Have you heard? There's a presidential election in the United States this year. Silly question—you'd have to live in a cave not to have heard about it!

Political ads fill the airwaves, as news reports spout the latest poll numbers. Democrats criticize Republicans, and conservatives criticize liberals. Both sides are convinced that they know what is best for the country and that their opponents are either naive or dishonest. But can both sides be right?

Publicly, conservatives and liberals both say, "God bless America!" So how do those who try to base their lives on the Bible know whom to believe?

What the Bible says about Christianity and politics might surprise you. And changes in American politics through history may do so also.

When the Republican Party was founded, in 1854, it was the party of reform and liberalism, opposed by conservative Democrats wanting to maintain the social order as it was. By the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Democratic Party owned the term "liberal" through its "New Deal" and other government entitlement programs.

Now, the Republicans claim that they want to dramatically reduce what the government does, while the Democrats want to maintain or increase its role. Does that make Republicans "reformers" and Democrats "conservatives" again? Does it sound like politicians have been going in circles? Consider what people through the years have said about the presidents.

It seems that no one campaigning for office today wants much association with President Bush, including those of his own party. Judging from comments in speeches and newspapers, you might think he has been the worst president ever! Don't be too quick to make up your mind, though.

In 1920 all the candidates disassociated themselves from Woodrow Wilson in the same way. But historians currently rank him only one step below the greatest presidents of all time.

While Abraham Lincoln was in office during the American Civil War, newspapers routinely condemned him as incompetent. Various leaders complained that his policies were ruining the country and that he was a weak imbecile.

It wasn't much better for George Washington in his day. Within a few short years, he went from being called the hero of the American Revolution to a dangerous ignoramus as the first president, then back to being called a great man afterward.

My point is that politics and issues change, making it hard to know the real truth of a matter until many years later. So what are vertical-thinking Christians supposed to do?

Consider this: A perceptive German general, Carl von Clausewitz, wrote in the early 1800s: "War is a continuation of politics by other means." When questioned by a political ruler, Jesus Christ said that His Kingdom is not of this world, otherwise His servants would fight to free Him from the authorities (see John 18:36). We can take this to mean that Jesus doesn't want His followers to get involved in the world's political battles any more than in its wars.

Beyond this world as we know it, Christ is focusing on His own plans for our future. They are so much more important that they make today's politics seem insignificant. What a relief!

Many candidates for office are well-intentioned, but all have faults and none have real answers for the world's problems. Jesus Christ does have the answers, and He will ultimately return to earth and take charge. Wouldn't you rather support Him than any current candidates for office?

To learn more about future godly "politics," read the article "Know Jesus, Know Peace." VT