We learn early in life that the person who tells his side of the story first will have greater control of the way the story is told. The person who talks first and loudest will have a greater chance of being believed. Today’s political situations are perfect examples of this principle. If you tell a lie loud enough, and long enough, it will be believed by enough people to make the truth irrelevant. And, if you have others who are willing to convey the lie time and time again, the chances that the actual truth will ever be believed is almost zero.
Unfortunately this principle can be, and has been, carried a step further. In the words of an infamous German dictator, “The great masses of the people . . . will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.” In today’s political arena in the United States, the big lie is too often told, and too often believed. So much so that most people today are simply “incapable of absorbing the truth.”
And yet it is the Christian’s responsibility to not only speak the truth, but to discover the truth. As Christians, all that we do must be motivated by the truth. What does this mean in the political sense? It means that we have a responsibility to discover the truth behind all the rhetoric being spilled out of not only Washington D.C., but also from our local and state government leaders.
One thing that really saddens me, and should sadden more Christians, are those Christians who chose a political stance based solely on party affiliation. Too often I’ve heard such statements as, “Well I can’t stand the Republican party (or the Democratic party) so I will always support the other side.” Or they will say something like, “I hate George Bush (or Barack Obama), so I am totally in favor of whoever is against him.” This is not an approach to seeking the truth. This is a choice driven not by truth, but by political philosophy, and is therefore not a Christian approach to one of life’s choices.
One author wrote, “Everything finds its meaning and interpretation in relation to God. No part of life can be autonomous or neutral, no part can be sliced off and made independent from Christian truth. . . . [T]he Christian worldview must be equally comprehensive, covering every aspect of our lives, our thinking, our choices.” In other words, the Christian cannot simply keep his or her Christian beliefs in a box separate from all other aspects of life. The choices we make in politics must reflect the truth of our Christian experience. We must not reduce our Christian experience to “private feelings and experience, completely divorced from objective facts.” The Christian’s responsibility, therefore, is to discover the truth, not only in his or her spiritual walk, but also with regards to politics and the choices that must be made as to who represents us in our government.
Our choices must be shaped by what we believe to be real and true; not by a favored political philosophy. We Christians must keep in mind that our political choices will either advance God’s Kingdom, or encourage sin to take a stronger foothold in a world already struggling with the consequences of sin. As Christians we are called to uphold Christlike principles in every aspect of our lives. This, among other things, means we have a responsibility to support and uphold God’s purpose for family and society. We are to support God’s plan for helping and healing those “suffering from the results of the Fall.”
So the challenge to all Christians is to make an honest assessment of their political stance. While it is true that politicians on both sides of the aisle have been known to lie, that does not mean we must assume that all politicians lie, or that they lie most of the time. What we Christians should be doing is looking beyond the rhetoric to the facts. This will take time and work. Therefore, it must be done on purpose.
With very few exceptions, the truth will not come from television news broadcasts. If anything, mainstream news sources, more often than not, will propagate a lie rather than seek the truth. As a Christian you need to exercise your common sense. And, don’t be too proud to change your political mind concerning certain politicians or political parties. Remember, the truth is based on the Bible, not on the philosophy of one political party or the other. Look at the party’s platform. If their basic political philosophy runs counter to biblical principles and truth, then it may be time to hold them accountable. And, if that cannot be done, then do some honest soul searching. Does your political stand and the party you support uphold God’s truth?
Remember, the Bible is God’s revelation to us, and “is the source of all truth, [it is] a comprehensive framework for all of reality.” Our Christianity cannot be limited to what we see as a spiritual life separated from the rest of our life. Truth is not merely a way of living out our spiritual existence, it is meant to be a part of every aspect of our lives.