How the Bible Influences Our Politics

This is part of a series of speeches completed by youth in the Youth Speaker Tournament.
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Ashes. This is all that remains of a mighty oak tree, burnt down by a forest fire. However, we can no longer reconstruct the ashes back into the tree, for a chemical change has taken place. A change... that is irreversible. So it is the same with the Bible-believing church and politics: it is impossible to separate the two without each becoming ashes, without altering the fundamental role of each. Without the church, political views become relative to each person. Without politics, the church loses its voice in the public arena. Although many Christians separate politics from their faith, the Bible does influence my views of moral and socio-economic issues within the political context.

In recent years, the positions of the pro-life movement and traditional marriage have come under attack by abortionists and gay rights activists. Even within the church, controversy arises about a woman's right to choose and same sex unions. Secular lobbyists argue that the Bible-believing churches should not "impose" their beliefs and preach about the morally depraved state of our society. Their argument directly contradicts the inerrant truth in the Old and New Testaments. The Bible condemns homosexuality in both Leviticus 18.22 and Romans 1.26-27. The same is true regarding the right-to-life, for God creates us in His own image, and values each person's existence. But as I observe, sometimes the biblically-faithful and I have slipped into complacency. We do not want to express our faith in public, nor do we want to voice our political views to others. The Bible, on the other hand, encourages me to share my views in terms people can understand. This reminds me of Paul in Athens (Acts 17), who articulated his message in a way the Greeks knew. Paul understood the powerful implications of explaining in other's terms (to Jew be Jew - I Corinthians 9.20). This is something that I can take and apply to politics. Paul's example inspires me to share my views of these moral issues by expressing these ideas in a way that relates to my audience.


Another part of politics deals with the socio-economic aspects, especially with social justice and civil rights. This issue of Christian influence in schools has been hotly debated throughout the years. On one hand, opposition seeks to silence the Christian faith, not allowing any public display of it. Yet, at times, the complacency of the church and its members such as I encourages others to take over the public arena. This sad fact only compels me to further follow the Bible in its teachings, vocally proclaiming the Christian message. On issues like social justice and welfare, the Bible takes stances on those positions as well. Isaiah 1.17 clearly states to "seek justice, encourage the oppressed, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." All this is well and good, until the cumbersome bureaucracy of the government assumes the position of the church. This causes Americans to rely more and more on social programs, causing more problems when government fails to do the job. When the church shift its responsibilities to government, it loses the right to act, to do the work commanded in the Bible. With Biblical influence in politics, the church and I can talk the secular language with the basis of our Biblical principles.

What remains for the church to do? The Bible already reveals several examples in both the of people who explained the Gospel on the listener's terms. Jesus used parables to illustrate his message to these Israelite farmers and fishermen; Paul used Greeks gods debate with the Greeks. Even historical figures such as William Wilberforce and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, utilized politics as a means to fight against social injustice. As Dr. King puts it, "Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere." By applying these core Christian ideals, the church dealt head on with the issues, backed with the solid Christian foundation. This is the most significant way the Bible influences my politics: to uphold Biblically-based views when seeking a solution to our problems. Without our voice in the public arena to discuss moral and socio-economic issues, the ideas held dear by the church will be replaced by relativism. The absence of Christian thinkers in society only results in the ashes of the world's morals and values.