THEO-POLITICAL TENSION

THEO-POLITICAL TENSION October 12, 2012

by Brian Foulks
R3 Contributor

I am the first to admit that I am far from being well informed in politics. But as I get older and wiser, I start to understand that there is this theo-political tension that engulfs the life of the believers. There is this resounding intent that God’s sovereignty aligns itself with “the least of these”-in certain cultural containers this collectively embodies different people groups.

The theo-political tension is the reflective of a theological perspective that can consistently agree with a political stance. A theo-political tension is a contemplative, prophetic wrestle to understand how God intersects in the establishing of public policy. This is highly problematic if not impossible in the life of a believer. One is forced to examine either their theology or the politic in order to gather a consensus for the vote. This is a left of center approach that takes seriously the plight of “the least of these.”

God is the consistent factor but the disturbed variable being the person who has to participate in the constant wrestling.The tension is a result of misappropriated expectations of faith. We disguise the tension in our mistrust of the political figure when in actuality we have a mistrust of God’s sovereignty. (Now this does not excuse one from practically engaging in the political process but it gives a defining example of who is really in charge.) “Where is God in the political scene” is not an exact science but a revolutionary act of trust. It is the theo that gives credence to the political that allows us to deem it with any value. The tension invents itself when the political operates with a false premise that can influence the direction of the theo.
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