The Challenge of Politics

In Mark 9, we see a distraught father, desperately hoping someone can heal his son. Jesus' disciples fail to heal him, and their failure launches a theological debate between them and the ever-present, always-watching religious factions that followed Jesus. By the end of the text, Jesus heals the man's son and the disciples seek understanding - why couldn't we heal him? Jesus' answer almost feels too easy. "This one," he says, "required prayer" (some translations add "and fasting"). In this story, we see so much of our modern world: people desperate for help, well-meaning Christians trying and (often) failing, and a watching world quick to critique and argue. This week, we'll use this text to explore an ever growing challenge in the life of the church: politics. How are Christians to engage in politics? What is the relationship between our Christian identity and our political preferences? And is it possible that, like the disciples in the story, we've begun to rely on the wrong power to try to bring healing to the world?