Christians in the U.S. desperately need political discipleship. For far too long, we have only received partisan discipleship (e.g. moral majority) or apolitical discipleship (which is just another way of allowing the cogs of systems of injustice to continue turning). We need to

dive deep into seeing how the ethics of Christ through the power of the Spirit within the vision of new creation should shape what is Good, True, and Beautiful in the interactions of society.

Currently, we have only been given two viable options that are thoroughly

unsatisfactory. The first is the conflation of partisan affiliation with Christian faith (e.g. "You must be a Republican/Democrat to be a true Christian"). The second is a twisted form of Christian liberty that claims that Christians have the freedom to believe whatever ideology

floats their boat. Both are problematic, and both demonstrate how little work we've done to think through the political implications of our faith.

"Jesus is Lord" is an essentially political statement that would have upset the power hungry rulers of the day who expected to hear

"Caesar is lord." "The last will be first and the first will be last" has necessary implications for economic and social policies that should make both socialists and capitalists uncomfortable. Jesus' model of restoration within the church ought to spill over into how we see

criminal justice as not essentially punitive but restorative in nature. "Blessed are the merciful" and "It is difficult for a rich man/woman to enter the kingdom" may have serious impact on how we see the role of taxation and welfare systems.

We may disagree on the particular

applications of these principles, of course, but to a certain degree, there should be a unifying mission in our political endeavors. The watching world should be able to look at Christians and see that we are trying to bring a kingdom of faith, hope, and love to bless the world,

not as a power play or an act of coercion. They should see a people who are corporately taking up their crosses and dying daily in order to put their neighbor before themselves, especially the "least of these." If our non-believing neighbors, friends, and family members don't see

this, it is entirely possible that we are not being faithful ambassadors of the kingdom.