A prominent Christian apologist is on a quest to expose what he calls four "myths" Christians hold about politics, warning that too many believers remain on the sidelines, disengaged from critical cultural conversations. Summit Ministries recently released a new free online video series, "Should Christians Avoid Politics?" which challenges common perspectives and encourages believers to develop a biblical worldview on political involvement.
The series, Summit CEO Jeff Myers says, was birthed from the organization's desire to help new voters. Each summer, Summit Ministries hosts biblical worldview student conferences for individuals aged 16-22.
"They're nervous," Myers told Crosswalk Headlines. "They want to make a good decision, but they see all the political infighting, and they aren't sure what to do."
The series, though, is for Christians of all ages, many of whom are "not as involved as they should be as citizens," Myers said.
"I'm not saying that they have to be an enthusiastic member of a political party or a political junkie, but we are citizens in the kingdom of man, as well as being citizens in the Kingdom of God," he said. "And non-involvement is not an option."
One of the "myths" tackled in the series, Myers said, is that "choosing between the lesser of two evils is itself evil."
"I think probably everybody can identify with this," Myers said. "You look at two political candidates and think, 'How am I going to decide? I don't like either one of these people.' [But] it's important to note that a vote is not a 'like.' A vote is a hiring decision. And you make that hiring decision based on whether that person could effectively manage the government according to the principles of the Constitution or the founding document on which that government is based. So I think instead of thinking of, well, 'I have to hold my nose and vote for the lesser of two evils,' we should ask the question: 'Is one of these candidates more likely to lessen evil?'"
Another myth, Myers said, is that "politics doesn't matter to what is really important." To that, Myers points to what he calls "sphere sovereignty."
"There are three aspects of society," he said. "The family, the church and the state. Those three spheres have to be balanced with one another. Think of three balloons in a box. If one of them gets blown up bigger, then it squeezes the other two."
Family is "where economics is located and is where education is located." The state/the government is "for the purpose of securing the rights of the people" and "ensuring the free flow of commerce." The church is the "conscience of the government and the part of the training ground for families." Churches "don't tell the government what to do, but churches do need to stand up for what is right and what is wrong and encourage the rulers to do what is good, not what is evil."
The series is for small groups, families and personal enrichment, Myers said. Christians, he added, can engage in politics without adding to the nation's polarization. The key is for Christians to have "disagreements in a spirit of grace -- that is something Christians can model and should be modeling for society at large."
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Dr. Jeff Myers
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.