This week, I will release a new podcast/video series on the website entitled The Politics of God. That title is admittedly loaded with meaning and potential causes for concern. Throughout history, political leaders and parties have hijacked the Word of God, its language, symbols, and even God’s name to demonstrate how they alone represented the will of God on the earth.
Too often, Christians have agreed with such claims only to unwittingly support policies and values that oppose God’s values clearly revealed in scripture. The lure of power and politics quickly erodes the standard of Biblical revelation and insight, leading many believers to the wrong side of history and the wrong side of God’s purposes in the earth.
When researching my recent book, which discusses Biblical-based engagement with modern politics, I dug through a pile of books written by Christians from the last half century who aimed to establish the same thing. Unfortunately, much of what I encountered was not only poor politics but also lacked a sound Biblical basis.
Is God A Capitalist or a Communist?
For example, many Christian writers from the 1970s to the present described Capitalism as a Biblical standard for political economics. Indeed, as a young man growing up in the Bible Belt, I was taught this very thing. When Jesus taught the parable of the unjust steward or the parable of the talents, he culminated the teaching with the same principles that underly Capitalism:
- “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much…” Luke 16:10
- “You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things.” Matthew 25:23
Certainly, there is some element of fact here. Capitalism borrows from the eternal principles that Jesus illustrated, but that is not the same as suggesting that Jesus endorsed Capitalism.
Later in the book of Acts, we find God blessing the early church even as a scene reminiscent of Communist philosophy is played out:
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. Acts 4:33-35 (NKJV)
The Word of God is no more endorsing Communism in this passage than it is endorsing Capitalism in the earlier passages. The reality is that the politics of God are not the same as the politics of man, even if lawless men expend significant effort to convince us otherwise.
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