Photo credit: Micah Fischer, Unsplash
“I once knew a group of 20-somethings studying to be pastors. Every Friday, they’d set aside Greek and Hebrew for a half-hour dose of higher culture—watching a show called “Anamaniacs.” One sketch in this compilation of cartoons always began the same way:
Pinky: Gee, Brain, whaddya wanna do tonight?
The Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!
In contrast, UVA professor James Davidson Hunter gives this advice: “Christians should seek to transform culture through their participation in all areas of life, not by withdrawing from culture or seeking to dominate it.”1
Did you catch that? Neither by withdrawing nor dominating. Instead, he calls for a “faithful presence.”
Some people have criticized “faithful presence” as naive. They seem impatient for power, unaware of how leading change through power alone can backfire. Achieving a Christian vision for community by force can alter and poison the vision. So, let me make a case again for the ideal of a “faithful presence.” It’s not about whether to be engaged in public life, but how.
Let’s contrast power vs. influence as two alternate foundations on which to build a Christian moral vision. Leaders in both camps believe God is in control, but they approach the task of leadership very differently.
Foundation of Power
This foundation centers upon political institutions, rhetoric, and tactics to shape culture. When things get coercive or even combative, the motto seems to be “the ends justify the means.” Examples abound on the left and right. We all know America is a democracy, not a theocracy— and yet.
People who build on a foundation of power often use words like clarity, courage, and uncompromising. Sometimes their doctrine is not Christian but what is called Manichean.
Manicheanism views the world like Plato rather than Jesus or Paul. It’s a dualism that puts everyone and everything on one side or another, entirely. That helps clarify whom they stand against but not what they stand for. And from outside their camp, all this bifurcation smells like fear.
What does it say about the sovereignty of God if the future hinges upon having the right humans in charge?
Coercing or shaming to score a moral victory for one’s group is short-sighted. Jesus said, “Live by the sword, die by the sword.“2 In other words, the basis of change we use sets a precedent that can come back to bite when someone else takes power. The foundation of change matters.
But the alternative foundation is not to be passive or disengaged….
Foundation of Influence
The alternative foundation seeks change through active influence. The Christian’s influence is persuasive, in part, because it is also respectful.3 In every area of society—arts, business, education, politics— being guided by Christian principles is an asset and not a limitation. The motto here? The ends are present in the means.
Christians who follow this path of influence trust God is at work even in a diverse and pluralistic society. One Dutch theologian said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Respecting others’ freedom of conscience along the way, even as Christians do all they can to bring influence, “allows” God to have a role. Faithful presence includes a measure of trust.
Don’t be naive
Jesus said, “Be wise as serpents but innocent as doves.” Someone is going to have power, so it’s naive to ignore politics. But you also can be a naively partisan.
Dallas Willard gave this warning: “Be aware of the many ways that people will try to provoke you into a reaction, then fault you with it.” Many partisan reactions are provoked just to turn you into a caricature, shrinking your influence. They want only “the choir” to hear you sing, those who agree already, who want a groupthink fix.
Faithful presence isn’t “non-co-middle” (I just made that up.). It need not fritter away conviction into nuance or play both sides. But it does leave room for God to work. By focusing on influence rather than control, Christians can build bridges instead of walls– like the way MLK Jr.’s “Dream Speech” painted a picture of a preferred future for people of every race, even as he stood up for his.
In this way, MLK represented Christianity in public life well— a faith and meaning bigger than our own self-interest. We too must beware of how a power paradigm can shrink that message to ourselves. Remember, the most pivotal, powerful event of human history was not an expedient act of war or an act of congress, but an act of sacrifice and service on a Roman cross. How naive was that?
- To Change the World ↩︎
- Matt. 26:52 ↩︎
- 1 Peter 3:15 ↩︎
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