time, we can never be counted faithful in the City of God if we neglect our duty in the City of Man.”[4] The reason is simple. If we neglect our political duty, we disobey the command of Jesus to love God and neighbor.

4. Culture Shift, 5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author

  • Jonathon Woodyard

    Jonathon is married to Gina and they have two energetic boys, Calvin and Caleb. Jonathon is an avid fan of Kentucky basketball (Go Big Blue), enjoys the outdoors, likes to read a good book from time to time, and finds history fascinating. Jonathon earned a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce Bible College, an M.Div. from Bethlehem College and Seminary, and a Th.M. and Ph.D. in Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the Vice President for Student Life and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Southwest Baptist University (MO).

Jonathon Woodyard

Jonathon Woodyard

Jonathon is married to Gina and they have two energetic boys, Calvin and Caleb. Jonathon is an avid fan of Kentucky basketball (Go Big Blue), enjoys the outdoors, likes to read a good book from time to time, and finds history fascinating. Jonathon earned a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce Bible College, an M.Div. from Bethlehem College and Seminary, and a Th.M. and Ph.D. in Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the Vice President for Student Life and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Southwest Baptist University (MO).