This paper examines the role of the Bible in politics with regards to how the book influences political thought and political action in our culture. The analysis begins with a brief discussion of the link between the Bible and politics. The second section evaluates how this book has been used in today’s political thoughts and actions.
¶ … Bible Influence Political Thought and Action in Our Culture?
The Bible is a unique book that is different from others because it contains sacred text that has continued to influence societies from generation to generation. Generally, the impact of this sacred book is worldwide since it has affected every department of human activity. The influence of the Bible on society is derived from the fact that it contains various themes that are used to shape the moral progress of the world. In addition, the influence of this book is not restricted to Christians and Jews because it impacts more than 50% of the world population. One of the major ways that the Bible has influenced society is through its effects on politics, especially political thought and action. In most cases, the Bible is used as the basis for formation of laws and rules that govern society.
The Bible and Politics:
In today's society, there are Christians who have unhealthy focus on social and political issues to an extent that it is detrimental to their personal testimony and the gospel in general. On the other hand, there are those who argue that Christians should have minimal or nothing to do with politics (Specht, n.d.). However, these groups need to reconsider their views and beliefs based on what the Bible teaches regarding politics.
Despite of the difference in the role of Christians in politics, the Bible is essential to political philosophers and theorists as well as the modern culture. While many contemporary politicians demonstrate less familiarity with Biblical doctrine, many political scientists and scholars have studied this book (Abramson, 2011, p.xiii). These scholars and scientists have studied the Bible to obtain insights regarding political leadership and political conflict. This implies that there is a strong link between the Bible and contemporary politics.
The Bible has traditionally been recognized for its impact on modern literature, culture, and language with little emphasis on the significance of the book in politics. This emphasis has been misleading because the book has continued to have profound effects on national politics, particularly political thought and action. Actually, there is no other text or book that has been read so avidly in the political field for so long like the Bible. In essence, the Bible is regarded as the most important book or document in political history.
How the Bible Influences Modern Politics:
As previously mentioned, the impact of the Bible on modern political thought and action is largely ignored or unknown. When this impact is ignored, it is usually considered as a concept that the society has escaped to promote current freedoms. In this case, the impact of the Bible on politics is not viewed as something with positive contributions to political history, thought, and action. This is a misleading view because of the strong link between the Bible and politics, which is attributed to the influence of the Bible on political thought and action. Moreover, the belief that Biblical politics are estranged with modern politics is wrong because the Bible presents a consistent vision of politics (Palmquist, n.d.).
The first way through which the Bible has influenced contemporary political thought and action is through the formation democracy. The concept of democratic participation has had a long history in politics since its introduction by William Tyndale who was a political authoritarian. Together with the idea of spiritual democracy that is rooted in reformation Protestantism, Tyndale's work provided the basis with which the concept of political democracy would develop and grow (Spencer, 2012). In the early 19th Century, radical Christians used the concept of spiritual democracy to contribute towards the formation of political democracy.
The concept of spiritual democracy involves God's decision to involve human beings in his eternal work through the consent of humans. Therefore, if God would involve man through his consent, every individual needs to voluntary put himself under a government. Since the government is a means of temporal salvation, it should engage individuals in its formation and the development of public policy. In essence, political democracy has emerged from the idea of spiritual democracy and is constantly used in modern politics. The modern culture is based on the inclusion of everyone in decision making and the formation of politics. The Bible plays a crucial role in this process because of its link to the emergence of political democracy.
The second way with which the Bible influences political thought and action in our culture is through human equality. Actually, the issue of human equality in terms of what it is and how it should be acknowledged has continued to be a major issue in contemporary politics. This issue has become controversial to an extent that people are likely to miss how counter-cultural and counter-intuitive is the devotion to essential human equality. Many politicians have constantly argued that human beings are equal regardless of their race, religion ethnicity, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. This argument is based on the biblical text that God created all human in his image and likeness; both male and female (Spencer, 2012). The text has been used as one of the most influential Biblical statements in politics based on its use to advocate for equality in all levels of governance and across the political divide. Actually, the consideration of humans as equal before God is used as the basis for eradicating any form of discrimination in the governance of a nation.
Third, the Bible influences political thought and political action in our culture through the consideration of political leadership as service to mankind instead of a means towards selfish gain. Politicians in today's cultures have risen to leadership positions based on their political ideas and agendas on the kind of service they would provide to the electorate. This has primarily contributed to the conclusion that political office is not a means of financial gain and personal aggrandizement. Generally, the Bible constantly regards leadership positions and positions of authority as platforms that are given by God to accomplish His purposes. Modern political governments are governments of, by, and for the people who contribute towards their formation. Politicians have civic duties and responsibilities they need to fulfill for the good of the nation and to please God. The idea of modern politics as service is based on Biblical principle that all earthly authorities and powers should be limited while owing their existence to God who holds them accountable for their actions.
Fourth, the Bible influences contemporary political thought and action in terms of the development of the concept of separation of governmental powers. Political thought and action in our culture is based on three arms of government i.e. executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The principle or concept of separation of powers originated from the Bible i.e. The king, lawgiver, and judge, which represent the executive, legislature, and judiciary respectively ("Biblical Principles of Politics," n.d.). Similar to the Bible, the three arms of government are the basis for governance of a nation and development of political philosophy. Therefore, political governance and political philosophy in our culture is based on the Biblical pattern of governance, especially in the life of Israelites.
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