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by Guy Hewitt
In the New Testament, two major confrontations occur between religion and politics. John the Baptist is targeted for this condemnation of Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife in violation of Jewish law. Later, after our Lord Jesus Christ proclaims that He is the Resurrection and the Life and raises Lazarus, we read in John 11:50 of the plot to kill him: “ . . . it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.”
In his book, Righteous Empire: The Protestant Experience in America, Martin Marty argues that the Protestant church could be divided into two groups: public Protestants and private Protestants.
Public Protestants hold to Luke 4:18 to “bring good news to the poor…release to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind and let the oppressed go free…”
In solidarity with the ‘Old Left’ they agitate for equality, civil rights, peace and social progress.
Their tradition is rooted in Moses, one of the greatest spiritual and political leaders, who challenged Pharoah, the world’s most powerful ruler, and led God’s people to freedom.
On the other hand, private Protestants feel the church is about spiritual concerns, personal development, and private morality.
Inequalities and injustice, they hold, fall outside the jurisdiction of the church. However, of late private Protestants, now part of the ‘New Right’, are equally politically engaged in advocating a conservative agenda.
I have said before that the Church and other faith communities are neither to be the master nor servant of politics but its conscience. Beyond the role of the Church as an agent of social change, I want to look at the issue of ordained ministers being involved in politics.
To the extent that representational politics is supposed to reflect the aspirations and concerns of people, it seems axiomatic that someone who is or has been an ordained minister should be in tune with the kinds of struggles that people deal with in their everyday lives. There are many examples of priest and pastors being directly involved in politics: Ian Paisley – former First Minister of Northern Ireland was the Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster Jean-Bertrand Aristide – former President of Haiti was a Catholic priest John Witherspoon – a Presbyterian minister was the only cleric to sign the US Declaration of Independence John Danforth – former US Senator from Missouri and Ambassador to the United Nations is an Episcopal priest Jesse Jackson – civil rights activist and former US presidential nominee is a Baptist minister A reason for low numbers of clergy in elected office in the US may be tied to the country’s longstanding tradition of separating church and state. The First Amendment to the US Constitution seeks to build “a wall of separation between Church and State.”
However, religion and government are more closely intertwined in many countries. For example, in the United bishops are members of the House of Lords.
It is instructive to reflect on comments by The Rev. Raphael Warnock who as of January 2021 became an elected US Senator from Georgia. Warnock, who since 2005 has led Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, previously led by The Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about spiritual leaders in politics.
Warnock said: “While it’s unusual for a pastor to get involved in something as messy as politics, but I see this as a continuation of a life of service: first as an agitator, then an advocate, and hopefully next as a legislator.”
The new Senator told the Religious News Service (RNS) just prior to his successful bid, “I say I’m stepping up to my next calling to serve, not stepping down from the pulpit.”
From childhood preaching to a congregation of chickens, religious faith was a constant in the life of Representative John Lewis. The renowned congressman and civil rights leader said this about religion and politics.
“The civil rights movement was based on faith. Many of us who were participants in this movement saw our involvement as an extension of our faith. We saw ourselves doing the work of the Almighty.”
Someone once said, religion is organised to satisfy and guide the soul – politics does the same thing for the body. I believe God and Country are an unbeatable team. May the Lord give us faith and courage to work towards a stronger future and continue to be the people’s guide.
Guy Hewitt announced his candidature for the leadership of the DLP. He currently lives and works between Barbados and Florida and can be contacted at guyhewitt@gmail.com
