Character Matters

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 
God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matthew 5:3-12)

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23)

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

“Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

Most of these are extremely familiar passages of Scripture to those who have spent much time in a church, even if only in children’s classes. While this is from an exhaustive list, I’d argue it is a good sketch of one thing in particular: the kind of character and personality that we, as Christians, ought all be striving for. Am I jealous? Do I demand my own way? Do I keep a record of being wronged? Am I irritable? (I was today.) Do I work for peace? (What does that mean, exactly?) Am I patient and gentle and self-controlled?

While I have lots of questions about what exactly some of these passages mean, the parts I do understand show a pretty unmistakably clear picture of what a Jesus-follower is aiming for. To further bring it all into focus, Jesus came Himself and lived His life to show us what these mean. His lived example always catches me off guard. He doesn’t fit in the boxes we construct for Him.

Why do I reference Christian character in an essay about politics in the United States?

First, to be clear: I don’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians. How could I? It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that any of us start to show His love.

Second, I don’t call the United States a Christian country. This requires a bit of nuance, I suppose: much of our history consists of people seeking freedom to practice their version of Christianity. Many founders were Christians, though far from all. The “all men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence is a phrase that could only come from a religion that insisted that God not only created all people, but that God Himself died for all people, of every gender or race or ethnicity. (Galatians 3:28) And yet…that is a far cry from a nation that is Christian. While this is a much larger discussion (maybe in another essay), I’m deeply skeptical that any nation will ever commit itself to following Christ until the New Heavens and the New Earth. The historical nation of Israel couldn’t do it—why should we have any more success?

So, why do I reference Christian character in an essay about politics in the United States?

I don’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians: and yet the Christian standard is how I judge right and wrong.

I don’t call the United States a Christian country, nor do I expect it to be: and yet the Christian standard is how I judge the behavior of my country and her leaders.

There is no such thing as a short-cut in ethics or morality. There is no doing evil so that good may result. Being mean-spirited in the interest of doing the right thing is still mean—and nothing at all like the fruit of the Spirit mentioned above.

I care deeply about character: does a person have the strength to do the right thing even when it is hard? Even when no one sees (to steal the title of an Os Guinness study)? Even when the crowd cheers for them to do wrong? Can they turn the other cheek to their enemies? Are they willing to appear weak in public for the sake of doing what is right?

Christians can debate about all sorts of policies, just as we do with theology. There are all sorts of questions to be asked! We can debate about exactly what role one’s faith or religion ought to play in politics. And you are welcome to disagree with me about the importance of character in politics! (It is, after all, quite a few rungs down the ladder of importance in critical issues.)

My conviction, however, is firm: character matters. Even in politics.