RoH Malaysia is extremely committed to speaking into society - particularly the Malaysian society - on issues of justice and peace. As a team of people representing different traditions of the Christian faith, it is necessary that a positional understanding be articulated to reflect our understanding of the relationship between the Church and politics.

Below is a brief articulation of that understanding written by Sherman for our further reflection.

Church and Politics
Sherman YL Kuek
April 2008

Sherman is a theological researcher, writer and conversationist who dialogues with people of various backgrounds and traditions on issues pertaining to theology, spirituality, and culture. He is the Convenor of Revolution of Hope (RoH Malaysia). At the parish level, he serves as a Lay Ecclesial Minister (Pastoral Assistant). Sherman is completing a doctorate degree in Systematic and Contextual Theology with Trinity Theological College (Singapore). He blogs on www.shermankuek.net.

Many Christians seem almost entirely unsure about the role of the Church in the political arena.

Some Christians, on the one hand, seem to relegate the role of political partisanship to the Church, as if it was the responsibility of the Church to sway people either towards or away from particular political inclinations and parties.

Some other Christians, on the other hand, seem to think there is no role at all for the Church in politics and that she should maintain a posture of absolute silence on anything within the domain of the secular state.

One must remember, the ultimate concerns of the Church of Jesus Christ are not of this world although they find their temporal embodiment in the present circumstances of this world. The Church, beyond elections, democracy and government (all of which are legitimate mechanisms for the regulation of the temporal world), finds her prophetic calling in the upholding of peace and justice in the world, for these deal with the higher and eternal values of the Christ who established His Church in the world.

Elections, democracy and government are therefore – in the eyes of the Church – nothing more (and nothing less) than instruments for the promotion of peace and justice. She of herself is to be a non-partisan, non-political entity.

The Church’s task as the visible Kingdom of God in the world is to articulate and proclaim its concern for justice and peace, and to strive towards upholding it. This task at times involves the expression of support for specific causes that coincidentally favour particular political positions and organisations; but these are merely coincidental, for the Church’s other articulations of peace and justice may very well coincidentally condemn the causes of those very same political positions and organisations her previous articulations seemed to endorse.

It is therefore not the particularities of any one political entity’s positions the Church seeks to endorse or illegitimise, but rather, the causes and values for which these particularities stand. Christians should therefore make no mistake about it. If the Church’s expression of support seems to endorse the cause of any political entity, it is entirely coincidental. Likewise, if her expression of condemnation impinges upon the cause of any political entity, it is also not the political entity itself, but rather, the cause she seeks to condemn.

Therefore, the position of the Church is neither one of utter indifference nor political partisanship. Her position is one of justice and peace, this being a position that coincidentally presents profound implications for the express stances of political entities.

Having understood that, the individual Christian is then called to vote for the cause of justice and peace, and not in accordance with the law of partisanship. The Church together with her leadership are also to refrain from telling people, “Vote for…” or “Do not vote for…”; this is not her calling. Her calling is to execute and sustain the consciousness of people in matters of justice and peace, to be the righteous voice of Christ in a partisan political world.

Of Himself, Christ is neither government nor opposition, Labour nor Conservative, Democratic nor Republican. Christ is Christ.