What does faithful political engagement look like as Christ-follower in the midst of the divisive, harsh, and acrimonious election year in which we find ourselves in the USA? My concern is that we not allow the world’s pressure to form us, but rather that we respond in a way that reflects and honors Jesus. In 1981, I spent three months in the Philippines during a time when the church found itself divided over the increasingly, repressive dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Some Christians vigorously opposed the government and were on the streets protesting and going to jail; others supported Marcos wholeheartedly. A very few others had decided to take up arms (taking cues from the insights of liberation theology). While the environment was fiercely anti-American, I was blessed to be visiting as an IVCF staff worker and allowed to listen in on their theological reflections in the midst of their highly charged, political environment. It. Read more.