Is it right for an evangelist to comment on politics?

Over the past few months I have commented on a number of political issues on my social media feeds.

Some have written directly to express appreciation of what I have shared. Others have publicly expressed concern that I shouldn’t be speaking on such issues. Shouldn’t an evangelist keep out of divisive political issues and stick to preaching the gospel?

I felt it might be helpful to express something of my thinking as to why I have done this.

I appreciate that there is a danger in wading into any political debates as a Christian evangelist. Some evangelists have harmed their ministry by quite obviously aligning themselves to one political party or view. We need to remember that no one party will fully express the range of concerns that a Christian should have. In my opinion it is a good thing that here in the UK Christians feel at liberty to vote for all of the major parties and surveys show a fairly equal split in the way they normally vote.

However, I fear there is an opposite danger, and that is, that we have nothing to say about political issues at all. I think this is a mistake for two reasons.

Theologically it is a mistake because it gives the impression that the gospel has nothing to say into such issues. It suggests that the gospel is an isolated idea that is disconnected from other areas of life. Yet in its broadest sense, the gospel is the story of everything from creation to new creation. Therefore, everything in the world is somehow connected to the gospel.

Discussions about human rights, racism, the environment or our response to a global pandemic – everything is connected to the gospel. One of our jobs as evangelists is to build a bridge from what people care about to the gospel – and to show that ultimately it is the gospel that best makes sense of the things that matter most.

Culturally it is also a mistake to ignore politics. We live in an increasingly secularised culture that has dismissed the idea of God. Into the vacuum that the death of God has created we find politics is often placed. We now expect politics to do that which historically we would have expected God alone to be able to do. For many, their political beliefs have become religious in nature. Evangelists are called not only to present the truth and beauty of the gospel but also to deconstruct false worldviews that set themselves up against the truth of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4).

So I do believe that it is right to seek to engage with the beliefs of a secular society and seek to speak the gospel into these areas. As I do so it is good to remember four things:

1. It is hard to speak about political issues without sometimes revealing your own political views. Where I do express political views online, it should go without saying that these views are my own and not necessarily those of any church, or organisation that I work with.

2. While I am unwavering in my confidence in the truth of the gospel, I accept that on pollical issues I may get things wrong. On such issues I speak with a limited perspective and am happy to be corrected.

3. I do believe that it is ok to question and challenge the decisions of one’s government. Some Christians seem to think that the Bible (and Romans 13 in particular) forbids this. Yet while authority structures in general are given for our good not everything the authorities do in particular is necessarily good. One of the blessings of living in a democracy is that we can challenge our government when we feel they may be making decisions that are actually harmful to society. If we could never question or disagree with the decisions of our government then we would then never be able to vote for anyone other than the ruling party!

4. I appreciate that many Christians, including good friends who I love dearly, hold different views on some matters. This is ok! I have been enriched by discussing things in a constructive way with those that think differently. This can lead to me either sharpening, honing, moderating or changing my views on certain issues.

I will endeavour to speak on numerous issues from around the world. The gospel affects all of life so I don’t want to become known for only speaking about one issue. In the last few weeks I have not only spoken about issues like Covid-19 and racism but the political situation in Belarus and the terrible ongoing genocide of Uighur Muslims in China.

Finally, let me commit to the following:

- I will post far more about the goodness of Jesus than the affairs of the world.

- When I address the affairs of the world, I will do so explicitly from a Christian perspective.

- I will not bind Christian consciences. I don't think you're less of a Christian if you disagree with my politics.

Michael Ots, author and speaker.