Agent Tim: Compromising the faith in Politics

While commenting on La Shawn Barber’s site, I met a new friend named Agent Tim (Tim Sweetman).  He posed an interesting questions during the flurry of live-blog comments asking:

You know, Renee, it’s something I wonder as I look towards the future.
I think of people such as myself and other teens who are interested in
politics, yet have a great desire to follow God. And to get into a
place of power, would it include compromising my beliefs? Can we not
compromise?

I suggested he write a blog entry about, to which he quickly did and here was my response:

Hi Tim,

That was fast! So a couple of thoughts on the drive home regarding your question.

First of all any politician is in some degree a leader who
represents people who put him/her in office. The question would then be
- can a leader compromise his faith as he leads?

Now, leaders make compromises that’s a given. I’m a leader in my
church and I need to make compromises in order to get ministerial
events, meetings, out-reaches, etc to its completed end. But as a
layman, my full-time job is a leader in the world of software. Again I
make compromises in order to complete projects on time and to satisfy
both the product manager who asks for features and the engineering team
who says, “that feature is stupid, it won’t work, etc..”

But the compromises that I make never put my faith in jeopardy or in
question, atleast I hope they don’t. Paul says that whatever we do, do
it for the glory of God. Our work, everything is for Christ:

“Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not
with external service, as those who merely please men, but with the
sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work
heartily, as for the Lord, rather than for men, knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord
Christ whom you serve.” Col 3:22-24

Yes leaders, politicians need to make compromises. Now what about
Christian leaders and politicians? The fundamental question is who are
they doing it for? To please man or to please God? Well in a sense we
please men so we can do a good job, be an example, be a good employee,
etc.. but ultimately shouldn’t it be our Lord?

So Christians, before anything else do everything for the Lord,
never compromising their faith in anything. We stick to that and our
job, whatever that may be, should naturally (supernaturally by the
power of the Spirit), follow.

Tim, I suppose my answer is fundamentally rooted in the person who is a Christian, first and foremost.  For the one who follows Christ, compromise of the faith cannot exist at any level – at any job.