The purpose of the political

Two kingdoms doctrine and why I don't discuss politics publicly

I've always felt a little inconsistent regarding politics and my own political opinions. Let me explain:

I was in high school in Albuquerque when George W. Bush ran for re-election in 2004, and there were signs everywhere that said, "Viva Bush" or "Long live Bush." I thought these signs were for a female New Mexican candidate named Viva Bush until my dad corrected me. Whoopsies. Clearly, politics weren't at the forefront of my interests. And I would say that naturally, I'm still not much of a political person - I don't spend much time thinking about policy issues or personal political scandals, and I tend to distrust politicians instinctively.

My parents did a great job of educating my siblings and me on the fact that politicians are not saviors, that often, people's politics change with age and circumstance, and that politics offer imperfect solutions for imperfect people. They taught us to respect people with different political views than our own, which was important for me in high school when I had very different views than the majority of those in my small, college prep school. I didn't always do this well, but that environment forced me to listen to other's perspectives and to challenge my own out of necessity.

On the other hand, however, I am a very competitive person. This has made it difficult, especially with growing polarization in the United States and growing outrage on both the left and the right at any number of issues, not to find myself at times both invested in or overwhelmed by the politics of our day and age. I like choosing a side and being a winner! And I certainly feel justified by the convictions that my views put me on the "right side of history."

If you are American, you may relate to this type of whiplash between political conviction and political dysphoria. We live in an eccentric political system – one built on centuries of individualism and distrust and filled with both its benefits and strengths as well as its faults and flaws. Even now, we are Puritans by nature, looking to oust the heretics among us. (If any of this hits home, I would highly recommend listening to Dan van Voorhis' 1517 Academy Course on Christianity in America, which offers a deep dive into the relationship between politics and Christianity in this country.)

It's for all of these reasons that I have found a lot of respite in Martin Luther's doctrine of two kingdoms, which essentially boils down to the idea that God operates within two kingdoms: in the lefthand kingdom, God primarily uses the law to restrain unrighteousness. It's here that he gives authority to earthly rulers, including kings, presidents, and lawmakers. Far from separatism or even pacifism, Luther relies on passages like 1 Peter 2:13-14 and Romans 12 to defend the need for earthly governments to not only rule but to punish wrongdoing when necessary. In the righthand kingdom, however, God works through his gospel to justify his people as righteous, to engender faith, and to forgive sins. This is, of course, done through the work of the church and the proclamation of said gospel.

Luther puts it this way in his essay on temporal authority: "God has ordained two governments: the spiritual, by which the Holy Spirit produces Christians and righteous people under Christ; and the temporal, which restrains the un-Christian and wicked so that—no thanks to them—they are obliged to keep still and to maintain an outward peace" (Luther's Works, Vol. 45, pg. 91).

Two kingdoms don't always equate to a white-and-black break between church and state. For instance, the church needs lefthand kingdom operations of sorts to function administratively, to meet the temporal needs of its members, etc. On the other hand, the Christian need not fear involving themselves in politics, striving to live off the grid, or being sequestered from the enforced realities or consequences of certain public policies. Our identity as Christians allows us to freely engage politically - to vote and opine according to our conscience, Biblical morality, and natural law.

This doctrine and approach is interesting to me for two different reasons. First of all, two kingdoms offers us political freedom where most Christians often feel restraint and condemnation as well as where most Christians tend to enforce restraint and condemnation on their neighbor. It allows us to fully investigate our political options while simultaneously being honest about their limited potential. 

Secondly, and I think most importantly, the two kingdoms doctrine allows us to protect that which is most inherent and crucial to the work of the church: the proclamation of the gospel. It gives us a way to check our instinctive need to justify ourselves by the law rather than let God justify us through Christ.

When we allow political motivations, regardless of party, to creep into the church, we overemphasize the potential abilities of earthly kingdoms and underemphasize God's promises through Christ's death and resurrection. We communicate, even if subtly, that politics (and therefore the fulfillment of the law) plays a role in justification - or at the very least - our sanctification, rather than the fact that righteousness, holiness, and our ultimate hope comes only on account of Christ. This, I think, can look like any of the following:

• Church denominations or individual congregations involved in political rallies or lobbying.

• Sermons on politics or cultural issues (like racism, abortion, or immigration, to name a few) that end with to-dos rather than the forgiveness of sins and/or are not directly related to a text.

• Church leadership either directly telling or implying their members should vote a certain way.

• Political members speaking at church events or on Sunday mornings.

This is why I do my best to not engage in political conversations publicly, why I value political diversity, and why I encourage others to seek out churches where the proclamation of the gospel - rather than the proclamation of a political or cultural message - is central. I'm not a part of the ministry of the church directly (and I'm not claiming to be), but personally, I've found that steering away from public political conversations is important if we want to keep the gospel at the forefront.

If you were to approach me individually and ask for my thoughts about this or that policy, culture war, etc., I would happily tell you. Spend enough time with me, and you can probably figure out where I stand for yourself. My point is not to dissuade you from having personal political leanings but to encourage you to remember that politics - while subject to our God - live in a different realm than the gospel. They are limited in their reach and imperfect in their solutions. We can freely involve ourselves in them and hope for good outcomes, but it would be folly to rely on them completely. 

I think most of the time as Christians we get too involved politically when we fear persecution for how we interpret the law: i.e., fear that the world won't allow us to live by our standards or won't conform to our standards. But the law has never been the main identifier for the Christian, nor have we been given any sort of promise that the world will listen to our convictions. Instead, the promises we have been given are twofold: both that we will be persecuted for our righteousness (given in Christ) as well as the continual preservation of the gospel through the ministry of the church.

The first of these promises may illicit some fear, especially in a day and age when persecution is so minor for many of us. Your faith is an offense; the gospel - not the law - is an offense. Your identity in Christ will not be accepted de facto by the world. And yet, the second promise is also yours to hold onto.

Christ himself says where two or more are gathered in his name, he is present (Matt. 18:20), and even more encouragingly, that not even the gates of Hades will overcome his church (Matt. 16:18). Despite persecution, the promise of the gospel will stand throughout all of history, because even when just two people gather in Christ's name, the Holy Spirit is at work to create faith, to save, and to forgive sins. We have been fashioned into new people produced by the proclamation of the gospel - and therefore, we are called to continue this proclaiming work, trusting all the while that God will set out to accomplish this good work through us.

As a Christian, you are free from having to worry about every single cultural and political issue that comes up in the news. You are free from the demand to share your own opinion on whatever hot topic issue of the week is at hand in order to be justified by the mobs of social media and the American political system because you've already been justified by someone greater. You are free to cast a vote that's different from that of your neighbor and not harbor ill will toward them. You are free to say a prayer for the good, protection, and wisdom of our rulers of the day, whoever they may be, and whatever they may have done that you do or don't agree with. You have the most powerful promise of all in the gospel, so protect it, cherish it, and spread it freely just as it's been proclaimed to you.

Here’s a little Youtube video where I try to address this topic briefly:

---

More on Two Kingdoms:

One note: both the Lutheran and Reformed traditions have a two-kingdoms doctrine that vary slightly. I don’t know enough about the Reformed tradition to comment accurately, but I do know the guys over at Theocast have been putting out some interesting resources from this perspective if you are interested in learning more (search “Theonomy”). My thoughts above are very much a cursory overview of two kingdoms, so here are a few more resources I thought would be helpful if you want to learn more:

The History of Christianity in America 1517 Academy Course by Dan van Voorhis

Short articles from 1517:

• “When Politics Predominates” by John Hoyum

• “Calling, Politics, and the City of God” by David Clay. Here, Clay traces two kingdoms back even further than Luther to Augustine’s famous City of God.

• “In Christ, We are Free to Vote, Work, and Worship” by Donavon Riley

• “Citizenship in the Christian Tradition” by Adam Francisco

To go straight to the source, check out Luther’s An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility and Temporal Authority: To What Extent it Should be Obeyed.

---

Some other updates:

I have some new Outside Ourselves episodes out since I last wrote, including this week’s with top battle-rapper, Loso. Nothing pleases me more than the fact that I get to interview everyone from battle rappers to C.S. Lewis scholars in the span of a week and that all of these conversations have something to offer me and you as a listener. In this week’s episode, Loso gives us some insight into the community of battle rap and how he’s found himself there over the past 10 years or so.

I think the topic we are really circling around is vocation, and what that can look like as a Christian in a non-Christian context. Sure, sometimes this includes evangelism and apologetics, but a lot of the time it involves just doing the work God has given you well while being open to relationships with those close by. We tend to complicate this idea as Christians when we make evangelism a requirement of vocation (ironically I would argue this approach usually ends up negating any true evangelism opportunities because people aren’t dumb and they can sense when they’re being viewed as a project rather than a person). Loso does a great job of reminding us what it looks like to do your job well, whatever it may be, because in Christ, you are free to do so.

I am almost done pre-recording future interviews through December as I prepare to go on maternity leave and I’m very excited about sharing upcoming guests with you all. Be sure to be on the lookout for new episodes/videos either on Youtube or whatever podcasting app you listen to.