On The Election, Civic Duty & The Kingdom
by Al Santino, NECT Director In his Election Night address, president‐elect Barak Obama declared, “Change has come!” Indeed, I believe we can all rejoice in the election of our nation’s first African‐American president regardless of our political persuasion. |  |
| As God’s people we are called to work for change in our communities, that being God’s shalom, which is the fruit of the Gospel proclaimed in word and deed. Many Christians applaud Obama’s election as they see it bringing a fresh wind of social justice renewal to concerns such as race relations and economic and educational opportunity. However, I would venture to say that an equal number of Christians, also desiring to honor God’s Kingdom, voted for John McCain over concerns such as the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage. Now the intention of my comments is not to discuss which candidate best represents the Kingdom of God. A spirited debate about the candidates and the issues they champion is not be avoided. God’s people need to wrestle with the issues especially viewing them through the lens of the Kingdom. We are less than perfect, we all have our corner on what we think the Kingdom is and how it should be best served. So, each candidate has their “hits and misses”. However God’s Kingdom is not of this world. It reigns over politics and government, social justice and the sanctity of life. The Kingdom also transcends all of this because it is ultimately about the glory of God, for the Kingdom is about “righteousness and peace (shalom) and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). God has called us all to be responsible citizens, to be involved in our civic duty to contribute to the well being of our communities. Pulling the lever on Election Day is but one small expression of this. However, the expression that most honors the Kingdom must be our day‐to‐day loving of our neighbors which includes working with our communities to bring about a justice and righteousness that honors God. We can do this together despite our political allegiances because we are seeking to work together on “higher ground.” We don’t have to necessarily abandon our political views, but rather allow them to be shaped and tempered as we learn from each other and seek the face of the Lord. A neighborhood association concerned with the development of its youth can find the common ground if it is seeking the higher ground. Ultimately, our civic duty is to speak and live the Gospel, which calls all people and all of life to the Lordship of Christ. | |