Cris Eugene A.

Sobrepena CO2-F AUGUST 8,2011 RS3 Church's and Politics Church's Role in Politics Previous Article Index Next Article Dr Jim Harris Associate Rector at Emmanuel Church, Wynberg, Cape Town. Let me begin by defining some terms that may be helpful in understanding the thr ust of my paper. By "church" I mean both the individual believer and the institu tional entity; hence both individuals and the corporate body have a part to play in the political realm. In the following observations and reflections I do not , however, make fine distinctions here. By "politics" I mean all activities rel ating to governing, guiding or building civil society. I recognise the limitati ons of these definitions. It needs to be made clear, too, that I write as a theo logian even though I am commenting on ethical, political and legal features. So, what is the role of the church in politics? I think, firstly, the church nee ds to recognize that it does have a role. I make this point because many Christi ans struggle with the church's involvement in socio-political-economic issues. Y et Scripture and history clearly support the church's place in these concerns. D aniel becomes a leader in Babylon, Amos and other prophets speak into political and social matters in Israel, Judah and the surrounding nations. Both John the B aptist and Jesus refer to the political concerns of their day. In both the Old a nd New Testament God's representatives spoke out against abuse of political powe r and sought just use of power. This surely, is what being "salt and light" mean s. Hence participation in politics does not detract from spirituality; in fact a spirituality that is unrelated to politics is questionable. Secondly, I am convinced that the key role the church plays in politics is throu gh its prophetic ministry. "Prophetic" here means speaking into policy, structur e, or issues in the name of God and Christ, or on behalf of humanity in general or of a community in particular. Anglican bishops David Russell and Desmond Tutu were classical examples of this, following, I believe, the prophetic pattern in the Old Testament. This is different to the "prophetic word" that is current different in emphasis, not better or worse. The church has a set of moral norms and it has illustrations in Scripture and in history of how these norms have be en used. The prophetic role is seen in the application of relevant moral norms t o the current political concerns of the day. Hence the church needs to continue engaging with government on justice, corruption, leadership, economic debt, hous ing, education, health care, safety and security, policy, and whatever else is m orally important. Further, the church needs to be saying "yes" as well as "no" t o governmental promises and policies. By "no" I mean to clearly oppose wrongdoin g, corruption, or anything else deemed unedifying and not benefiting society. " Yes" supports commitments to fulfilling promises made to making real efforts to curb crime, to making education truly a prime target for development, to making health care accessible and significant - not second-rate. Government (including local government) should look again at how it spends money in areas considered p riorities. In one case I know of, a local authority raised rates by a large perc entage. In the budget labour costs (salaries etc) took about 70% of income. Sen ior officials' salaries took a sizeable portion of that. And in the same breath residents were informed that services would be cut due to inadequate funding. Th us the question needs to be asked: Who is really benefiting, the people or the o fficials? In this type of situation it is difficult for individuals to change mu ch. The body corporate, however, can be effective by powerful representation at the highest levels to bring about just and equitable rate increases together wit h reasonable service expectations. To conclude: the church's role in politics is to be there visibly in the context

of political policy formulation. The church has to be prophetic, speaking for G od. The church has to herald the ethical values that enrich a nation. The church has to be bold and forthright, constructive and innovative. The church has to b e "salt and light" in what is so often a corrupt environment, to bring light and health.