My Kingdom is not of this world

credit https://biblepic.com/john/18-36/htm

‘My kingdom is not of this world’ said Jesus. Jesus was not interested in political power. Whether all his followers understood this is another matter. One of the disciples was Simon the Zealot - the zealots being a revolutionary band that wanted to overthrow the Romans - some theologians have suggested that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus having having become disillusioned with his master's lack of interest in political revolution.

Jesus' Kingdom is not of this world - whether today's Christians understand this is also another matter.

Lessons from History

Despite Jesus expressly stating that his was a different Kingdom, Christians have at times become seduced by the idea of political influence. Yet throughout Christian history whenever the church has sought and gained political power it has often not ended well.

The gradual merge of Roman Empire and the Christian Church was like a doomed marriage. The church lost its spiritual way and the Middle Ages saw popes sending armies into battle, fathering illegitimate children by mistresses, enjoying luxurious palaces and having more power than most Kings. Moving forward into the 20th century, in Nazi Germany the link between state and church was seen as key to Germany’s fortunes. This led many in the established church to look the other way and stay silent during Kristallnacht and the early persecutions. To be loyal to the state and its leader was to be loyal to God. Hitler was very good at playing the church and many German Christians were swayed into support or gullible silence.

History Repeating?

Whilst events in the modern day are perhaps not on the same scale, some American evangelicals have become increasingly seduced by political power. The concept of Christian nationalism - that government should favour Christianity or seek to impose Christian ideas - dominates the more conservative wing of the Republican Party; issues such as abortion which many Christians feel strongly about have been used to court the Christian vote. We have seen various leading evangelicals in the US doing all sorts of intellectual gymnastics in support of Donald Trump.

Where the US leads, the UK often follows, and whilst not as public and vocal as the US, there are increased attempts on the right wing to link the fortunes of Christianity to the success of the nation. At the recent 'Unite the Kingdom' march, we saw banners proclaiming 'Christ as King' marching alongside thousands of others shouting a wide variety of pro- free speech, anti-immigration, anti-Islam, anti-government slogans. Some of the 'Jesus banner wavers' may well have the best of intentions - perhaps around the idea of a Christian country or free speech; yet for many others, Christianity is a cultural heritage or an idea that helps serve political goals. These are not people that will darken the doors of the local church any time soon.*

Christianity as countercultural

Yet Jesus said his kingdom was not of this world. Jesus is building a different sort of kingdom, his church should have a different sort of influence. That is not to say that Christians, as with all people of faith, should not get involved in Politics. There are so many fine examples throughout history of politicians of all political persuasions (there isn’t one specifically Christian political party in the UK or the US!) being motivated by their faith to bring change. In doing so they live out their faith making society better but they do so as private citizens acting within society, rather than seeking to impose their ideas as part of the establishment.

When the church gains political influence, it often does so at the expense of its prophetic voice. There is something about genuine Christianity that at its best is countercultural: liberation theologians in Latin America opposing government oppression of the poor, Bonhoeffer’s brave opposition to the Nazis, Martin Luther King campaigning for racial justice, the early church operating within a hostile Roman Empire, the growing yet persecuted church in modern China. In each case, little political power but authentically and powerfully Christian.

Render to Caesar

The shameful acts of the church during the periods of the Holy Roman Empire and under the Nazis are a warning against seeking political power. Against this backdrop it is easy to see why other Christians opted out of public life completely retreating to their monasteries or living entirely within their Christian ghettos. I think this is also a mistake, part of the calling of Christians is to be 'salt' upon the earth and salt is no good if it stays in the salt cellar.

So, of course Christians (and other faiths) will continue us to play our part as good citizens - we will 'render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.' This means a duty to pray for political leaders whether we support that political party or not. It means a duty to be good subjects obeying the law whether we like it or not. It means lobbying and campaigning on issues, writing to MPs. For some it may mean joining a political party and seeking to bring about good by standing for elected office.

But we should be cautious about getting too closely tied to the fortunes of Caesar or implying that a failure to support everything Caesar does is in some way unchristian. In doing so we risk failing to 'render to God what is God's'; the ultimate place of importance belongs to God alone rather than any earthly Caesar's. As Christians we are called to 'Seek first the Kingdom of God' and his kingdom is not of this world.

*Christian nationalism in the UK: a contest for the nation's soul? - Evangelical Alliance (Peter Lynas provides an interesting overview of current UK events here)