Politics & Character
A commentary by
Cecil Maranville
United Church of God elder in Glendale, Arizona
As the jarring accusations, arguments and harangues between political
parties and their chosen candidates continue at full-throated volume
in the U.S. election races, I have been reflecting on why the positive
traits of character are so absent from politics.
Many pundits comment on
the bitter division that currently exists in America, as if it is a surprise.
The truth is that the political process inherently fosters divisiveness.
God's Word says this is evidence
of the basest elements of human nature at work. "For where there
are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving
like mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3).
There are two elements common to the political process, either of which
usually brings out the worst in human nature: competition and self-promotion.
By competition, I mean the kind that seeks to destroy an opponent. One
gets the impression from listening to each campaign's rhetoric
that not only is the opponent unworthy of office, but he is frankly such
a scoundrel that he should be arrested and prosecuted!
Candidates and their supporters put their opponent's every word
(even their facial expressions!) under a microscope, ready to pounce
on and exploit the slightest misstep. We've seen this time and
again in the current political season. And, when we closely examine the "facts" cited
by the campaigns, even by a supposedly neutral press, we discover exaggerations,
distortions, unsupported innuendo and the occasional bald-faced lie.
It seems that candidates believe whatever it takes to get one into office
is acceptable behavior. Truthfulness and honesty, qualities at the heart
of good character, aren't a requirement.
The New Living Translation of the Bible comments on the tendency to
quibble over words: "This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy,
fighting, slander, and evil suspicions" (1 Timothy 6:4). How's
that for a commentary on today's politics?
Let's look at "slander and evil accusations." Anyone
thinking of entering politics knows that opponents will paw through their
past lives, looking for those mistakes, exposing and amplifying them
for all to see. It makes no difference whether one has repented, changed
and grown beyond those mistakes. Those running for a major public office
can count on the fact that someone will exhume every "skeleton" from
wherever it is buried!
The evil twin of trying to destroy the opponent is the promotion of
one's self. Ancient Wisdom says, "Let another man praise
you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips" (Proverbs
27:2). The nature of politics is for a candidate to tell everyone how
great he or she is, repeatedly urging listeners, "Choose me over
the other candidate!" Or, an army of surrogates, both volunteer
and paid, will passionately promote their candidate's virtues.
How different the status quo is from this counsel about humility: "Let nothing be
done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem others better than himself" (Philippians 2:3)!
James tells us what godly character looks like in action, contrasted
with base human character. "For where envy and self-seeking exist,
confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James
3:16-17).
The United Church of God is non-political. We do not endorse one candidate
above another.
We take Christ at His Word that healthcare issues, financial needs,
crime and the threat of war will continue to plague the best of human
governments. Every administration will fall short of making the nation
completely secure or its economy perpetually robust. And, the political
system will continue to disappoint and divide people.
Yet, we are promoting good government—the government of which
Jesus Christ spoke, the Kingdom of God. Perhaps you've not realized
that He spoke about ushering in a much superior governmental administration.
There will be a spiritual aspect to the government of Jesus Christ, for
its leaders and administrators will all have true godly character. And
His government will be completely free of nefarious politics.
 Asserting that Christ would institute a government on earth has
consistently been the message of ancient prophets, the first century
apostles and the Church of God throughout the ages. Read the full story
in our booklet, The Gospel
of the Kingdom.
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