Something that has always been an issue in Christendom is the question if churches should actively preach politics from the pulpit. Some very strongly say NO, saying that politics and faith don’t mix. Others say YES, welcoming the pastor to unabashedly call out specific political issues without regard to offending the other side. What is the right answer? Strangely, the answer is actually YES and NO. Let me explain. 

 

The New Testament makes it clear that the church is the pillar and ground of the truth (I Tim. 3:15). This means that the church has the responsibility to proclaim the truth (aka God’s Word). 99% of the time, the culture will be propagating falsehood and error, and the challenge for the church is to continue to stand for truth despite the culture. Sadly, many churches have surrendered to the culture, accepting the lies and even the sin that the culture puts forth. Such churches are useless, as they have failed to accomplish their God-given duty. 

 

Now we come to politics. Political issues are not just political in nature, they’re moral. You will find that there is a biblical principle behind every current issue in our country today. For example, abortion—the Bible teaches that life is a sacred gift from God (Psa. 66:9, Matt. 25:34-40). What about same-sex marriage? The Bible is clear that marriage (which was created by God) is between one man and one woman (Gen. 2:22-24). II Thessalonians 3:10 actually teaches Capitalism, that one should be responsible to create his own wealth through hard work. It is vital that Christians learn what the Bible teaches concerning these issues instead of simply holding to a certain political party. 

 

To get back to the main question, NO, I don’t believe that preachers should ever preach politics from the pulpit. What I mean by that is a pastor should never get up and proclaim, “Today I’m going to preach on why everyone should support Black Lives Matter.” Some would love this, but that is not the job of the church. The church is responsible to preach the Bible. Instead, the pastor should get up and preach what the Bible teaches about racism. Because there is a biblical principle behind every current issue, the preacher should preach on that since it is the root of the issue. The Bible tells us what God’s opinion on the matter is, and God is always right. 

 

We are living in extremely turbulent times. The pandemic, anarchy in major cities, outright hatred for law enforcement, and a strong political divide have all compounded our nation to the degree that it feels like the balloon is just about ready to burst. Now more than ever before, the church needs to stand up for the truth and proclaim what the Bible says about all of these issues. Preachers, don’t preach politics, simply preach the truth that strikes at the root of the issue. This goes for every Christian—don’t just look at a political issue as political, see it as a moral issue, and find out the Bible has to say. When it comes time to vote, vote for the side that best aligns with biblical values, whether you like the candidate or not. Let’s see the issues as God sees them, and let’s stand with Him.