Theology and Politics

I often talk to people who believe that “theologically conservative” has some connection to “politically conservative.” Other will marry theological and political liberalism. These connections simply do not exist as a matter of course.

A theological conservative is someone who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible, accepts the miracles of the Bible as historical fact, and believes that biblical principles apply to the lives of Christians regardless of cultural norms at any given time or in any given society. A theological liberal on the other hand does not see the Bible as the infallible Word of God, denies miracles in the Bible, and believes that many interpretations can come from a given passage of Scripture and further, that we should apply biblical insight in light of our current cultural norms.

Political conservatives historically favor “traditional” values and a strong military, while political liberals historically see “liberty” (or individual rights) as their primary political value. In recent times, conservatives argue for less government interference in the free market economy while liberal argue for more governmental involvement to “protect the individual.” I can go on and on about the differences but my point is this: conservatism means something completely different from a theological perspective than it does from a political perspective. The same goes for liberalism from both perspectives.

This is an incredibly important distinction for all of us to understand. I talk to many young adults in D.C. who believe that if they are theologically conservative then they must adhere to politically conservative ideology (same assumptions for young adults who are theological liberals). Big mistake! “Conservatism” and “liberalism” mean to completely different things when applied to theology and politics. I’ve often argued that we, in the church, should come up with our own terms instead of borrowing political terms that have been around for centuries (theological “liberalism” only came about in the last century and a half). But, until someone bothers to do this there will be continued misunderstandings, continued confusion in terms, and continued numbers of young adult Christians developing a grossly inaccurate “political theology” or theological politic” – you pick the term you like best.

So, you want to understand these four terms? The quickest way to get a cursory understanding of each is to click on the hyperlinks above and read the wikipedia articles on each subject. These articles are not infallible and have some errors and inconsistencies in them but none that will cause more damage to you as a believer than having little or no understanding of the ideological differences between the terms.

You might be thinking, “Todd, why is this such a big deal?” My answer lies in keeping the Gospel and the Word of God pure and undefiled by the philosophies and ideologies of men. Jude warns the church, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3) The “faith” written about here is the doctrines or Christianity that have been entrusted to us as believers. Are responsibility is to pass it on to the next generation untainted by worldly philosophies. This is exactly what I fear happens in our national capital of Washington, D.C.

As young adults we must take ownership of the terms we use when describing ourselves and others. We must take responsibility for using language correctly so we don’t get dragged into erroneous thinking and debate. In Washington this is especially paramount. I’m also going to be taking on some issues over the next several months in my blog that will require you to understand at least the basic differences between these four terms; issues like abortion, capital punishment, and suicide.

So, for some of us the next few months will be very challenging, but I believe worth the time spent. Read the blogs. Reflect on the issues. Leave comments for others to read on my blog. Let’s create a lively and productive dialogue that ends with all of us being biblically wiser for the effort.

Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)

Todd Phillips
http://www.toddphillips.net/
http://www.frontline.to/