No Theocracy—Right, Left, or Center!

I am going to try to keep this short without being too simplistic, but I feel I need to put it in writing. I should have written it a while ago, but hope it will be helpful even if it’s late.

“Theocracy” is government according to the rule of God (theos, in Greek). The aim of theocratic government is to assure that all aspects of society—both individual and corporate—conform to the will of God. Most theocracies are governed by individuals who claim to possess unique insight into God’s will, and who believe they called to impose that will on everyone else, like it or not. Theocracies subject the will of the people—individually and corporately—to the will of God as it is understood by those in charge. (For an example of a theocracy, think Iran.)

“Democracy” is government by the will of the people, sometimes expressed by the people through direct vote, sometimes indirectly expressed through the elected representatives of the people. In democracies, all citizens have a voice in the decisions that affect them as individuals and as a people. Varying understandings of “the will of God” (including the valid understanding that there is no God and therefore no will of God) are part of the mix of citizens that democracies include. It is never appropriate for one understanding of God’s will to deny the people’s will as expressed through their votes.

Citizens in a democracy have every right to know what the people they vote for value and will work for, and why. If a candidate is pro-life, and attributes their position on abortion out of their religious convictions, that is perfectly okay. If a candidate advocates for universal health care out of a general concern for the welfare of all, that is okay, too. But neither can try to force their position or belief system on the body politic simply by their sense that they are right and that everyone else is therefore wrong. They must use their powers of persuasion to shape the will of the people toward what they believe is best for the whole. Sometimes they will win, and sometimes they will lose. Same is true for all of us. That’s fundamental to serving and living in a democracy.

With all the talk about faith in the political arena this election season—particularly about the Christian faith—it is important to distinguish between those candidates who want to impose some form of Christianity and Christian behavior upon the nation, and those candidates for whom Jesus and Christianity are sources of their personal values—values which they will work to see expressed in our life as a people. A way to tell which is which is to ask their attitude toward Americans who are of different faiths, or of no religious faith at all, and whether or not they have equal say in our nation’s life. In the answers we get we will learn if we are talking to a “theocrat” or a “democrat” (lower case “d”!).

There is a huge body of Christian social teaching that is both specific to Christianity and shared by other systems of belief, including secular humanistic ones. Inclusion, fair play, justice, adequate resources for all, health care, non-violence, education, welcome, care for creation, rule of law, anti-racism…they are all values found in varying forms in the best of human thought. I applaud candidates who hold to those kinds of values, not matter what their religious persuasion.

As for politicians who claim to follow Jesus: be as specific and vocal about Jesus as you want, but never forget that in exchange for our votes, you signed up to work for and serve all of us.

Thank you.