Faith has always been fundamental to determining my political views. First and foremost, it should always be my faith which impacts my politics, and not my politics which impact my faith. This means that, despite political persuasions, a Christian worldview is to be one that is neither explicitly liberal nor conservative. My Christian faith has helped me maintain a certain constant critique of the government. This healthy criticism of centralized power has long been a part of U.S. political tradition. Without such thoughtful and earnest critique, I don’t believe that the United States would be as strong of a nation as it is today.

One issue which concerns me as a Christian is fiscal responsibility. As a Christian, I am skeptical of federal bureaucracy that is both inefficient and insensitive. Large government, though often well intentioned, can anesthetize much of society from acting locally and can destroy the community impact to ‘help your neighbor.’ As a Christian, I want to be a good steward of the wealth that I have been blessed with. I believe money is inherently better spent by my church and other organizations than by a government that simply takes a percentage of my pay only to use it without my input as a citizen.

I am engaged in politics because my Christian faith specifically addresses issues that relate to current U.S. policy. Biblical issues such as the value of human life, helping the poor and other themes often cross over into the political realm. Though such topics overlap, it is important to realize the distinction between the Christian community’s duty for compassion and love, and our government’s responsibility of providing and protecting its citizens. The United States, although dominated by the Christian faith, is not a Christian nation, and there will always be tension between the two.

Ultimately, religion should not be construed to align itself with any one particular party, platform or person. Political comedian and devout Catholic Steven Colbert once said, “What is worthy of satire is the misuse of religion for destructive or political gains. That’s totally different from the Word, the blood, the body and the Christ. His kingdom is not of this earth.”