Christian Political Apathy
Proverbs 8:15 — “By Me kings reign, and rulers decree justice.”
When Wisdom speaks in Scripture, it is never to flatter the powerful, appease the apathetic, or romanticize human rule. Her voice thunders with divine authority, cutting through every counterfeit notion of government with the piercing words: “By Me kings reign.” In this single line, Proverbs 8 reveals that political authority is not man-made, man-earned, or man-defined. It is derived. It is delegated. It is dominion loaned from God, not seized by man.
This is not abstract theology. It is the foundation for understanding politics itself. Every ruler on earth—president or pastor, senator or school board member—sits beneath the sovereign scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ. And every one of them will be judged by whether they governed in submission to Wisdom or in rebellion against her.
To pretend otherwise is not neutral. It is treason.
DOMINION IS THEOLOGICAL
Over the past century, the Church has slowly ceded the public square to the godless. In place of prophetic proclamation, many pulpits have substituted pietistic quietism. The refrain is tragically familiar: “Politics is dirty. Just focus on the gospel. Don’t get distracted.”
But this sentiment misunderstands the nature of the gospel and the nature of authority.
To preach Christ is to preach a King—not a mascot for personal improvement, but the risen Lord who claims every inch of creation. He is not merely sovereign over souls. He reigns over kings and congresses. His dominion extends into laws, legislatures, and the ordering of nations.
Political apathy, then, is not humility. It is neglect of duty. It is a failure to love neighbor. It is the spiritual equivalent of watching a city burn and deciding to pray while walking away with the only fire hose.
When God formed the world, He infused it with order and purpose. Dominion was not man’s invention—it was man’s calling. In Genesis 1:28, Adam was commanded to fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over it. This was not a license for tyranny but a commission to steward and bless. The Hebrew words abad (to work) and shamar (to keep) clarify the purpose of dominion: it is priestly. Authority is designed to protect, cultivate, and multiply life under the eye of Heaven.
All righteous dominion flows from this design. Every ruler is meant to guard what God treasures, to build what glorifies Him, and to restrain what He hates. Any authority divorced from this purpose is not neutral—it is wicked.
So when Lady Wisdom says, “By Me kings reign,” she is not speaking of brute power, bureaucratic force, or clever politics. She is reminding us that all dominion is held in trust. No government owns its authority. It administers it on behalf of the Sovereign.
APATHY INVITES TYRANNY
Imagine a steward entrusted with a great estate. The master supplies everything: the land, the tools, the laborers, the resources. The steward’s job is to care for the estate according to the master’s instructions. But imagine that steward begins using the estate for personal gain. He disregards the rules, mistreats the workers, and enriches himself from the master’s wealth. When the master returns, he does not commend the steward’s independence. He brings judgment.
This is the reality of political leadership—and the reason Christian indifference is so perilous. Every time we yawn at unrighteous legislation, or justify our silence under the guise of spiritual purity, we forget the principle embedded in this proverb: God is watching. And He holds rulers accountable. And He holds His people accountable for what kind of rulers they tolerate.
We have leaders today who champion perversion, who legislate the murder of the unborn, who weaponize power to promote godlessness—and many in the Church respond with shrugs and platitudes. But as Proverbs 29:2 warns, “When the wicked rule, the people groan.” When fools govern, the consequences are never confined to politics. They cascade through families, churches, economies, schools, and hearts.
And yet we excuse it. We make peace with silence. And we forget that apathy has always been the midwife of tyranny.
Civil governance is not a neutral space. It is not an area God has left untouched. Rulers are God’s ministers for justice (Romans 13). The king is accountable to the King of kings (Psalm 2). Jesus Christ is not waiting to reign—He reigns now. And He is subduing all things under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25–26).
To say “I’m not interested in politics” is to say “I’m not interested in whether Christ is honored in public life.” But we do not get to claim loyalty to Jesus and then ignore how His authority applies to governments, laws, or elections. If we confess Christ as Lord, we must submit every arena of life to His rule—including the way we vote, speak, engage, and lead.
The myth of secular sovereignty—the idea that civil rulers can govern apart from God’s wisdom—is not just false. It is blasphemous.
FAITHFULNESS REQUIRES ACTION
Many Christians feel the weight of this, but do not know where to begin. They see the corruption. They feel the urgency. But they lack a pathway forward. The truth is, reformation does not begin in the White House. It begins in the living room. It begins in the pulpit. It begins in the hearts of God’s people when they resolve to live under the Lordship of Christ and bring His wisdom to every sphere they touch.
So what does faithfulness look like?
It looks like showing up to your local school board meeting, speaking when godlessness is normalized.
It looks like attending your town hall, learning how decisions are made, and asking how they align with God's justice.
It looks like voting not for charm, but for character, not for prosperity, but for principle.
It looks like teaching your sons about biblical dominion, law, and liberty, training them to lead and build.
It looks like training your daughters to cherish truth, virtue, and courage, preparing them to bless and reform.
It looks like discipling your church to think biblically about politics, not from platforms of partisanship, but from the authority of Scripture.
It looks like encouraging faithful men to run for office, and being willing to run if none will.
It looks like repenting of silence, and choosing to speak truth with clarity, boldness, and humility.
No one is called to do everything. But every Christian is called to do something.
The reign of Christ is not postponed. He is enthroned now, subduing all things, ruling the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5). He has been given an everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:14). The government rests on His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6). His reign is not passive. He is actively judging, refining, sanctifying—and one day, He will abolish death itself.
And until that final enemy falls, He calls His people to advance the gospel not only in words, but in public witness. Not only in private holiness, but in public obedience. The earth shall be filled with His glory (Habakkuk 2:14), and the kings of the earth will one day bow before Him (Psalm 72:11).
Let us rise—not with anger or arrogance, but with conviction. Let us tear down our idols of silence and comfort. Let us labor with joy and courage to see Christ honored not only in hearts, but in laws, in courts, in nations.
Let us raise children who will lead with righteousness.
Let us build churches that produce statesmen.
Let us flood every realm of power with the wisdom of God.
And let us declare to a watching world, not in theory but in truth:
“By Me kings reign.”
