David Lose: Sin and Salvation in National Politics

Two theological doctrines will be crucial to keep in mind as we witness the national political conventions and the climactic phase of the general election they inaugurate.

The first is the doctrine of sin. Our candidates possess the same flawed and fickle nature we all do, and so ultimately they will disappoint us. This will be tough to keep in mind at points in the coming weeks, as carefully rehearsed speeches, choreographed testimonies, and expertly produced videos will seek to make each candidate seem larger than life, capable of solving all our problems. But our candidates are neither saviors nor supermen, and in time their clay feet will show. Keeping that in mind up front will ease our disappointment and shield us from ceding our own responsibility for the change we seek in the world.

The second doctrine deserving our attention is eschatology, the teaching that, in time, God will redeem this world, wipe the tears from every eye, and create a new heaven and a new earth. What will best serve us, however, is not an eschatology that emphasizes God's eternal judgment or that wonders who will be left behind, thereby downplaying the significance of worldly affairs. Rather, confident of the eschatological promise that God will take care of the future, we are free to make a difference here and now, easing the burdens of our neighbor, seeking an increase of peace in the world, straining for a modicum of justice.

A healthy respect both for human sin and for God's promise of redemption allows us to cast a more realistic eye to the podiums erected in Denver and St. Paul. We should not seek from our candidates salvation of either the religious or political kind. We should ask and expect from them help and hope in our endeavor to make this a more trustworthy world -- a more modest goal, for sure, but one we might actually have hope of achieving over the next four years.

--David Lose is the Marbury Anderson Associate Professor of Biblical Preaching and director of the Center for Faith & Life at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.