Should Pastors Preach Politics?

Should Pastors Preach Politics?

A while ago, I shot this question out to my audience of mostly pastors: “Should pastors preach about political topics?” Sixty-four percent said, “Yes,” while thirty-six percent said, “No.”

So which is it? Should pastors preach about political topics or avoid them? 

My answer is that it depends. The answer isn’t so simple. What do we mean by “politics?” And most importantly, what is your reason for the sermon? 

When Is It Wise to Preach Politics?

If you preach about political hot topics every week just because you have people who get fired up about it and want to hear you stick it to the other side of the aisle, then I would say “No.” Don’t preach politics.

If you use politics as a way to generate clicks or interest, then I say “No.” There’s an old saying that “What you win people with is what you win them to.” So if you draw a crowd for your political commentary, that’s what the crowd is coming for. And if you switch things up on them, they will go somewhere else. I’d rather you draw a crowd to hear biblical teaching than political commentary.

If, however, you genuinely have a heart to shepherd the people in your church well, and want to stay focused on a biblical worldview surrounding a controversial political topic such as marriage, gender, war, worldliness, poverty, prejudice, etc. Then, I see no problem in preaching about politics from the pulpit. 

The danger is when you start telling people who to vote for or letting your politics drive your preaching. Let the Bible drive your preaching. 

Don’t preach a political party’s platform; preach a biblical worldview concerning every topic, including ones with political tension. 

Many topics today that have become political hot-button issues are addressed biblically. So, if you are in a passage of Scripture that talks about marriage, it is good to discuss the biblical ethic for a one-man and one-woman marriage. That is simply teaching biblical morality.

But if you preach a sermon about border control and immigration, I would question your motive. Unless you are living in a border town where you are seriously affected in your day-to-day life by immigration concerns, you’re probably letting your politics steer the pulpit more than the Bible. 

Preaching about specific political policies or which candidate people in your church should vote for is not only ill-advised but also potentially risks your church’s nonprofit status (at least in the United States). Churches can legally take a stand on an issue, but can get into trouble if they endorse a candidate. However, taking a stance on moral issues requires discernment. 

I like what Wayne Grudem, in his book Politics According to the Bible, says it. He writes,

I still believe that pastors have a special responsibility to preach and teach from God’s Word on at least some issues affecting laws and government and politics. After all, these topics are a part of the teaching of God’s Word. I realize that some of these topics are “controversial.” I want to emphasize that pastors will need much wisdom to distinguish between political topics where they can say, “There is a clear biblical position on this issue” … and other topics where they should wisely say, “I realize that Christians may legitimately have differences of viewpoint on this issue” … There will also be some topics where a pastor says, “We should all agree on the goal (for example, helping the poor), but we have freedom to differ on the best means to reach that goal…” ¹

It takes wisdom and pastoral heart to help people see the difference between primary issues we should all agree on, and issues where we have more liberty to disagree on the issue or the methods for addressing the issue.

And just because something is “controversial” does not mean that pastors should either spin it only for the sake of controversy and attention, but it also does not mean that we should run in fear from ever touching it.

Take a Stand on Preaching God’s Word

There are times where a church must take a stand. And there are times where the Bible speaks to incredibly relevant and controversial issues in the headlines. We should not shrink from that. 

We should look to Paul as an example. He could tell the church in Ephesus that after three years of ministry among them, his conscience was clear because, he says, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

Where the Bible speaks, we should speak. Declare the whole coursel of God. 

And where the Bible does not speak, we should be cautious about injecting our political opinions as if they are doctrine.

Regardless, the Bible should be the driving force of all of our sermons, not politics. So if a pastor is constantly allowing politics to drive their preaching, they might want to reconsider their career choices. If they want to be an activist, perhaps they should pursue a career in the public sector. But if they want to be a pastor, they should stop parroting their favorite political pundits and resume their duty of faithfully preaching the whole counsel of the Word of God. 

When the Bible speaks about controversial subjects, preach it unapologetically. But don’t let politics drive your preaching. Preach the Word and go where it leads.

NOTES:

1. Grudem, Wayne A.. Politics – According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture (p. 72). Zondervan.  ↩︎