Andrew Cameron blogs on ‘Christian Voices in the Public Square: How should Christians speak on public issues?’ with Archbishop Peter Jensen
Christians have had a long and patchy history of saying how we think society should be run. There are issues of the so-called ‘right’: bioethics at the beginning and end of life; matters related to sexuality; the freedom of religion, and more. There are issues of the so-called ‘left’: environmental concerns; asylum seeker policy; justice for marginalized people, and more. Both ‘sides’ have something to say about war, economics, labour relations, and so on.
Should Christians weigh in on these matters? Most people don’t have a thought-out theory about it. Most simply feel, at a visceral level, that something is wrong and should be challenged. After years of being shaped by God’s word, what matters for us has changed, and so we speak out.
But when opponents of our view get wind of our background – that we’ve been shaped by the Bible and by Christian thought – we are told that we have no place in the discussion, and that we should not ‘impose our values upon others’. (Sadly, our opponent never notices their intention to impose a value upon us.)
Some Christians respond by asserting that since Australia is a Christian nation, then of course Christians should call the nation back to its roots. They don’t believe they are ‘imposing’ anything: they believe they are simply describing to the nation what we agreed to be, and who we’re meant to be. (In my experience, people who argue this position only champion the issues of the ‘right’.)
Other Christians cannot see in what sense Australia is ‘a Christian nation’. Whether or not it had Christian roots, we see ourselves surrounded by unbelief, and see no point in trying to use law and policy to change things. It’s about changing hearts through the gospel of Jesus Christ, they say, not foisting law upon non-Christians! So these Christians are evangelistically active, but politically ‘quietist’. They see no place for church leaders to speak on matters of public policy, and are conflicted about whether individual Christians should do so.
My own sympathies have always been with the second group. Of course the core enterprise of Christian churches is to speak the gospel to people’s hearts. The Bible has a lot to say against trying to use law to change people. And, no public law can have traction if it doesn’t engage the ‘grass roots’ – if people do not believe it on the ground.
But at the same time, I’ve begun to see problems with political quietism. What are Christians supposed to do, once God changes what matters to them? Our neighbours find it easier to love bad things until someone points out the problems. There are blind-spots in society that we can say ‘no’ to. Sometimes others find they hadn’t noticed, and begin to agree.
We shouldn’t only say ‘no’, though. We could also suggest new and better ways to run society. Unfortunately, Christians haven’t been as good at this kind of contribution lately.
In every case, it doesn’t matter that the Bible has shaped our view, if what we’re suggesting is true on the ground and promotes ‘common good’. So it’s also appropriate to state to our non-Christian neighbour the expectation that we, too, may speak freely (that’s part of what we mean by ‘religious freedom’).
‘Christian Voices in the Public Square: How should Christians speak on public issues?’
Archbishop Peter Jensen
Talk available here
Feature photo: Garry Knight
