I get this question a lot “Shouldn’t Christians be focused on sharing the gospel instead of getting involved in politics or changing the culture?”
Here’s the problem with that question. It presupposes that sharing the gospel is spiritual while involvement with politics/culture is secular. It’s like saying, “Going to church is a spiritual activity, but working a construction job is secular.” From the New Testament time onward there is no such bifurcation.
Jesus was a carpenter. Paul made tents. The disciples fished and still fished while they were following Jesus. So it’s clear that there is no spiritual/secular divide. And there shouldn’t be.
Same thing with culture. So songs that mention God are spiritual songs, but what about classical music where they don’t have words? What category are they in? Or what about a parody song with brief mentions of God that makes you laugh, what category would you put that in? I think you get my point.
Now back to politics. The root word “pol” in Greek refers to “of citizens, the state, or public life” and is derived from “polis”, which means city. An easy definition here is that politics is how life should be governed. And it’s pretty much unavoidable as long as there is more than one person involved. For a society to function, there has to be certain rules that are abided by. For example, your society is not going to be that great if murdering was fine or stealing was OK. So rules are set in place against these actions. And of course you have people making the rules. It could be people you choose or people who were chosen for you.
So in a way, the politics of a country is impacted by the culture it is in. For instance, homosexual sex used to be imprisonable in the US. As the culture changed, people in politics reversed it. But politics also impacts the culture. When Roe v. Wade came through, it affected the culture of not just the US, but the entire world. After that, child killing (aka abortion) was not perceived as terrible as it really is. People started to think it’s just a “clump of cells” and that it’s a “choice” not a life. So in this sense politics and culture really are inseparable.
Let’s go back to the question of whether or not Christians should get involved with politics or changing culture. My answer is simply, “How can you not?” If you share the gospel with someone and they follow God (this assumes they turn away from their worldly ways) aren’t you changing the culture? Yes, it might just be one person, but that person is part of the larger culture. And if you’re able to put political pressure on let’s say the taxpayer funding of abortion, that might end up saving lives. A mother is less likely to pay for an abortion if it’s very expensive.
These are examples of where politics and culture interacts with the gospel. Now, I do appreciate the original question because it is possible to lose sight of the importance of what you do. It’s one thing and it’s a great thing to be able to save lives from being aborted, but as followers of God, are we also giving single mothers the opportunity to be supported, cared for, possibly given employment, and of course, the opportunity to know and follow God? It’s not quite enough to just provide assistance without introducing people to the greatest assistant of all, namely, God. And many organizations like the YMCA have lost their original mission and turned into a social, community building organization minus God.
When George Williams founded the YMCA there was a gospel mission behind it. Here’s what it says on the YMCA website:
In 1844, industrialized London was a place of great turmoil and despair. For the young men who migrated to the city from rural areas to find jobs, London offered a bleak landscape of tenement housing and dangerous influences.
Twenty-two-year-old George Williams, a farmer-turned-department store worker, was troubled by what he saw. He joined 11 friends to organize the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets.
More at: https://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html
And of course, when you go to the YMCA today there’s no prayer. No Bible study. The gospel is never mentioned. So as believers it’s important to keep the goal in mind. Jesus didn’t just teach spiritual things. He provided food and healing, which often led to people being interested in what he had to say. Both aspects are important.
Needless to say, there are elements of our culture that is destructive. And I’m not saying everyone needs to protest outside of Planned Parenthood or whatever. Each person is individually accountable to God how they want to do their role. Some may picket. Some may pray. Some may jump into political office. Some may do a movie exposing Planned Parenthood. Some may create t-shirts others can buy to spread the awareness. Other believers might want to focus their attention on human sex trafficking or training men to become real men or helping people not be addicted to pornography. The list can go on.
As followers of God, you really don’t have any choice. The political/culture war is upon you whether you pick up your battle ax or not. So figure out which battles you want to fight in. And of course, don’t forget that the gospel is the goal, otherwise you’ll end up another YMCA.