I have long been leery of any vision that involves implementing Christian ideas and goals by means of secular politics. This includes issues such as social justice, health care, and abortion. I want the church to have space to offer its own Christ-centered vision and solutions to these issues apart from an ego- and vote-driven, non-Christian political system. In short, I do not want the church to think it has to play the game of secular politics in order for Christ's kingdom to be present. As such, I have traditionally aligned myself with the Libertarian Party. However, lately, I have even shied away from this affiliation, because of the rationale which lies behind the Libertarian Party's tendency towards small government (read: looking out only for the wealthy and so-called "natural rights").
As I wrestle with this myself, I read a pertinent blog today written by my bishop, Will Willimon. Although I did disagree with him on the issue of children's sermons (see below), I feel that he usually hits issues right on target from an orthodox Christian perspective (whether it is pleasant for us to hear or not). I strongly suggest reading his blog post on the relationship between church and state here. Also, I recommend reading John Howard Yoder's classic book The Christian Witness to the State.
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