Christians, politics and public policy

Although I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, I appreciate the way Miroslav Volf frames the ultimate concern for Christian discussion of politics and policy. 

Christ as the Measure of All Values

Value: The ultimate allegiance of a Christian is to Jesus Christ, the creative Word (become flesh) who enlightens everyone, and the redeeming Lamb of God who bears the sin of the whole world. Christians ought not embrace any practice, no matter how prudent it may seem from the standpoint of national security or national competitive advantage, which conflicts with their allegiance to Christ.

Rationale: “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11).

Debate: For Christians, the debate should not be whether one’s allegiance to Christ trumps one’s allegiance to the nation. The debate should be what key values for national life follow from allegiance to Jesus Christ and what the proper relation is between the universal claims of Christ and the particular claims of the nation.

Question to Ask: To what extent is the candidate merely seeking to serve the “goddess nation” and to what extent is what he stands for compatible with the Christian conviction that Christ is the key to human flourishing? (from: Values of a Public Faith: A Contribution to a Conversation)

Steve Cornell