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Author and theologian John Piper recently stressed that \u201cpolitical flag waving\u201d has no place in \u201cChristian worship\u201d amid a contentious election season.<\/p>\n
In a recent episode of the \u201cAsk Pastor John\u201d podcast, Piper, who currently serves as chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, responded to a question from a listener named Matthew regarding the distinction between speaking truth into political flag-waving.<\/p>\n
According to The Christian Post<\/em><\/a>, he outlined six characteristics of what he termed \u201cbad political flag-waving\u201d, including party allegiance over moral principles, merging moral stances with political affiliations, placing undue hope in political solutions for societal issues and taking biblical teachings out of context to justify partisan agendas.<\/p>\n \u201cBad political flag-waving means foregrounding partisan politics in settings where they do not belong \u2014 for example, in Christian worship. Making the case for a party\u2019s political platform belongs, for example, at the national convention of the party. That\u2019s where you can wave your flag properly, but not in Christian worship,\u201d Piper, who pastored Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years, wrote.<\/p>\n He also shared how Christians can take a biblical approach when it comes to \u201cspeaking truth to power.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking truth to power in a truly Christian way is always a call to repent and trust the forgiving grace of Jesus,\u201d Piper asserted.<\/p>\n The Desiring God founder also addressed the topic \u201cseparation of church and state,\u201d explaining that although Christians should partake in societal discourse, they must avoid utilizing governmental power to impose religious beliefs.<\/p>\n \u201c[No] human government should ever use its biblical right to wield the sword to enforce a religion or to oppose a religion as such. And the reason I used the phrase as such is to distinguish that bad action of forceful establishment or forceful maintenance of religion from the good action of creating laws that might fit the morality of a religion but not at all be part of prescribing or proscribing a religion as such,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Piper stressed the importance of the Gospel meeting the spiritual needs of all people through the Gospel as well as the necessity of faith and repentance.<\/p>\n \u201cBy all means be willing to lose your life to speak the truth to power and weakness. But always keep in mind the vast difference between this and political flag-waving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Piper previously spoke on political matters during past election seasons, including in 2020 when he explained<\/a> why he could not support either candidate, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Although he did not mention them by name, he compared both Biden\u2019s support of \u201cbaby-killing\u201d policies, \u201csex-switching\u201d and \u201csocialistic overreach,\u201d and Trump\u2019s \u201cunrepentant sexual immorality\u201d and \u201cunrepentant boastfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will not develop some calculus to determine which path of destruction I will support,\u201d he wrote at the time. \u201cThat is not my duty. My calling is to lead people to see Jesus Christ, trust His forgiveness for sins, treasure Him above everything in this world, live in a way that shows His all-satisfying value, and help them make it to Heaven with love and holiness. That calling is contradicted by supporting either pathway to cultural corruption and eternal ruin.\u201d<\/p>\n