How might we respond when people say that Christians should just stay out of politics?

There is a difference between keeping “Christianity” out of politics and keeping “Christians” out of politics.

First, keeping Christianity out of politics is largely governed by the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and precludes governmental manipulations through religion. The Establishment Clause does not preclude religious groups from coordinating around issues they deem significant to express their desires to those who represent them in government.

Second, Christians who are citizens of the United States have as much right to advocate for their side of a given issue as anyone else. Such is the nature of a representative democracy. Our democracy is by, for, and of the people, so as long as there are Christians among the people, I think it will be difficult to keep “our Christianity” out of politics.

As much as some might want our politics to be “religion-” or “ideology-free,” in a pluralistic society, different citizens and groups of citizens will likely approach issues from differing perspectives. There is no blank slate rationality that we can employ to ensure that no religious or ideological bias creeps into the political realm.

As such, the political realm in a representative democracy will always be a realm of conversation and compromise as different individuals and groups express their perspectives on various matters about which they are passionate. Christians in the United States can, like anyone else, certainly opt-out of politics, but to think it wise (or even constitutional) to preclude Christians from participating in government because they are Christians would seem to violate the principles upon which a representative democracy is founded.