An article by one Joseph Omphemetse Sebina appearing in Weekendpost dated 05-11 November 2011, titled “Log Raditlhokwa is misrepresenting us, Christians”, deserves an attention, lest it is taken hook line and sinker by those who do not know. Sebina writes in his opening paragraph that “I have been monitoring closely the socio political comments hidden and operating under the auspices of our dignified religion of Christianity”. Here Sebina does not tell us whose comments he has been monitoring, but one can easily deduce from the subsequent paragraphs of his article that it might be Raditlhokwa’s comments from his various columns.
Let it be known that the intention of this article is not to defend what Raditlhokwa is being accused of per se; though I feel the accusation smells of malice. However, this article is rather intended to demystify some myths surrounding the relationship between Christianity and politics, which seems to be gaining ground in our society. It would be noted that there is a standard excuse for Christians to ignore politics, which is usually premised on believe that Christ’s Kingdom is not of this earth, and that politics is dirty therefore unholy. It is also usually argued that morality cannot be legislated. There is also another school of thought that says Christians should invest their time, energy and money in more important tasks such as evangelism and spiritual growth. There is no doubt that Sebina subscribes to the above school of thought. Sebina and many of his likeminded have the tendency to demonise politics, yet politics is an integral part of our social life.
I want to attempt as much as I can to bring to the fore some elements that may assist readers understand the coexistence of Christianity and politics, and that religion is the basis of politics. When Jesus said His Kingdom was not an earthly one, He meant that He had come to earth to establish and rule over a political Kingdom. Jesus repeatedly declared however that he was building a spiritual Kingdom on earth. He also instructed His followers to be the light and salt, to have an enlightening, uplifting effect on their societies. He gave guidelines for political and social life. He commanded His disciples to produce nations that ensure fairness, justice and civility and promote compassion and peace. This therefore means that in order to effect factors, the above one ought to participate in politics rather than remaining in the periphery. Politics is no more inherently corrupting than business and social life.
While some Christians have been corrupted or at least tarnished through their participation in politics many others have maintained their character and political integrity. I like giving example of the current President of Ghana, John Atta Mills, a devoted Christian who will not shy away from making a pronouncement against immorality. Politics have not corrupted him. Recently when, the British Prime Minister David Cameron declared that his government will stop aid to countries that have laws that do not recognise gays and lesbians, he stood up to say, Ghana would rather forefeet the aid and keep its values which are undoubtedly different from the British. You can imagine if Atta Mills was not a devout Christian, what would have happened? People could have traded with their souls.
The reality is, all laws are based on moral principles and the participation of Christians in making such laws will go a long way in bringing the Christian values into our laws. Our forefathers believed that religious values and traditional Christian morality were essential to the success of a republic. Although promoting evangelism, spiritual formation and sound doctrine are essential parts of the Christian mission big issues are at stake in the political arena. The character, leadership and policies of our governments have a significant effect on our domestic life. Refusing to participate in determining our nation’s priorities and shaping its policies denies Christians an opportunity to advance Christ’s Kingdom on earth. Political leaders will always disappoint us in a way. Their character will not be exemplary as we may desire.
As Christians, we need to know that we will never achieve heaven on earth. One other thing, Christians need to know that we will not win the world through the pulpit alone. Never! We need to be creative and move away from conservativeness. We need to participate in decision making and come up with laws and policies that support the Christian values. We cannot afford to shun politics anymore. With many suggestions that unbiblical activities such as prostitution, abortion, same sex relationships should be legalised, we need Christians in the high echelons of power to counter such ill intended insinuations. Eseng jalo, we will fail to do what Christ commissioned us to do here on earth. I wait for a time when one day the president of this country will be a born again Christian, spirit filled and speaking in tongues, someone who will seek God’s guidance before an important decision. After all, there is no verse in the Bible that demonises politics.
