By Larry Craig

In November, our country will have another election. Few churches talk about elections, and I think Christians often think that politics are not that important for Christians. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are just passing through. Our hope is in God and not human deliverers.

But then we still have to pay taxes, make a living, and make decisions about schools for our children and where we should live.

We wanted to send our kids to Christian schools, but we couldn’t afford it. I discovered that 2/3 of our property taxes went to public schools. I couldn’t send my kids to a Christian school, but I was paying for public schools. So I would have to pay double for my kids’ education if I sent them to a private school.

Welcome to politics.

Public schools in Illinois are teaching your kids that they may not be the gender they were told when they were born. They can be any gender they want, and they should decide this as soon as possible. No time to waste with gender-affirming surgeries and puberty blockers.

Where do your kids go to school?

Welcome to politics.

Christians are taught to be generous, help those who are in need, tithe to their churches, and support Christian organizations. But you don’t think you bring enough money home from work to do all you want to do.

Welcome to politics.

Christians are aware of many of society’s ills, and we are taught that the way to change society is through personal conversions. Change the people, and you change society.

Politicians know that if you change society, you change the people.

Homosexuality has always been seen as an aberration in our society. The norm was men and women getting married and having children. The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, and soon homosexuality was normalized in our society. Christian businesses are being litigated and forced to close because they are being asked, I mean told, to do things contrary to their religious beliefs.

Welcome to politics.

We know we have the Great Commission, to win the world for Christ and to disciple the nations.

We are told that our country was founded as a secular, pluralistic society. We teach our kids in schools that they are animals just like dogs, cows, and chimpanzees. Life is an accident of nature.

Then we wonder why it is so hard to talk to people about God. God has been pushed so much out of the public consciousness that people don’t give God a thought, and so we first have to try to prove to them that there is a God, that Christianity is indeed the right religion, that the Bible is the Word of God before we even get to share the gospel with them.

That didn’t use to be the case.

Welcome to politics.

Our country is getting to the point where persecution for your Christian faith is becoming more and more a reality. The freest country in the history of the world is becoming hostile toward the Christian faith. Our rights come from God our Creator, and that includes a right to practice our faith. But that is changing.

Welcome to politics.

In a war, you have soldiers shooting it out on the front lines. But generals know it’s not enough just to kill enemy soldiers. They often will target ammunition factories, supply lines, and weapons storage facilities to weaken the enemy’s ability to continue the fighting.

Evangelism is sharing the gospel with people, the good news of Jesus Christ. That is usually one-on-one engagements with people. But if we allow our schools to teach that God is irrelevant and non-existent, that science is all we need to know, that the government is your benefactor and protector, your success in reaching people for Christ is going to be greatly hampered.

Repentance is still a part of the gospel message, but if there is no right and wrong but what you believe for yourself, there is nothing to repent of.

Yes, I know that the early Church changed the world. It also believed in the power of God, and we usually relegate that to Bible days. The Church is one more thing vying for the attention of the masses. We resort to social media trying to get a hearing, and it’s not working very well.

Politics used to just be about paying for roads and police departments and schools, but people are trying to change our entire society through politics. They are masters of language usage — killing preborn babies is really about personal autonomy, and protecting those babies violates people’s basic human rights.

Welcome to politics.

You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. But you have to be out in the world to make any kind of difference. You have to be on those school boards, those city councils, those House and Senate chambers, or you have to vote for those who will serve in your place.

Welcome to politics.