Our Lives are Communicating

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:13–14, 16

At the 52nd Dove Awards, American Christian rap and hip-hop artist KB won the Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year award for the album His Glory Alone. When KB received the award, he gave a brief speech, as is custom. He talked about how years before, someone had given him a Christian rap/hip-hop CD. At one point on the CD, the artist presented the gospel. It was then that KB gave his life to Christ because of the gospel presentation he heard on that CD. He tells the Dove Award audience that he vowed to make the kind of music that would recreate the experience he had listening to that CD and then committing to following Jesus. That is, his music would be clear in its presentation of the Jesus way. He would not leave Christ and kingdom out of his music to be more palatable to different audiences.

My family and I really enjoy his music. It encourages us, ministers to us, and speaks truth—amid great artistry and creativity. My family and I admire him as a person, his ministry, and skills. Apparently, from what I gather and have observed, including limited personal interaction with KB on social media, his life backs up his music. What you see is what you get. No hypocrisy. In him and his life, we see Jesus as best as KB can show him.

At one point KB tweeted, “I’ve watched a surge of people I love walk away from Jesus in the last few years… Just about ZERO have been lured away by marxism, liberalism, or atheism. Almost all have ‘shipwrecked’ over the politicization of Christianity and their church’s apathy (hostility) re: injustice.” His observations echo my own experience. I study and work on a college campus where over and over I hear how students, faculty, and staff are shocked over American Christians chasing after, and embracing, political power and the injustice that seems to stem from political systems. “Didn’t Jesus come for the least of these?” I am sometimes asked.

In the Scriptures, “righteousness” and “justice” are the same word (the Hebrew word tsadiqdikaiosynē) but do not always get translated as such into English—translators have to make choices, and sometimes the full meaning of the word gets a bit lost in the switch to another language. 

Thus, many of us separate righteousness and justice, seeing them as separate when they are part and parcel of the same thing: justice. They are not in conflict. And they should not be separated. 

For example, Christians started the first hospitals, cared for those in plagues, and gave those who died a proper burial. They picked up orphaned babies left to die of exposure on the streets, worked to end child labor, and fought for a 40-hour work week (and much more). Unbelievers saw the good deeds that flowed from the faith of these Christians and were astonished that believers even cared for those who might have been considered their enemies. 

Personal righteousness and collective justice are evident all throughout Scripture and church history. The two cannot be separated. Early Christians did not separate them, nor did they politicize them.

I have a young family member who saw KB’s tweet on social media and said to me, “He is talking about me. You and Shawn are not like that.” I replied back to this person, “There are many Christians who do not choose political ideology and injustice over Jesus. I have many friends and pastors in that category. Many. We are not the only ones.” What I was trying to communicate was that plenty of people in the kingdom of God with different political views do not choose politics over Jesus and loving their neighbors. 

It is possible to have vicious disagreements about politics and still love those who disagree with us and others around us. We can neither opt out of loving our neighbors nor loving our political enemies. Jesus commands us to do both and he modeled such love. And yet when our allegiance to our political identity eclipses our allegiance to Christ—love for others and love for enemies—is it any wonder that those inside and outside the church are disillusioned? Our allegiance is to Christ. Jesus is Lord, not Caesar. That means we are to love Christ, our neighbors, and enemies in word and in deed, not in our imaginations alone. 

What pains me is that here in the United States we seem to make politics into an idol and act as if politics will save us instead of Jesus. The ugly truth is that to many watching, it seems Christians are choosing political power, and it makes them say and do things that turn others away from Jesus. 

No political party in America or in the whole world completely submits to or represents Christ’s kingdom. Jesus did not side with particular politicians during his day. They did not drive his agenda. And Jesus did not bring in the kingdom via sword and force. This angered Judas and was part of the reason Judas betrayed him. 

If our lights are to shine, if we are to retain our saltiness, our Christlikeness, if our lives are the only or even the first that Bible onlookers will ever read, if we are the only face of Christ others will see—Christ needs to stand out. Not our politics. Not our cruelty or indifference to people that think differently than we do. People know the difference between Jesus and politics. And they are looking for Jesus. Like KB, let’s keep the gospel central and let’s be Christ to them. 

–Written by Marlena Graves. Used by permission from the author.