Living in a New

In my last post I addressed the issue of the tenuous relationship between religion and politics. 

What complicates that relationship for Christians is the belief that we are subjects of a kingdom not of this world. This kingdom, often expressed in the New Testament as the “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” (per Mathew’s Gospel) operates according to a much different set of rules and values from that of any earthly kingdom. 

Yet whenever I have talked about this kingdom folks seem to get a glazed over look that says: “What in the world are you talking about?” Have you ever seen that look?

Well perhaps it’s because the word “kingdom” trips them up.

That word really has little meaning to those of us living in a Democratic Republic such as America. So what if I shifted the metaphor a bit? What if I said something like, “social reality” instead of “kingdom”? 

Would that help you think?

For this is exactly what Jesus came to do: Create a new never-before-seen social reality in which his followers would live out their lives. Is it possible when Jesus said “follow me” he was encouraging folks to follow him into this new so-called “social reality”?

Now here’s the deal: This new social reality with its different rules and values does not match up with the normal social reality in which we all were born. Surprisingly the rules of the road for this new social reality (or way of life if you prefer) are very clear:

“Love the Lord God with everything you’ve got and love your neighbor as much as yourself” (paraphrased from Matthew’s Gospel).

Now to be clear, we do not need an attorney or a professional politician to explain these rules to us, do we? We do not need a Constitution or reams of law books to guide the way we live according to this clear law of the kingdom. The rule of law for each and every Christian who resides within this new social reality is simple: 

The rule of Agape (love). 

You may be asking yourself at this point: “Okay this all sounds good but what does this look like in real life?” 

That’s a great question and I would suggest you read Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7, particularly the first part called the “beatitudes.” It will become clearly obvious that anyone who chooses to follow Jesus into this new social reality has a mandate to live in a radically new and different way. 

So we Christians live in a radically new social reality defined in the New Testament as the “Kingdom of God.” It is not a kingdom of this world. It is not merely a spiritual reality but a real life boots on the ground social reality designed to reflect the image and will of God to the world.

Its operating system is powered by agape or love resulting in a whole new way to live and relate to the old social reality in which we all were born.

Author Eugene Peterson aptly describes what this new social reality looks like based on a passage from Paul’s letter to the congregation at Galatia:

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

If I may stretch this social reality metaphor a little bit further: Not only is this new way of life for those who follow Jesus powered by a God’s love, it also stands in opposition to the dominant power and political structures of this world. This new social realty (Kingdom of God) was not created by God to be compromised by human political systems or power structures. 

The new social reality created for Christians is quite frankly incompatible with the social structures of the world. It hosts its own politics. It is powered by its own operating system (love). Its vision is based on hope. Its social philosophy (if I may call it that) is egalitarian and inclusiveness, both tilted towards justice. 

So let’s come full circle: Do religion and politics mix? They can but there is price to pay when followers of Jesus compromise the social reality into which they have been grafted with the political and power structures of this world.

There is no denying that we must live in the tension between these two opposing social realities. As followers of Jesus we are called to live responsibly in the world as image bearers of the God who created us. We are also expected to be responsible citizens of this world. Therein lies the tension in which we find ourselves.

We mustn’t stick our heads in the sand as if the world does not exist. Yet we are explicitly called to offer our full allegiance to the new social reality in which we are now full-fledged citizens. 

So the big question is this: 

How do we as citizens of God’s kingdom live faithfully in the kingdom of this world? 

What do you think?