Churches Forget “First and Foremost Task”

JESUS said that the first and foremost task of Christians was to preach the “good news [gospel] of the kingdom.” (Matthew 24:14) Instead, churches around the world often advocate certain political choices to their parishioners. Through oral sermons, the press, and even pastoral letters, the laity are urged to support wars and other violent movements fighting established governments. They are encouraged to join boycotts and protests for various political causes.

This political meddling has received so much attention from the churches that the Dutch journal Kerk en Theologie (Church and Theology) says that the main mission of the churches has become of secondary importance. It declared in its review of the book Alles is politiek, maar politiek is niet alles (Everything Is Politics, but Politics Is Not Everything): “The church . . . should keep itself far from concrete political pronouncements. . . . Its first and foremost task is the publishing of the Gospel.”