Dear Christians: Join the Political Arena

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” –Psalm 33:12

As a young Christian man, I have often wondered if Christians should get involved with politics.

For years, I was taught both implicitly and explicitly that religion and politics are not supposed to mix together. I have heard this thinking from many well-intentioned pastors. After all, many pastors claim that the political issues unnecessarily divide Christians.

Over the past year, I finally learned that some pastors took a different approach to this issue. In fact, some conservative pastors openly maintain that Christians should influence government policy—especially regarding abortion. Back in June 2022, I noticed that many Christian pastors were silent about the overturning of Roe vs. Wade because it would “upset” some members of their congregation. This inaction disappointed; I started to wonder if orthodox Christians should bring their faith into the political arena.

To cut to the chase, here’s my pressing question: Should Conservative Christians get involved with politics?

The answer: Yes.

After some recent conversations with my Christian pastor friends, I am convinced that the Scriptures agree that Christians should involve themselves with civil society and politics. We will now briefly look at one foundational source here to better assess this issue: the Biblical narrative of Nehemiah. Looking to the life of Old Testament hero Nehemiah, we see a pious layman whom God calls to rebuild the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

For context, the walls around Jerusalem were in shambles during the Babylonian exile. The Hebrews who came back to live in Jerusalem were fearful because nothing protected them from their surrounding enemies (Nehemiah 1:3). Thankfully, God called Nehemiah—the cupbearer for the King of Persia—to rebuild the Jerusalem’s walls.

Unfortunately, the leaders and priests of Jerusalem back then were quite corrupt. They took advantage of the people through usury and extortion (Nehemiah 5:3-5) instead of looking to rebuild the city’s walls. Thankfully. Nehemiah called out Jerusalem’s leaders for their misuse power.

Due to his honorable actions, Nehemiah became the governor of Judah for twelve years (Nehemiah 5:14). Indeed, Nehemiah was an honest governing authority, and he guided the completion of Jerusalem’s walls in quick time. Nehemiah governed as a godly leader in spite of heavy opposition throughout his time in Jerusalem.

In my opinion, Nehemiah is the ultimate model for a Christian’s interaction with politics/government. He took up the heavy responsibility of managing the people that God put under Nehemiah’s authority. Nehemiah became the governor of Judah, rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, and protected his people from God’s enemies—both internally and externally. Nehemiah’s life portrays how a godly, Christian leader should act.

Just like Nehemiah, Christians in modern America should not shy from politics. We need conservative Christians to lead our schools boards, our state governments, and Congress. For too long, Christians have allowed wickedness to creep into our homes, our schools, and our communities. We have shied away from political and civic leadership.

The past fifty years in America show us what happens when faithful Christian men shy away from civic life and public office. The results are not so stellar. Rapid secularization, over sixty million aborted babies, and normalized sexual licentiousness are just some of the consequences of non-Christian government policy.

If faithful Conservatives Christians do not fill the halls of government, then ungodly people will. Power will always exist, and power often does often attract unscrupulous people. Nonetheless, that reality should not excuse Christians from “entering the arena” and wielding political power in an appropriate, righteous manner.

A common response in Christian circles is to retreat from the American society. The “Benedict Option” does have an appealing ring to it, but it’s a losing strategy long-term. No, we can no longer accept retreat as a valid option. Our current regime will not stop until it stamps our authentic Christianity from the United States. The regime’s forced closure of Churches in 2020 is just a preview of a future without Conservative Christians in government/civil society.

Personally, I want my children and my grandchildren to live in a Christian nation. I want to live in a country that glorifies the one true God and lives in accord with the natural law. I want America to be a Christian nation.

On my end, I am working to encourage and equip my fellow young Conservative Christians to get involved with state and local politics, and I hope this article spurs a broader conversation on this topic.

Let us all boldly follow the example of Nehemiah and work to make America godly once again!

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14