Which kingdom? The problem of the voting church ...

John 18:36  Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 

The words of Jesus in response to His examination by Pontius Pilate occurred at the point of his being condemned to die at the hands of the Romans.  His point is key and it applies to the work of the church today.

If Jesus had been a worldly king then His death would have been the end of the movement (the church) that bears His name.  But it was not.  In fact, as is testified by numerous witnesses, Jesus did rise from the dead and appear to hundreds of people.  And His Kingdom, being not of this world, would conquer Rome in a way that was indefensible by the means of this world.

Now, if one doesn't believe any of that, or if one believes some of that that or all of that and doesn't believe it matters in the present day, that person will find another way to get his or her ethics and world-view into power.

In nations that are ruled by the fist and totalitarian governments, promoting one's ethical agenda can only be done through violent overthrow or peaceful resistance done over a long period.

In democratic, voting nations, that is done at the polls.  And generally, the masses are herded into political parties to gain the largest consensus in order to promote an agreed-upon world-view (called a "platform" in America) and then the job is to campaign for that agenda with its proponent candidate(s) and get the vote out.

To me, it's undeniable that a voting system is superior to a system of violent overthrow.  Why do I say this? Well for one, people die more slowly and peacefully when they can vote.

But the problem for believers in Christ is that the system of voting can become a substitute for the reign of Jesus.  And the power of Christ is greatly diminished when that happens.

Faith in Christ changes people for the good.  True disciples love God, each other and the world around them. They move towards righteousness in their own lives (the love is a key part of that, of course).  And that change can happen under ANY political system; it's pan-cultural and pan-political.

The political church that aligns itself (well, "themselves" if we drill down) with and puts faith in a platform by definition pulls down the Kingdom of God and erects another.  There is a virtual edict to vote one's conscience, but aligning the work of Christ with a party or candidate blunts the gospel's effect.

Are there popular, vote-inducing causes that believers can and should support?  Absolutely, they show up all the time.  But the power of the vote is very weak compared to the power of God.

So if you know me, don't be surprised if I oppose political statements vilifying this or that.  Such talk is not redemptive, for the goal of political speech that opposes is to destroy.  That can never align with God's work.

Applied to the present polarity, I love republicans and democrats.  I see the points in both parties and camps and the places I disagree with both parties and camps.  But I cannot align with either, for that would make Jesus' Kingdom of this world.