In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Politics and civic life are far too seldom characterized by these virtues. Christians should make a conscious effort to exhibit and emphasize these virtues in how we engage in public life, thereby serving as “salt and light” in our politics. We must approach politics and our civic life from a posture of humility and charity.

We should resist thinking of politics and civic life as “us-versus-them,” zero-sum games. Both mentalities super-charge polarization and so often dehumanize those with whom we disagree. They betray our common humanity as well as core biblical teachings.

Faith has been at the center of nearly every movement to advance freedom, equality, and democracy in the U.S., notably the abolition and Civil Rights movements. Christian leaders and institutions are called to confront violence with active nonviolence. They are called on to use their moral influence to persuade, build bridges, and actively challenge injustice and oppression with nonviolent means, including, if necessary, through disciplined protest and acts of noncooperation.

At a time when the Christian faith is being used by some to defend a politics of exclusion and an ideology of racial hierarchy, civic discipleship demands collectively saying “no” to prejudicial, racist, and anti-democratic behavior and “yes” to building an inclusive democracy reflective of the Beloved Community.

As Christians, the ability to discern, embody, and proclaim truth is vital to our calling to be good news in a world increasingly filled with disinformation and chaos. The explosion of media availability, including social media, and the constant input of a higher volume of information than the human mind can comprehend or analyze, has made identifying and holding onto truth one of the greatest challenges of our day.

Our susceptibility to being manipulated by algorithms, bots, misinformation campaigns, and deepfakes has heightened our polarization, normalized ideological extremes, and mainstreamed once-fringe conspiracy theories. As we engage in civic and political life, it is our commitment to seek the truth, guided by God’s redemptive work in the world and the image of God in all people.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves”.

Politicians and special interest groups will often have agendas and interests that undermine our principles and some will try to use churches and Christian organizations to advance those agendas. Therefore, we should engage in politics and civic life both carefully and honestly, without a hidden or self-serving agenda of our own, but with a commitment to fostering a thriving community.

Our actions and decisions have a profound impact on the livelihood and prospects of future generations. We should be under no illusion that the task of transforming Christian engagement in our politics and civic life can be accomplished easily or quickly. Therefore, it is important to take a long-term view with our civic engagement. We should seek to create fertile soil in which we can plant seeds for the next generation.

We recall Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s instruction that the church should seek to be the “conscience of the state, not its master or its servant.” Politicians often seek photo ops with religious leaders or seek to benefit from religious leaders’ moral authority and constituency. Regardless of the party or policies of a candidate or incumbent, we should be willing to engage civilly and honestly with them, but only insofar as it allows us genuine opportunity to influence their decisions in service of the principles our faith leads us to champion.  

While individual Christians can and do make the decision to support particular candidates with their votes, volunteering, or their financial contributions, we must never let our partisan commitments supersede our commitment to Jesus Christ. Churches and Christian charitable organizations should avoid partisanship entirely, refraining from endorsing individual candidates or offering blanket support based on party identification. 

Our principles should derive from our theology, not from our ideology. Faithful Christians can and should be able to disagree on the best policies or laws to advance core Christian responsibilities in this world as followers of Christ, including advancing human dignity and protecting those who are most vulnerable. We should not, however, allow our ideological convictions or leanings to blind or limit us from seeking common ground. 

Jesus’ instruction that we are to love our neighbors and our enemies as ourselves is foundational. We have an obligation to treat even our most ardent political opponents with respect and civility — and we can do so even as we firmly oppose and disagree with them.

Disagreement about how to turn principled positions into policy is healthy, reflected through a commitment to principled pluralism. Today’s extreme polarization is corrosive because it prevents good conflict — or conflict intended to be resolved by compromise — while enabling conflict that can end in violence or perpetuate an unjust status quo.