Jesus' Activism Example is Quite Relevant Today

A lot of Christians have been taught to believe that it is "more spiritual" to intentionally avoid engaging in political issues altogether. On a very basic level, however, this opinion runs contrary to what scripture teaches and examples of the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ. And there are also aspects of activism that are not overtly political but have a strong effect on society. Luke 19:10 emphasizes that the main purpose of Jesus was to seek and save the lost. While pursuing this main objective, He opposed corruption in many instances.

Three Myths About Christian Activism and Biblical Politics

1. Jesus was never involved in politics and taught followers to avoid politics.
2. The Apostle Paul never engaged in politics.
3. The Bible commands full submission to all government authority.

Christians are specifically called to be salt and light in an increasingly corrupt and dark world (Matthew 5.13-16), and the implication is that we are to have a positive influence on the society around us. Jesus was involved in political issues in his day and the Apostle Paul only had a minor account. We can learn from their examples.

By living for the truth, justice, and ethics outlined in scripture, Jesus was in opposition to Rome.

Jesus did not call for an armed insurrection against Rome, something that the Jews had hoped their "real" Messiah would do. But Jesus operated on a day to day basis in the community standing for truth and justice wherever He went. And in this manner, Jesus was a threat to the political establishment of Rome because He refused to bow to and worship the system and the emperor that led it (something that would get countless Christians martyred). Jesus also upended the social order by honoring the poor with equal respect, honoring lepers, honoring women, marriage, and so on. Jesus did not have just a "religious" effect, but also a social and political effect.


Sam Schnake's blog offers an example of the kind of social activism Jesus promoted: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12-14)

That was a very radical message at that time. The Jews then believed lepers and sick people were cursed of God due to a problem of sin somewhere in the family line. Unlike Jesus, the Church tends to simply follow along with the status quo patterns of society without holding firm to Christian ethics as they inform all of the society. Because God is the ultimate reference of valid ethics, the lives of Christians should be examples of valid ethics, simply by living our faith publicly and not in secret.

Jesus lived out His faith publicly and constantly upset the status quo order. He did not just accept ideas because political leaders or religious leaders made claims or demanded obedience. He did not simply follow status-quo patterns. He was willing to challenge His local political leaders, if and when they became unethical. And Jesus associated with lepers, prostitutes, and other people that the system had rejected. Activism is not necessarily political in a direct sense.

According to a loose definition, organizing to feed poor people or to help homeless people are forms of activism. 

In an odd twist, a church in Malibu California that was helping homeless people was shut down by the government because the government said that it encouraged more homelessness:

"Since 2014, the United Methodist Church in Malibu, California, has provided meals for homeless people in need, every Wednesday — as many as 100 hungry individuals were served at a time — but, after Thanksgiving this month, the invaluable service will be shut down for good. According to the city, the church’s feeding of houseless people perpetuates — and, in fact, exacerbates — the epidemic of homelessness."

We are programmed in a sense by media and institutions to follow along without asking any deeper questions about why things are the way they are and how things can be improved. Sadly, cable TV is the main social influence in many Christian's lives; and many of the ideas and ethics in the news and in TV programs are not questioned in the least. I've met Christian leaders, for example, who believe that waterboarding is perfectly acceptable if the government decides it is necessary. When pushed for justification, the Christian leader brought up Romans 13 as a justification for this opinion and also raised a Marxist defense of the "ends justifies the means" ticking time bomb scenario. Jesus did not follow humanistic ethics, He based all things on the eternal good nature of the Trinity and principles established and presented in scripture.

Jesus opposed the corrupt Sanhedrin, who were also political judges and not just religious figures.

Tired of having their corruption pointed out and their profits decreased, the political leaders of Israel had it in for Jesus. Jesus was officially arrested, tried, and sentenced to a criminal's death by Jewish religious-political leaders prior to the official sentence of death administered by the Romans. The Sanhedrin ruled over both spiritual and political decisions. In handing Jesus over to Pontius Pilat, the Sanhedrin stated the following:

"'If he were not a criminal, 'they replied, 'we would not have handed him over to you.' Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.'" (John 18.30-31 NIV). This verse underscores that the Sanhedrin were not just religious leaders, but also political leaders. Since Jesus did, in fact, oppose their opinions and decisions on many occasions, this renders the typical Christian interpretation of Romans 13 as inadequate. Notice that the Sanhedrin had their own "court" and "officers" - referencing a legal and political system that was described by Matthew: "But Peter followed him afar off, unto the court of the high priest, and entered in, and sat with the officers, to see the end." (Matthew 26.58 KJV)

Wikipedia outlines the dual spiritual and political nature of the Sanhedrin: "By the end of the Second Temple period, the Sanhedrin reached its pinnacle of importance, legislating all aspects of Jewish religious and political life within the parameters laid down by Biblical and Rabbinic tradition." Wikipedia also notes the presence of the Sanhedrin at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. This chapter is usually entitled, "Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin"

It's possible to respect the position while opposing the principle.

This principle of respectful disobedience was demonstrated by Christ when He was questioned by the chief priest at his initial trial, Jesus spoke peacefully to the priest and yet also underscored the unjust nature of the proceedings:

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” (John 18.23 NIV)

Jesus did not just follow along with whatever the authorities wanted, as would have been the case if the popular interpretation of Romans 13 is true. When Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, He was opposing the profiteering and the cheating of people within the temple (Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-25, not the positions of authority of the leaders. He was not acting as an anarchist.

Both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., two incredibly influential activists, attributed their effectiveness as activists to the teachings and principles of Christ. Were they off? Did they misinterpret scripture? Or were they operating in accordance with the actual teachings of Christ? I would offer that their activism was in keeping with both the letter and the spirit of the words of Jesus' teachings, and was very effective. Jesus often took a stand in the name of truth and justice for the sake of others, despite the fact that this put Him on the blacklist of the governing body.

The Apostle Paul stood up for justice in a political context.

Paul stated, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."  (1 Corinthians 11:1) And Acts 16.37 describes an incident when Paul was illegally imprisoned and the officials wanted to pass it off quietly and forget about it, and what was Paul's response?

"But Paul said to the officers: 'They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.'" (NIV)

Paul was not afraid to engage in matters of political justice. Because Romans 13 is so often used as an excuse, let's consider what it says. Romans 13. 1 states, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." A lot of Christians believe that, because of this verse, they can pass the buck, so to speak, and abrogate their own personal moral responsibility simply because we are to be "subject to" governmental authorities. But, obviously, Paul was not just following along with whatever he was told to do by the Roman government. Paul was guided by his conscience and the Spirit to be salt and light in that situation.

The key is to differentiate between the position of authority, laws represented, and actions. It's possible to respect the autonomy of a person and even their office, while at the same time disagreeing with laws and behavior that seems unjust. So often, however, pastors and Christians will not make this distinction, but simply use Romans 13 as a complete and total cop-out. The Holy Spirit is our guide as to what situations, in particular, God may desire for us to take a stand for justice.

Many people don't even notice Christians today because we tend to blend right in with the scenery, not making a peep regarding extreme corruption, torture, indefinite imprisonment without a trial, the remote control bombing of non-combatant civilians, and so on. This is perhaps one of the main reasons that the called-out-ones of the Church of God are often seen as fairly irrelevant today in society. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the main reason Christ came was to bring salvation to the lost. However, if you look at the many effects of Jesus' life on society, you'll note that women became more respected, marriage was elevated and became more honored, the poor and the sick became viewed as valuable human beings, and the corrupt were openly rebuked by Christ in public.

All of these changes came to pass because Jesus was not afraid to question social norms, status-quo political activities, and corrupt practices. When I refer to activism or political influence, I don't mean mindlessly cheering for the Democrat Party or Republican Party. I am simply using the word activism in a broad sense, in simply acknowledging that Christians are to be involved in society, to have active compassion for others in society, and to be an influence for the betterment of society, not just people in their local church, to whatever degree the Holy Spirit might guide.

There are many poor excuses for avoiding politics altogether.

Many pastors teach that we are to quietly submit to the government without question, because of Romans 13, so long as we are not personally called to break any obvious biblical laws. But even if you take this position, there are many ways in which Christians are being pushed to affirm and support morals that are explicitly forbidden in the Bible. For example, the increasing demand to positively "affirm" and not just "tolerate" LGBT marriage. Not only is LGBT marriage denounced in scripture, but science also outlines that gender is based on biology and not mere feelings.

The Church today is often encumbered by preconceptions about political issues, such as "the separation of church and state" and the desire to maintain tax-exempt status. In this respect, we are following government rule more than Christ's rule, even though our collective conscience may be telling us that things such as censored freedom of speech, political waterboarding, and pre-flight molestations at TSA screenings are not quite right.

You may attend church regularly, but how does your affiliation with church affect your ability to understand ethical issues towards being more equipped to be salt and light in the world in a practical sense? Are you being conditioned to stand up for light and truth as you are being taught in your church? Or is the opposite true? Are you being more strongly conditioned to avoid thinking about issues related to true justice altogether? It's important that we as individuals search the scriptures for ourselves and seek God's guidance personally on these subjects. When the Roman government forbade the early church from publicly preaching the gospel, they did not cower in fear or question their legal rights, they were firmly convinced of their course of action through their close walk with God:

"Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than human beings!" (Acts 5:29 NIV)

Another example that Christians often use as an excuse for not talking about political issues is Matthew 22, the time when Jesus was questioned regarding paying taxes to Rome, specifically Caesar: "So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar? Yes or no?" This little episode is described in Matthew 22:17-22 (ERV).

Jesus offered the famous reply, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And give to God the things that are God's." In this case, Jesus did not offer any protest or resentment regarding paying taxes, even though He had the opportunity to bring up possible reasons. Based on this verse, many Christians will state things like, "Jesus always avoided politics, Jesus never opposed Rome, Jesus followed the separation of church and state, Christians should disengage from politics" and so on. But Chuck Colson offered a different opinion in his book God and Government. Colson argued that “Christians have the same civic duties all citizens have…” (314). And that we “have a duty…to work through civil authority for the advancement of justice and human good.” (133-34). If we are valid citizens and we are called to "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" in terms of our input in a representative republic, then that would mean that our input as Christians counts for something valuable.

When you consider the sum of Jesus' life, His engagements with the government of Rome were very brief in comparison with his engagements with the governing authorities of Israel. Though subservient to Rome, and though also religiously affiliated, the Jews had retained their own functioning political system. During his trial, Jesus was passive and accepted His destiny to be crucified. During His teaching ministry, however, Jesus was frequently engaged in a confrontation with the immediate political leaders of His community, the Sanhedrin.

When Jesus turned the tables he was actually engaging in politics because He was confronting the Sanhedrin-approved legal system. Jesus our example got involved, opposed corruption, and cleaned house. It's important to understand that Christ was not opposing the concept of capitalism or business, but the act of profiteering in the temple. Those that promote Christian Marxism are denying the basic call to work and provide for one's self and one's family described in Genesis 3:19, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, and 1 Thessalonians 2:9.

The account of Jesus turning the tables in the temple is described in John 2:13-17 and in Matthew 21:12-13 wherein Jesus calls the money-changers thieves. Obviously, this was not an official legal act by Jesus. It was quite illegal and extremely offensive to the Sanhedrin, who probably received a cut of the profits from the money changers and sometimes held their meetings in the Royal Stoa close by. However, Jesus called the money changers thieves and implied that they were the real criminals. This implies that the basis of law in God is deeper than local governmental law. The Encyclopedia Urantia website describes the occasional Sanhedrin meeting near the money changers and this implies that they were fully aware of the thievery and probably had a cut of the profits:

"At this time the Sanhedrin itself held its regular meetings in a chamber surrounded by all this babble and confusion of trade and barter."

A recent email update from Chuck Missler included the following statement by Thomas DeMont:

"The truth is that the leadership of the church must take a stand and change first. Where were all the pastors in Germany during the systematic gathering and slaughtering of Jews? Where do our pastors stand today? My prayer is that many voices will cry out of the wilderness and not worry about offending others or being politically correct." God guides us all as individuals. But let it not be said that Jesus opposed politics. Because Jesus' turning of the tables opposed the system of the corrupt Sanhedrin, who were also political judges and not just religious figures, His act was not just religious but was also political.

As the church, we should embrace and demonstrate the timeless principles of justice and morality and with confidence.

Truth can be disseminated in a spirit of love and compassion to a world so in need of a moral wake up call. The fact is, the secular atheists who promote moral relativism do not have logical arguments to support their moral positions. But we do have strong logical arguments in favor of Christian ethics, as shown by William Lane Craig.

Today, Christians are dominating in global debates on philosophical questions of ethics.

Peter Singer, the leading ethicist at Princeton, employs flawed logic in attempting to prop up his extremist secular moral views. The work of Sam Harris, another leader in the realm of secular ethics, has been ripped apart by both Christians and secularists. The Christian apologist William Lane Craig, however, does quite well in defending objective Christian ethics against secularists, to the point where top academic secularists shun the thought of debating him publicly and being exposed for embracing illogical and untenable propositions. Instead of hiding our truth and light, we as Christians should be able to stand for it today now more than ever with the assistance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, acknowledged the influence of Francis Schaeffer in terms of anti-abortion activism. Schaeffer offered that addressing the spiritual basis of a society is just as important. This implies an overlap of activism and evangelism to some degree:

"Certainly every Christian ought to be praying and working to nullify the abominable abortion law. But as we work and pray, we should have in mind not only this important issue as though it stood alone. Rather, we should be struggling and praying that this whole other total entity “(this godless) worldview” can be rolled back with all its results across all of life."

Tim LaHaye credited Schaeffer for his influence on the increased political activism of conservatives and participation by evangelicals. Schaeffer repeated his assertion that there is a clear overlap of living a Christian life and the influence of social change:

"Cambridge historians who aren't Christians would tell you that if it wasn't for the Wesley revival and the social change that Wesley's revival had brought, England would have had its own form of the French Revolution. It was Wesley saying people must be treated correctly and dealing down into the social needs of the day that made it possible for England to have its bloodless revolution in contrast to France's bloody revolution." -A Christian Manifesto (1982)

Christians should research and pray for discernment regarding any policial activism.

Many church 'social justice warriors' today do not seem to carefully discern what they are supporting. They are unaware, for example, that Black Lives Matter is not simply about race but on a deeper level is about a socialist takeover of the US, and that the NFL kneeling is illogical for a host of reasons and Kaepernick's website shows that he teaches children with Islamic and communist ideals while avoiding the teachings of Christ altogether. We need to do research before jumping on the bandwagon with social justice groups and movements. Scripture shows that we should follow our conscience and the word of God in terms what God is specifically calling us to do.

So what are we supposed to do?
  
What specifically God would have us to do with our lives is a question that we need to each personally ask God. I believe that raising people's awareness of God's love and the true basis of ethics is very helpful for society. And this can be applied thoughtfully to almost any political discussion.

Some famous examples of Christians that brought about a radical change in society are William Wilberforce, who helped stop the slave trade; John Wesley, who was effective in prison reform and abolitionist movements; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also extremely effective as a Christian in terms of helping to bring about better racial equality, and Jonathan Mayhew, a U.S. Congregational minister that coined the phrase "No taxation without representation" and advocated revolution against England. And William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, one of the largest distributors of humanitarian aid in the world. Booth lived from 1829 to 1912 and his quote is poignant for us today:

“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell."

William Booth's holistic approach to the Christian life seems to be a good example for today when society is increasingly compartmentalized and beliefs are privatized for fear of offending people. The essence of William Booth's recrimination of "politics without God" refers to politics and society without any logical ethical foundation. Honest Christian leaders would not only make good statesmen, but theistic values inform the very basis of logically-cohesive laws.

What we are seeing in much of the chaos of society today is based on relativistic and reactionary ethics based on emotionalism and ethical illiteracy that has been encouraged in public schools, that has been carried on into adulthood, and is being exacerbated by sensationalist media that promotes the same day in and day out.

The first important thing to realize is that all of us believers that have a true born-again relationship with Christ have the indwelling Holy Spirit that can help to clarify God's perfect will for our lives. I'm not saying that God communicates with us in an audible voice, but that God can put things on our conscience that he wants us to do or to become involved in. For William Wilberforce, God's perfect will for him was apparently to help end slavery. For another person, it may be to pray for a spiritual awakening that sweeps through society. If you think about it, a democratic society is only as strong as the ethics of its people. And evil people will simply elect evil representatives in the democracy of an evil society. The best possible solution is not political but is a widespread spiritual awakening.
   
An important step for many is probably to simply turn the cable TV off for a little while and take a deep breath. It may come as a shock to many, but cable TV news is often highly censored, biased, and does not actually represent a lot of the important issues in society today. Many are living in a bubble of false information while there are alternative news sites offering much better information. Because the Millennial Generation is Internet-savvy, there is more openness towards knowing what is going on and perhaps becoming a change for good. And whatever we see and hear needs to be taken in context with the body of scripture.

A lot of what Jesus did as he interacted was simply to spontaneously bring justice to unjust situations, in keeping with this verse: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NIV)

If we are sincere in our desire to follow God and seek His will for our lives, he will show how little or how much he wants us to become involved in issues of justice and mercy in society. The term "social justice gospel" has a negative connotation because sometimes people see doing justice as an alternative to understanding the gospel and living by it. It's really not a valid substitute, though. And while social justice is not a substitute for the gospel, embracing the gospel does not cancel out all acts of justice, either. Again, these questions refer back to our personal relationship to God.

We abide in God and we bear fruit when and how God directs. That's the ideal. If something is not done in relationship with Christ and in God's love, then it's not worth much at all. Dr. Martin Martin Luther King, Jr. aptly wrote that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

We should be true to our conscience, never stop learning and growing, and seek to know and fulfill God's perfect will for our lives.

Scot Mcknight has published an article that outlines the history of Christian activism in the 20th Century and 21 Century, the differences between them, and the shift towards more activism: "20th Century’s Biggest Change in Evangelicalism" and he summarizes this with a concluding quote:

"The issue is no longer if we should help; the issue is how to help, and these authors spell out the possibilities and realities of microfinance development (and not just relief)."

Tags: Jesus as an activist, why the church is not seen as relevant today, taking a stand for truth, the last days Church, Jesus and politics, was Jesus political? Should Christians be involved in politics? What is the social gospel? Francis Schaeffer abortion activist

Note: This article was updated in 2019

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Should Christians Discuss Politics on Facebook and on Social Media in General? 

Kaepernick's Confusion: LGBT and Islamo-Leftist Values Aren't Exactly Harmonious