One of the ways we love our neighbor is by helping to shape the political decisions that help or harm them. But it is crucial that we understand the many ways we shape politics beyond voting for candidates.

• Just being the church. The first way Christians should influence politics is by being a living model of Jesus’ dawning kingdom. When the church simply lives out a visible model of transformed social, racial, and economic relations, it profoundly influences society.
• Prayer. Karl Barth once said that prayer is the church’s most important contribution to political life. The Bible calls us to pray for our political leaders. 
• Shaping culture. To a great extent, broad cultural assumptions determine what is politically possible. Abraham Lincoln allegedly told the clergy of his day that “the church sets the boundaries within which politics has to function.” Christians help shape the cultural norms in society first by their common life, then by their ideas, writings, and artistic productions. 

• Educating church members to think biblically and wisely about politics. Unless church leaders help their people develop a biblically informed way of thinking about political life, church members will simply borrow their political values from secular sources. Biblical foundations for economic and racial justice and teaching respect for the dignity and sanctity of human life—all the components of a biblically balanced agenda, should be laid out in a church. That does not mean that the pastor or denominational leader should regularly promote a specific political proposal or candidate for office. Instead church leaders should help their members develop a faithful approach to politics
•  Educating the public on specific political issues. In political education, people seek to inform a group of citizens (whether church members or others) about particular issues, the reasons for taking a specific stand, the current state of the political debate on the issues, and how best to impact the outcome. 
• Lobbying elected officials. It is crucial that denominational social action agencies do this kind of work only when denominational structures have had a clear process and given concrete authorization for church agencies to speak in the name of the denomination. However, parachurch Christian organizations (and of course secular lobbying agencies) are better able to lobby politicians without politicizing the church. 
• Running for political office. Congregations should encourage members with the interests and gifts to be candidates for political office. Caring church leaders and other members of the congregation should help Christian political candidates (and elected officials) to develop platforms that reflect a biblically balanced agenda, to think and speak honestly, and to retain integrity in public life.
  

This election season, ask God in which of these ways he wants you to help shape politics. ■

Author : Ron Sider