Christians are going to have to learn that it is not power that is good or evil, but the wielder of that power. The Book of Proverbs says “When the righteous rule, the people rejoice.” We need to make that principle more than just a campaign slogan, but rather an entire philosophy of governing. 

Politics has always been controversial, whether in ancient Athenian democracy or in a 20th-century communist dictatorship. It is also likely true that most people either pay too much attention to politics or pay none whatsoever. The Church is not unique in this regard. To avoid the question of how to apply the Gospel and Christianity to politics, many pastors and popular figures in modern Evangelicalism often say things like, “Just preach the Gospel.” Others turn their sermons into stump speeches for a particular candidate or a cause. Neither of these is acceptable any longer. Your average church member can feel something is wrong: Church leaders must be prepared to shepherd their flock accordingly.

A Liberal Art or a Hard Science

The biggest shift in modern political thought, especially on the “New Christian Right,” is the consideration of politics as a liberal art rather than a hard science. With hard sciences such as math, chemistry, or physics, there is always a right or wrong answer. Experiments or equations that are consistent and repeatable lead to the creation of formulas. The liberal arts, however, have to be studied and understood in a particular context to be properly applied. They require much more work to study and even more to master. To exemplify what I mean, the New Christian Right is not concerned with “nation building” or “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them here.”  We learned over the last twenty years that you cannot copy and paste the American Constitution into a Muslim society and expect to have lasting peace and tranquility. This realization, however, presents its own unique challenges.

Prudence or Procedure

One of the biggest challenges we face now is how to apply the idea of politics as a liberal art to modern America. The majority of our politicians are either so committed to an ideology or so cravenly self-interested that they are unable to exercise their power prudently. They have to abide by a procedure. They do not know how to govern any other way. There are a few examples of Christians governing prudently even when in violation of “conservative principles” or going against the consultant’s advice. Ron Desantis’ tenure in Florida is probably the best example of this. A decade ago, conservatives would not have been in favor of the way that Desantis punished Disney in 2023 by taking away the self-governing privilege that the company had enjoyed since 1967. However, in 2023, conservatives cheered him on his crusade.

Be Prepared for the Backlash

The other challenge we will face is the backlash and name-calling from alleged conservatives and center-left liberals.

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