# Politics and the Church > [!summary] Our stance We are citizens of the kingdom of God first and citizens of the kingdoms of men second. Following Augustine, we believe that being a faithful Christian should make a person a better citizen. As a church, we preach the Word, pray for our leaders, and speak where Scripture speaks, but we do not endorse political parties or candidates. ## Our First Citizenship > [!quote] Philippians 3:20 (ESV) But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. - Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36, ESV). - Believers are "sojourners and exiles" in this world (1 Peter 2:11). - No party, nation, or leader can carry the hope that belongs to Christ alone (Psalm 146:3). ## Our Second Citizenship Heaven is our home, but God calls us to be good neighbors and citizens where He has placed us. - **Seek the good of your city.** "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf" (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV). - **Respect governing authorities.** God established government to restrain evil and promote good (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14). - **Pray for leaders,** "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Timothy 2:1-2, ESV). - **Give each their due.** "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21, ESV). - **Honor everyone.** "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:17, ESV). ## When the Two Kingdoms Collide Our loyalty to Christ comes first. When government commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29, ESV). Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego served faithfully in a pagan government, yet refused to compromise when it mattered (Daniel 3; 6). ## Augustine's Two Cities In _The City of God_, written as the Roman Empire was crumbling, Augustine described two cities: the **City of God**, made up of those who love God above all, and the **earthly city**, built on love of self. Christians live in both for now, as pilgrims passing through. They benefit from the earthly city's peace and obey its laws, as long as those laws don't require them to dishonor God. Augustine also answered critics who claimed Christianity made people poor citizens. In a letter to a Roman official, he argued the opposite: if people truly lived by Christ's teaching, they would be honest officials, faithful soldiers, fair judges, and generous neighbors, and the whole society would be better for it. That is our conviction too. The more someone follows Jesus, the more honest, generous, just, and peaceable they should become. ## How This Shapes Our Church - **We preach the Bible, not a platform.** Where Scripture speaks clearly, such as the sanctity of life, justice, honesty, care for the poor, and marriage, we will speak. Where it doesn't, we leave room for Christians to reach different conclusions. - **We don't endorse candidates or parties.** No party fully represents the kingdom of God, and we want people from across the political spectrum to hear the gospel here. - **We encourage engaged citizenship.** Vote, serve, and get involved, guided by Scripture and conscience. - **We guard our unity.** Jesus' own disciples included Matthew, a tax collector who worked for Rome, and Simon the Zealot, who belonged to a movement that opposed Rome (Matthew 10:3-4). If Jesus could unite them, He can unite us. ## Other Views Christians have held a range of views on church and politics. Some traditions call the church to be more actively involved in shaping public policy, while others encourage near-total separation from political life. We aim for a middle path: faithful presence, clear biblical conviction, and no partisan endorsement. ## What This Means for Us Our hope is not in Washington or any election. It's in Jesus. Because of that, we can engage our world with conviction and calm, love our neighbors who disagree, and pray for whoever is in office.