Conundrums and Quagmires

There's something competitively compelling in this year's presidential primary season. I'm not sure if it is the seemingly inexhaustible news coverage, or the fact that I find several major candidates fascinating politically and personally. While national elections have intrigued me for years (I can remember arguing with a classmate in fourth grade that Reagan had indeed defeated Mondale handily), it is only recently that my fascination has bordered on obsessive. I've always been a fence sitter politically, feeling the tension between the values of Christians on the right and those on the left. I struggle to understand where I should fit into all of this, as well as our place and role as Christians in the political quagmire.

I recently finished reading an interesting book entitled, The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. Not only was it well researched and well balanced in its presentation, but it brought to light an important question within the political landscape in which we live: How involved should Christians be in politics? What kind of statements should we be making about candidates, issues, and policies? Billy Graham's involvement is uniquely significant in this area due to his noteworthy relationships with numerous presidents from the 1940's onward, but also because he strived to remain politically neutral in these endeavors. (This was a hard reality for Graham to maintain, as the book thoughtfully points out.) Through the years Graham sought to focus more on influencing the spiritual lives of prominent politicians rather than the nuances of their policies. In an age that sees the influence of the Religious Right arguing with other prominent evangelical voices calling for justice and compassion, Graham's legacy is somewhat of a conundrum.

All of this leads me back to the conflicting voices in my head and on the news. What is the role of Christians in the American political system? Should we strive to make our voices heard? Or are we called to live in such a way that our actions best declare our political testimonies? Jesus seemed to avoid the politics of his day, though keenly aware that all he said and did would make a political statement in its own way. When confronted with questions of a political nature, he would raise deeper questions meant to call to account the bigger picture, the spiritual nature of what we do and why we do it. While Christ's example is clear, it is challenging for me to adapt it to my life. Obviously Jesus understood that love and grace can carry as much political weight as power and judgment, but how to let my life influence the political current of the day seems hopelessly inconsequential.

So I'm still not sure if I'm more of a Republican or a Democrat, or if my one vote between the lesser of two evils will make any sort of difference in the direction of the country in which we live. Despite the media attention national politics receives, I am coming to believe that the most significant political actions take place locally and interpersonally. My choices to engage in conversations of substance with those around me, to exercise kindness and mercy, to help meet the needs of others in my community, to vote with my heart not just my mind; these seemingly small decisions will help shape the world in which I live. While the media will likely continue to miss these small endeavors done by ordinary people, they probably deserve my attention more than the time I give to news coverage on the elections. Does this mean I won't watch elections returns with nail-biting anticipation in the coming weeks? No. It simply means I need to keep my perspectives and priorities, my words and actions, in line with real change and real hope, the change and hope offered through Jesus Christ.