The Church’s Influence in Politics

Since the church is the primary manifestation of the kingdom and is the primary means by which God is extending His kingdom rule in this world, local churches must consider what we can do together to bring about positive outcomes in society and in politics. We must be willing to work together across racial, denominational, and class lines. Churches should cooperate in a comprehensive program that connects both the spiritual and social. Churches must work together to extend their influence beyond their individual walls in order to impact the broader communities that they serve.

For far too long, believers have looked to political, economic, social, and education-based agendas to address the decay now engulfing us.

The crying need today is for churches to become discipleship training centers for developing their members to become kingdom disciples who learn to progressively bring all of life under the lordship of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–20). The church is God’s authorized kingdom agency that has been given divine authority (i.e., keys of the kingdom) to exercise kingdom authority on God’s behalf in history (Matt. 16:18–19).

As such, we are to function as salt and light in society (Matt. 5:13–16) in order to bring divine influence into our cultural reality. We must seek to offer, encourage, and enact practical ways for individuals and churches to repair the fissures of our racial divide. For far too long, believers have looked to political, economic, social, and education-based agendas to address the decay now engulfing us. But spiritual success in a spiritual war depends entirely upon spiritual solutions.

God is not going to bless a country or a culture that comes up with its own rules and asks Him to bless it.

The decay of our culture is, at its core, a spiritual issue. That is why we believe when the church decides to operate in unity on a kingdom-based agenda that we will usher in true and lasting hope for our land. Churches must come together across political and cultural lines and work toward positive impact. We must heed the clarion call, from heaven into history and from eternity into time, for Christians to live fully as kingdom disciples.

Unless kingdom-minded influencers enter the discussion and assume leadership for promoting the pillars of justice and righteousness in society in order to resolve the existing crisis, we will be hopelessly deadlocked in a sea of relativity regarding all issues. This will result in more questions rather than permanent answers. God is not going to bless a country or a culture that comes up with its own rules and asks Him to bless it. God expects kingdom-minded churches to lead the way.

This is a defining moment for us as churches and citizens to decide whether we want to be one nation under God or a divided nation apart from God. If we don’t answer that question correctly, and if we don’t answer it quickly, we won’t be much of a nation at all (2 Chron. 15:3–6; Ps. 33:12).