Politics

I'll always remember the first time I ever preached in a church in Havana, Cuba. Prior to speaking, I was handed a document by the pastor of the church. He asked me to please read it and agree to its contents. His hands were trembling as he passed it to me. On the piece of paper was a list of "Dos & Don'ts" for anyone speaking at that church. Actually, it was almost all "Don'ts." At the top of the list, in all capital letters, and underlined and highlighted in yellow marker, were the words, "Do not discuss politics or the government!" Yes, there was an exclamation point at the end of that sentence!

The Cuban pastor begged me to adhere to the document. I smiled at him and said, "Of course." He was greatly relieved.

After the service that muggy August evening in Havana, he told me how there were government spies in the crowd taking notes on my message. Apparently, in the past, visiting foreign pastors would use their messages to tweak the government of that island, in a misguided attempt to show solidarity with the church there, but all it did was get Cuban pastors in some very hot water.

The Cuban pastor told me how his father had spent several years in prison on the island because of his faith, and my pastor friend also told me how frequently he would be summoned to police headquarters on Sundays after services in order to explain some of his messages. For example, one time the police asked him who he was referring to when he was talking about the devil in his message. They thought he was referring to the leader of that country.

You can understand his concern over the words of visiting pastors.

Politics and the proximity to political power, both nationally and internationally, can be intoxicating to many pastors. I've seen pastors who thought they could singlehandedly change US-Cuban relations with their words, and all they did was cause big problems for Cuban pastors. I've seen mission groups get involved with worker strikes in Peru, and it caused them to get thrown out of the country. I've seen Peruvian pastors who traded their place in the pulpit for a place on the election ballot, and they fell out of God's favor.

As pastors and Christian leaders we need to remember that we are serving a power that is greater than any human government. For some reason, though, many of us forget this as soon as we shake the hand of a political leader. We want their power, instead of what God has granted to us.

Avoid political entanglements in your international ministry. It will limit your capacity for success, and it will alienate you from a large percentage of the local population. It's perfectly fine to minister to local political leaders, and in fact it's important to do so. But also remember, as Tony Campolo once noted, that Jesus was neither a Republican or a Democrat.

We are here on Earth to serve God, not human governments, and we are here on Earth to win souls, not votes.