Here’s Why Robert Jeffress Is Involved in Politics
Robert Jeffress, the lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, released a video recently titled, “Why I’m Involved in Politics.”
Through the video, he said it was his hope that more pastors and Christians in general would become more heavily involved in politics. He said “a number of people” have asked him why he’s politically involved, so he set out to answer the question with the video.
“The fact is many people think that pastors should not get involved in politics, that their responsibility is only to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “Yet, when you look at American history, whenever there was a need for a great change it was pastors who led the way. It was pastors who led the way with the American Revolution … it was pastors who led the way for the abolition of slavery, and it was pastors who were at the forefront of the civil rights movement.” Jeffress said that if pastors back then said, “I’m not getting involved,” there wouldn’t be a United States today. Saying he believes America currently faces a need for “great change,” he said it’s always pastors who are involved in calling for change.
“Now let me be clear: I believe the only way we’re going to have lasting change in our country is when Americans’ hearts are changed,” he said. “No government power can do that. Only Jesus Christ can change a person’s heart and that is my role as a pastor, to proclaim the Gospel—the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Jeffress said, however, God has also ordained government to accomplish certain functions in today’s society. He noted that in Timothy 2, Paul said, “Let us pray for kings and all those in authority that we might lead quiet and tranquil lives in all godliness and dignity,” saying it’s “interesting” that Paul didn’t say, “pray for government that government would lead a spiritual revival.” “When Paul wrote those words, Nero was the Roman Emperor,” he said. “Paul didn’t expect Nero to lead a great Christian revival. What Paul said was, ‘Pray that government would keep us safe and leave us alone to practice our faith,’ but remember when Paul wrote those words that’s all we could do at that time is to pray for our government leaders.
“But today we have the opportunity to actually select our leaders and as John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and co-author of the Federalist Papers, said, ‘God is the one who has given us the privilege in this Christian nation of selecting our leaders. I think we have a responsibility as Christians to select leaders who will do what God has ordained government to do and that is to keep us safe as a nation and to give us liberty to practice our faith.'” Jeffress said the U.S. is at a “critical time” in which Christians may soon face the loss of their religious liberty and the nation as a whole will face “great external threats” from radical Islamic terrorism. As a pastor, he said he will spend the bulk of his time proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “But I am not going to shirk my God-given responsibility to do everything I can to elect rulers—leaders in this nation—who will keep us safe and who will keep our religious liberty alive,” he said. “That’s why I am urging every Christian to get involved in this year’s election.”
