Beyond Politics

Politics, as practiced on earth, belongs to the ways of men; it is the essential activity of the city—the city of man, not the City of God. As used by the Greek writers, the polis is “the community or body of citizens,” that is, a body of citizens not taking orders from anyone else. Politeia is “a wellordered government, a commonwealth.” Politics, ta politika, is concern for the social order, things done civilly or courteously, “the weal of the state.” In practice the emphasis has been on civility. Thus, in modern Greek, civilization is politismos, a civilized person is politismenos, etc. Even at a superficial view, if it is not God’s way, it is still not all bad, and we can understand why God approves of men engaging in politics, and even encourages the Saints, at times, to participate. This article iterates the problem of conflicting obligations to the city of man and the City of God is basic to every dispensation of the gospel.