Theology and Politics: The Role of the Church

The Church must engage in a theological analysis of human realities and make explicit biblical judgments about issues of justice, democracy and governance; property and land ownership; poverty, unemployment and crime; drought and famine that continue to threaten the society.It must develop a theology that addresses these issues with a view to bringing about human transformation in all dimensions of life. The church’s theology is a significant component in bringing transformation since it addresses issues of forgiveness, reconciliation and conversion. The church must bridge the gap between the rich and poor in both economic as well as social balance creating a balance in responsibility and social cohesion that gives a different perspective of the world as was intended from the very beginning. Involvement in socio-political issues is a clear demonstration of the church’s faith and obedience in following the example of Christ who was involved in the socio- political issues of his contemporaries. A theology that takes seriously the teaching of Christ will be serious in taking the socio-political problems of the people seriously.