It is not the critic who counts - thoughts on christian citizenship

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is not effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though chequered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."


This above quote is from Teddy Roosevelt, the great US President in a speech on ‘Citizenship and the new republic’ For the past year and a half I have been waxing lyrical about the desperate need for Christians to be active citizens. Not just in the light of the biblical mandate to be salt and light but the need to see political activity as a noble task is pressing.

Why do I say this? Why is this necessary? And indeed what is a workable and meaningful definition of citizenship that can inspire and guide bible believing Christians passionate to engage in the public realm?

I have found the whole experience of being a Christian active in politics fascinating, being involved in Labour politics and particularly so in the past nine years. After years of passionately being anti-Tory it was a personal elation when ‘we’ got in 1997 and kicked ‘them’ out of power, finally. I have felt a rollercoaster of emotions, disappointment, and yet a growing appreciation of the complexities of politics in those years. I have also seen the good that I believe my Labour government has done for poor people, and working people. I also confess, a frustration at some public attitudes to politics and the manner in which elements of the press report current affairs. We cannot let some politicians off the hook for degrading public life but the juvenile, personality obsession of the media is fuelling public cynicism to an unhealthy degree.

So at a time of increased difficulty for Labour and when the party is in a state of pre-transition and flux, do we as Christians on the left give up and accept disillusionment? Are we straddling a contradiction, engaging in ‘progressive’ politics in a broken world and knowing the temporary limits of politics, whilst believing ultimately that this world was and never will be as the Lord intended it to be? A proper eschatology must underpin our Christian citizenship. We should be realists about the world we live in but as people of faith see politics as a noble and worthwhile calling, entering the muddy and bloodied arena in the face of failure but confident our service will not be in vain.

As people of hope, committed to the kingdom and seeing politics as public service we surely cannot accept disillusionment. Frankly, it is a harder task to be a Labour activist than it was in the halcyon days of 1994-1997. Now, with the reality of government and a bored and cynical public, it is a harder task. Reticence is one thing but cynicism acts as a protection for people from trusting and hoping, it justifies not acting and speaking out. We cannot lapse into cynicism, yes trust must be rebuilt but as christians we are people of hope not disillusionment. Surely, our commitment to politics is seeking to build God’s kingdom, not temporary empires.

Given a balanced theology we can view politics as a noble enterprise. If we believe in Christian involvement in mainstream parties as preferable to the establishment of a ‘christian party’, we need to define the boundaries of our involvement. Now is the time to demonstrate commitment to the flawed but necessary process of democratic politics. Christians need be involved in the healthy plurality of parties, for whatever our concerns about key issues important decisions need to be made in the complex public arena. Avoiding those decisions is an absence of responsibility and a failure in citizenship.

So how and where do we start to deepen our citizenship?

We need to understand the distinction between the role of the kingdom, mandate of the church and how that shapes and informs christian political activism. I am always struck by 1 Kings 18, where Obadiah serving in the Royal Palace uses his influence to protect the prophets from Jezebel’s wrath. This may have been hidden and notionally insignificant but it was an action for good that reflected a man of God using his position with wisdom. In contrast Elijah the prophet has the freedom to rail against Ahab as the ‘troubler of Israel’. I see Elijah as the church, prophetic and unbeholden to the culture of the day speaking God’s word with freedom. In contrast, perhaps Obadiah reflects those in public life and the workplace, being influential, maybe in modest ways but making a difference. Clear and prayerfully informed thinking must guide our activism, not false notions or the trends of the day.

I would lay down a healthy challenge to all those people who rightly mobilised on the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign. This positive harnessing of energy and engagement should not be lost. Yet the church needs to broaden its public engagement into the more noble and mundane foot-soldiering world of national and local politics. We need to be politically active on the ‘less fashionable’ causes and narratives and we need to set the agenda in the public square. To fulfil this calling we need to develop a more holistic and inclusive christian worldview and embrace a wider dialogue apart from the ‘safe ground’ issues of development, as necessary as they are.

We need a campaign to ensure Christians join the party they vote for. We need to pray and partner with Christians from other parties, (as is slowly happening) recognising we have the kingdom in common first and foremost. Yet this should be done without developing a mushy quasi-theology which says ‘we are all in this together’. Yes, we are all in this together but we have differing roles, ideologies, backgrounds and issues, let’s be honest.

If as Christians we are serious about civic renewal, need to encourage and affirm all those involved in politics, appreciating the complex difficulties faced. We should seriously commit to revitalising democracy, voter turnout and challenging the areas of the media that distort truth whilst encouraging the good.

Finally, we need to articulate a theology of politics as legitimate service. People may not think that some people enter politics with noble motives, that it is necessary and it can deliver good. If we can inject that into the churches thinking we can move away from some of the world’s broken thinking that constrains our imagination.

So in the words of President Roosevelt let’s stay in the arena, accumulate a ‘bit of blood and a bit of mud’ and not accept lazy and hollow secular rejection of politics. There is a need always for the church to speak righteousness and justice to the government of the day, but let us be mindful that our critique does not undermine the legitimacy of effective engagement in public affairs.

With biblical thinking, a realistic programme for action and humble appreciation of God’s people who are colonising politics we can build on where we are. We can engage in politics with confidence, knowing that we spend ourselves in the most worthy of causes.