
Stop Mixing Your Religion with My Politics — Why the Religious Must Now Get Political
I’ve been told for years to keep politics and religion separate.
If you’re religious you’ve probably been told to do the same.
As a “religious leader”, I am often encouraged to stick to a “separation of church and state”, and the past decade as a Christian minister, I have been more than happy to tow this line.
Indeed for years both myself and the vast majority of my religious friends have respected the chasm between us and our political brothers and sisters.
However, today I say, “No more”, and I encourage you if you are religious too, to reevaluate your position given our nation’s current reality.
If we are to keep democracy alive, the people of faith must rise. Indeed, it was Christianity that bought democracy to birth in the first place see this brilliant article by Kurt Mahlburg called “Ten Reasons our Human Rights Come from Jesus.”
I challenge you to join with me in crossing the floor and come alongside our political friends and participate in their own game, the outright mixing of politics and religion.
Make no mistake, you may hear the cry, “Don’t bring your God into our Parliament.” But I assure you, their policies are very much seeking a place in your pew, and unless you act now, Parliamentary Bills will be telling you what you can and can’t preach and pray, not the Bible, or your faith.
Although not purely “political”, the recent case of Israel Folau shows just where Australia is heading.
Across Australia, freedom of religion and speech are very much under attack.
Let me give you some shocking examples of the current cross-over of politics into religion, based on Labor’s current proposed policies that they are seeking to enforce against your religion, should they win the Federal Election on May 18, 2019.
If elected, a Labor government would make it illegal for Christian and other Religious Schools, to be selective in their hiring of staff based on sexual orientation (and the theology and doctrine that often comes with these dear individuals). In short, this means that, under a Labor government in 2019, someone that advocates for gender fluidity and lives in an active homosexual lifestyle, could secure any job at any Muslim, Christian or Jewish school.
Many of my Christian friends in education tell me that they can not push, or even share, their faith in a public school. Yet in 2019 it could soon be “on for young and old”, when it comes to the LGBTQ agenda being pushed into Christian Schools.
Labor has also promised that it would continue to fund the misleadingly named “Safe Schools”, a curriculum that many have highlighted, sexualises children and destabilises a young person’s gender identity. Actively undermining the strength of identity that the God offers when he says, “male and female he created them.”
If elected Labor has also promised a National Ban on “Gay conversion therapy”. I pray I am wrong, but I (and many ministers and clergy members) believe that this is another way of saying, “It will be illegal to engage in prayer ministry or Christian counselling for anyone who is struggling with same sex attraction and is, by their own will, wanting someone to pray with them or counsel them.”
Pastors, Priests, Ministers, Church Leaders, Chaplains, and Christian Counsellors, let this be a warning. Some of the very core parts of your work, that have been core for centuries, could in 2019 become illegal.
A recent announcement from a ministry in Denmark highlighted that it is now illegal to cast out a demon (perform an exorcism) without a licence from the government. I have no reason to believe that a Labor government would not seek to legislate how you pray and who you pray for.
Labor has also promised nation wide reforms to current abortion laws. Their aim is to have all States and Territories supply the abortions of a babies up until the moment of their birth (arguably, even part way through a baby’s birth). Whats-more, they will use tax payer funded public hospitals to perform these abortions. Labor will legislate the killing of babies in the womb, up until birth, and once again undermine the sanctity of life that so many people of faith hold dear.
I could go on.
My point is this, people of faith across Australia, it’s time to act now, before it is too late. Don’t wait until it’s illegal to have your say.
Here are three ways you can take action right now.
1. Educate.
I urge you to educate those around you as to what a Labor Government would have in store for Australia’s people of faith. Use your social media platform, talk to your friends and family. Start a conversation today.
If you are a religious leader I am calling on you to speak up too. This may go against every way you have ever operated (it does for me), but I’m telling you, the times have changed and so must we, for the sake of our nation.
2. Pray.
Prayer works. I know this from experience and I know this from Scripture. Pray for Australia. Pray for our politicians. Pray for a government that would protect religious freedom if elected in 2019, at present that means pray for a Liberal government to be elected on May 18. Encourage you to take part in the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting with Daily Zoom calls at 8PM every night.
3. Vote.
Take your voting seriously this year. This may mean taking it more seriously than ever before. Do your research, pray over your vote, and if you care about Australian religious freedom, I urge you to vote for a government that would protect freedom of religion, and be very much aware of this, a vote for Labor in this election, is a vote against the freedom of religion many of you hold dear.
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The letter’s authors — including former PM Tony Abbott and former deputy PM John Anderson — warned that the use of so-called gender-affirming care was a “potential public health disaster of generational significance”.
What is your source for this statement please?
“Labor has also promised nation wide reforms to current abortion laws. Their aim is to have all States and Territories supply the abortions of a babies up until the moment of their birth (arguably, even part way through a baby’s birth).”
http://www.tanyaplibersek.com/media_release_labor_s_plan_to_support_women_s_reproductive_rights_wednesday_6_march_2019
I cannot see any mention here of late-term abortion
Search Labor’s policy platform document, I believe it’s page or section 128- they say, “decriminalize abortion.” That means all abortion.
[Editor here: You can find it on page 149 at this linked document https://www.alp.org.au/media/1539/2018_alp_national_platform_constitution.pdf ]
Hi Mike, in Labor’s worldview abortion is always at any stage of pregnancy. What we and well over 80% of the population recoil over as “late term abortion” is just merely part of abortion for Labor activists. This view is backed up by the functioning of the legislation passed by Labor in Victoria and Queensland as well as other places. For Labor it’s just abortion.
I agree, Andrew. Why should anybody have the right to dictate what we can say or act upon unless it encourages actual violence. What a load of milksop Australians have become that we can no longer bear to be offended, even though being offended is a choice we make ourselves. I am 75 and intend to remain vocal in what I believe
While I hear the concerns expressed in this article, I am concerned that the only two issues raised here ~ abortion and anything to do with gay people ~ reflects the narrow view of morality held by American evangelicals. I’m saddened to see some of the church buying into this here in Australia. While we should certainly be concerned about what Andrew expresses in this blog, if we are to resonate with Jesus’ teachings at the start and end of His ministry (Luke 4:18-19; Matthew 25:34-40), our advocacy in politics should be on behalf of those who are poor, marginalised, oppressed, and voiceless. There is no mention by Andrew of which political party(s) will best care for the homeless, sick, those in prison, victims of domestic violence, asylum seekers, and those living with a mental illness (to name a few). Our faith in Jesus must cause us to vote on behalf of others who have little or no power themselves. For example, what party(s) will care for the poor of other nations through increasing foreign aid? I am concerned that Christians / churches are sometimes seen as only wanting to look after their own interests, that they fail to look out for the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).
Rob , the great concern is the rapidly increasing eroding of Christian principles in our society and therefore the potential effectiveness of any Christian outworking in our communities , as you so rightly say Christ came to heal the broken and set the captives free, He gave us a commission to be His hands and feet in this world to love others as He has loved us , our freedom to live as Christians is increasingly under attack and encouraging abortion and gender fluidity is all part of this erosion
The major problem with your view, Rob, is that it ignores the weightier matters such as the morals of honouring parents, the sanctity of life, sexual purity, property rights, and truth telling. Jesus upheld all matters of the law, and when the church is being attacked on specifically those things by government, it is right to respond on those matters.
When certain political parties make it crystal clear that they seek to not just undermine but attack a Christian paradigm of morality, it would be negligent and foolish before God to moralise simply about charitable giving.
I don’t know how you think the church could function in terms of the disadvantaged if it is itself outlawed from fulfilling its primary mission of declaring and reflecting God’s holiness and with that the salvation offered through Jesus. Your trajectory would leave Christians unable to help, silenced by the state. History shows this is what has happened before.
I don’t think there is anyone in our society more marginalised and voiceless than unborn babies…????
An excellent article, but I agree with Rob Buckingham that we also need to be looking after those who are marginalised and homeless and helpless along with the issues of abortion and gay rights.
Pray for Australia and stand up for Christian Values. All to keep Australia a free country and her people living in a true Democracy!
Appreciate the comment that “politics” is taking a seat in the pews so needful for “religion taking seats in Parliament as “watchmen”
It’s what our men went to war for!
The most powerful tool we have is to love and against this there is no law!! Love well
Thank You for speaking out so clearly Andrew
We must watch and pray for our nation
We need to speak, and live, the Truth in love. Politics without the Truth must result in an evil society. Jesus IS the Truth, so to say religion and politics should not mix is nonsense.
We all have a world view, whether faith based (Christianity, global warming, atheism) or otherwise. Everyone brings a world view to politics, so why should the religious (which means Christians in this case) be shut out?
Atheism is a religion too, and it’s more agressive and intolerant than all the others combined.
Well written Andrew – thanks. Political Correctness is gagging truth and freedom of speech in Australia. PC is rife in government so Christianity’s truth espousing ways inevitably clashes with PC. As Christians, we need to resist earnestly the comfortable lies of PC and respectfully speak up with a good dose of salt.
PLEASE don’t say this can never happen. Look at Israel Falau!! Stand up and stand firm! Look at what we were assured of in the same sex marriage debate (all gone)
Freedom of speech is such an important thing that needs to upheld but is already being eroded.
Religion and state should not and cannot be separated. Each individual holds a world view and that is influenced by their actions and activities. Those who are opposed to Christianity will hold a world view opposing it. Those who are Christians will have a world view supporting it. We all take our world view into all facets of our lives and it becomes us. Those elected to parliament will, therefore, act in accordance with their world view on every decision.
If we want righteousness in our nation, we cannot vote for a government that seeks to kill the unborn and silence our voice. No matter how much you might be in favour of some of their (Labor’s) other policies.
Folau’s case is high profile, yet many many others have secretly been punished for much much less.* For Labor and greens to refuse to even discuss or acknowledge there is a problem spits in the face of the Christians already being punnished.
So brazen and never satisfied is the death desire manifest in abortions, it reveals the moral bankruptcy and evil spirits behind those promoting these ideas.
*Source: Australian Christian Lobby, the truth of it, S2E4 >> watch it here:
https://bit.ly/2J3DiWW
Great article. We certainly need to uphold this election in prayer.
I like the tone of the article, but in my opinion it does not go anywhere near far enough. Espousing democracy? At best, isn’t that 3 wolves and 2 sheep deciding what is for dinner? OOOps, we are the sheep!
How dare we, as Christians, voluntarily supply a Power of attorney, via voting, to a group people that will, with finance thieved from us, make and have enforced so called laws that we consider unconscionable? Isn’t that as bad as doing those things ourselves? We pay for it! Aren’t we responsible for supporting the actions of those we give our vote to?
Perhaps we should repent of ever voluntarily giving any authority to people who refuse to uphold our values?
Perhaps we should obey our constitution, the Bible, rather than the mockery the so called re-presentatives have made of the Australian Constitution?
I dont know which way this election will go. Which ever way it goes, our job is clear …
1 Peter 2:17 – Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
Romans 13:1 – Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Pray for our leaders. They are not the enemy. They are giving their lives for what they see as the better for our country.
If they are not, they need our prayer even more