Repenting of a Political Mindset

By Chaplain Mike

NOTE: Either I have communicated poorly or my use of the word  ¢â‚¬Å“political ¢â‚¬  has thrown some of you off in terms of the focus of this post. I am using the words  ¢â‚¬Å“politics ¢â‚¬  and  ¢â‚¬Å“political ¢â‚¬  in their more informal, secondary sense in what follows. Dictionary.com includes the following definitions:

• politics = any activity concerned with the acquisition of power, gaining one ¢â‚¬â„¢s own ends, etc.
• political = use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining any position of power or control, as in business, university, etc.
• to  ¢â‚¬Å“play politics ¢â‚¬  = to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for job advancement.

I have revised the post in a few places to try and make this more clear.

One reason I struggled as a pastor can be summarized in the word,   ¢â‚¬Å“Politics. ¢â‚¬  In this case, it was  ¢â‚¬Å“church politics. ¢â‚¬  I remember telling people, sincerely,  ¢â‚¬Å“I don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have a political bone in my body. ¢â‚¬  I didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t think being a pastor should involve the kinds of maneuvering and tactics that we normally associate with politicians.

I just don ¢â‚¬â„¢t think in those kinds of political terms.  What do I mean by that?

When I use the word,  ¢â‚¬Å“political, ¢â‚¬  and say I don ¢â‚¬â„¢t think in those terms,  I don ¢â‚¬â„¢t mean I lack political views. If we ¢â‚¬â„¢re talking about  ¢â‚¬Å“politics ¢â‚¬  as a subject ¢â‚¬”the realm of political philosophy, how society should be governed, what it means to be a citizen of a community, nation, and world, and so on, of course I have certain understandings and opinions. I wouldn ¢â‚¬â„¢t say I have highly developed views. Although I try to stay informed and find the historical study of politics interesting, I ¢â‚¬â„¢m neither a  ¢â‚¬Å“political junkie ¢â‚¬  nor a serious student in political matters. At certain times in my life, I ¢â‚¬â„¢ve actually made a conscious effort not to discuss or offer opinions on many political matters because it caused too many complications and distractions in my pastoral role and in developing proper relationships with the church and parishioners.

But all of that is neither here nor there with regard to this post. I ¢â‚¬â„¢m not talking about whether one is a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or affiliated with some other political party or platform. This is not about being a liberal or a conservative. I haven ¢â‚¬â„¢t written this to discuss Congress or President Obama, the Tea Party, current crises over state budgets and the rights of unions, what our proper foreign policy should be toward Libya, or how we should handle the process of health care reform.

I ¢â‚¬â„¢m talking about the political mindset. There is a way of looking at the world, of defining the issues of life, of the way we think about and treat other people, of advancing various causes and agendas, of expressing our opinions, and of participating in groups and organizations that can be described by using the word  ¢â‚¬Å“political. ¢â‚¬  In my view, this way of relating to others is  destructive to those who are called to fulfill God ¢â‚¬â„¢s commandments to love him and our neighbors.

It can happen in any group setting, not just the public square. This mindset can be cultivated by people of all political stripes. It is not a conservative or liberal thing. It can corrupt and bring down churches, businesses, families, and neighborhood groups. This mindset is the fruit of self-righteousness and selfish ambition, though it is often couched in terms of high ideals, the  ¢â‚¬Å“right ¢â‚¬  course of action, or even divine  ¢â‚¬Å“absolutes. ¢â‚¬ 

In these introductory thoughts on the subject, let me just mention several characteristics of what I call a  ¢â‚¬Å“political mindset. ¢â‚¬  Once I state them in these terms, I think you will see that this perspective is pervasive; this approach to thinking about life has infiltrated many of our relationships and institutions. Remember, we are not talking about being involved in politics in the sense of participating in the civic or governmental sphere. We are talking about an approach to thinking and acting that we normally associate with the questionable tactics of party politics. I will simply list them and allow the conversation to fill them out.

The political mindset:

1. Believes that being in a position of  power is the only real way to advance one ¢â‚¬â„¢s cause.

2. Views being  right as more important than being  kind.

3. Considers those who do not agree as the  enemy.

4. Relates to others in a spirit of  suspicion and mistrust, giving no one the benefit of the doubt.

5. Lives in fear that if today is not  doomsday, then tomorrow certainly will be.

6. Grounds criticisms of today ¢â‚¬â„¢s issues in a  sentimental, whitewashed view of the past.

7. Tends to turn even the most truthful statements into  overstatement and propaganda.

8. Is always looking for ways to  weaken and bring down the opponent.

9. Cares most about  winning over those that take other positions.

In his book,  Jesus and the Victory of God, N.T. Wright discusses what   ¢â‚¬Å“repentance ¢â‚¬  would have meant to Jewish people in the days of Jesus when they heard him proclaim,   ¢â‚¬Å“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ¢â‚¬  Wright makes the point that the word carried the meaning,   ¢â‚¬Å“What Israel must do if her fortunes are to be restored, ¢â‚¬  and that this had a very practical dimension. To repent meant, for example, that they must   ¢â‚¬Å“abandon revolutionary zeal ¢â‚¬  (p. 250), that they as a people must   ¢â‚¬Å“abandon one set of agendas and embrace another ¢â‚¬  (p. 251). Jesus called them to turn their backs on ways of thinking and acting that they thought would give them victory over their enemies and restore Israel to their rightful place at the top.

In other words, the answer for Israel ¢â‚¬â„¢s captivity and their hope of being delivered from their enemies was to follow Jesus and his ways. But to do so, they must   ¢â‚¬Å“repent ¢â‚¬  ¢â‚¬”that is, they must reject the various ways of  ¢â‚¬Å“fighting the enemy ¢â‚¬  that they had been pursuing. They must stop trying to win God ¢â‚¬â„¢s battles for him. They must stop trying to free themselves. They must repent of a  ¢â‚¬Å“political ¢â‚¬  mindset and approach.

I would set forth that Jesus is calling his people today to repent.

• He is saying this to you and me and all of us in his church who rely on  ¢â‚¬Å“the political mindset ¢â‚¬  to engage this world of sin, evil, and death.
• He says this to those who think the only way to talk about public affairs and government is to demonize those who hold opposite views and hold them in ridicule.
• He says this to people on the left, the right, the middle, and of all political viewpoints who think that the main goal is to win, gain power, and push through their plans.
• He is saying this to those who write letters to the editor of their local newspapers, to those who write in the religious blogosphere and for Christian publications or who speak through Christian media.
• He is saying this to those who think that suspicion, manipulation, deception, and arguing until I get my way is how we should relate to others in our families, neighborhoods, and communities.
• He is saying this to those who think and act this way so that they will get their own way in the church.
• He is saying this to pastors and church leaders who think the way to build the church is to rule over their flocks and advance their own agendas, crushing the opposition along the way.
• He is saying this to church board members and congregation members who treat the fellowship of believers as their own personal cage match.

I abhor the political mindset. Yet despite my protestations that  ¢â‚¬Å“I don ¢â‚¬â„¢t have a political bone in my body, ¢â‚¬  when I stop and take a good long look in the mirror, I find it has taken root in my own heart and displays itself in many ugly ways.

How about you? What do you think?

http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/repenting-of-a-political-mindset