Using Politics for Spiritual Illustrations: How Political Junkies are Exhortations to Christian Devotion

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A political junkie is "an individual with an insatiable appetite for all things related to politics—be it elections, governance, policy analysis, or the intricate dance of political maneuvering." [1] So, essentially, a political junkie is someone who has an interest in political things that will not end no matter how many political things his heart feasts upon. The definition quoted here is itself a good picture of a political junkie.

In churches and other Christian circles, it is often discussed how sports fans' obsession is a rebuke to the apathy toward Christ among those who claim to be Christians. Such observations yield important truths that Christians should take to heart (though the comparison between the devotion of Christians to Christ and sports fans to their sports is limited [2]). 

Those observations lead to another insight: political junkies, with the way they are engrossed in politics, are a rebuke to professing Christians' apathy to the Lord Jesus Christ. This insight can be legitimately taken and applied by pointing out how Christians are to be as engrossed in theology as political junkies are in politics. However, partly because this is a post in this "political illustrations" series, this post will focus on how, instead of devoting all their attention to this world's politics, Christians should be obsessive instead about the politics of Christ, meaning Christ's government and all the things pertaining to His governance. At first, this may seem like a repeat of this series's purpose statement, which was made, if memory serves correctly, in the Introduction post of this series. But what makes this post different is that it issues a challenge directly to the person who considers himself a believer: Christian, do you see, whether in yourself or others, the political junkie poring over all kinds of political literature, devouring political news, campaigning for his politicians and policies, arguing in defense of his political beliefs, and engaging in all other kinds of political activities? Well, give your heart to all that Scripture says about the Kingdom of Christ, as much Scripture-expounding media concerning Christ's Kingdom as possible, and promote and defend His Kingdom with all the same zeal, except with God-centered love in your heart towards all people without exception! Indeed, evangelism, from this angle, is "campaigning" for God's Kingdom, apologetics is defending God's rule, and polemics is "campaigning" for the Kingdom of God against Satan's reign in all its varied manifestations. Christian, why be obsessed with the politics of a world that will vanish away (1 John 2:15-17) when you can have a passion instead for a Kingdom that will NEVER end?

Also, are you in Christ's Kingdom? Have you switched your trust from whatever or whoever governs your life now to the Lord Jesus Christ alone, as He is solely revealed in the Bible?

[1] https://politicaldictionary.com/words/political-junkie/

[2] https://religiousaffections.org/articles/articles-on-worship/how-corporate-worship-is-and-is-not-like-a-baseball-game/- There are also limitations in the comparison between Christians' devotion and political junkies' devotion, so this comparison also cannot be pressed beyond the boundaries that Scripture sets.