When I was in fifth grade, my elementary school hosted a Hall of Presidents and First Ladies. We all researched our assigned figure, dressed up, and prepared a large tri-fold presentation board. I couldn’t have been more excited. By age 10, I was fanatical about the history of the White House and its occupants.
Sadly, my dreams were dashed when I received my assignment: a relatively modern first lady whose politics my parents (and most of my friends’ parents) vehemently disagreed with.
It was devastating.
I’d grown up in a world where I was taught a rigid way to engage politics, and it hinged on how you voted. I felt embarrassed at being associated with the “wrong” political side, even if it was just a school assignment.
Political polarization has increased in recent years, and our kids are watching, learning, and developing their own political habits.
Political polarization has only increased in recent years with toxic political tribalism and the echo chamber of social media. And yet our kids are watching, learning, and developing their own political habits. Is it possible to cultivate an understanding of political engagement in our kids that’s built on kingdom theology—on the knowledge that Jesus reigns over every square inch of this world?
Press PAUSE
Here are five key principles parents and ministry workers can focus on when teaching kids about political engagement. The simple acronym can help you and your kids remember to press PAUSE when political conversations begin around the dinner table or when you’re listening to the news.
P: Pray for our world, our country, and its leaders.
1 Timothy 2:1–2 gives us a clear command to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions.” Even when they’re young, actively pray with your kids about what’s happening in your city, your country, and the world. With older kids, watch a news show designed for children and then pray for the leaders and events it discusses. With younger kids, use a globe or a map to point out different states or countries. Open a book like Window on the World, and then spend a minute learning about a country and praying for its people. When your kids ask about what’s happening in the news, don’t avoid tricky subjects, but explain them in kid-friendly language (or metaphors) and then invite your kids to pray for the people and places involved. This helps kids remember God is in charge of everything and they can turn to him for help.
A: Ask what Scripture says.
When a political issue or event comes up in family conversation, take a moment to ask, “What does Scripture say about this?” Run a quick internet search or use your Bible’s concordance to help you identify some key stories or passages in Scripture. Remind your kids that God’s Word is a compass to help us navigate the world we live in. Also remind them that not everyone in the world believes the Bible has the same authority as we do. While we use Scripture to help guide our actions and words, we show others there is beauty in following God’s ways by the way we live and how we treat them.
U: Unify those around you.
Kids love to make friends, and they’re often willing and able to make friends who are different than them! (Much more so than adults, most of the time.) Building a friend group for your family that thinks differently about political engagement can be a gift to everyone involved. Think of Jesus and how his disciples came from all different political persuasions. Matthew was a tax collector who worked for the Romans; Simon was a political zealot who wanted to overthrow them. But Jesus called them together to proclaim his gospel.
Will we always align with other believers when it comes to political engagement? Certainly not. Following Jesus often means we don’t line up perfectly with any party or side. But when our kids are watching, modeling kind and thoughtful political discourse will help them develop into empathetic, engaged citizens who represent the church and God’s kingdom in an inviting way.
S: Serve your neighbor.
You might ask the question, “Why should we engage in the political sphere or help our kids learn to?” We find the answer in the two great commandments: love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37–40). Political engagement is one way we love God and our neighbors. It’s right for Christians to support political leaders and policies that honor God by upholding his law and to love people by serving those in need in our communities. I often point kids to how Bible teaches us to take special care of four types of people: the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, and the poor (Zech. 7:9–10). Nicholas Wolterstorff calls this the “quartet of the vulnerable.” One way to build biblical political sympathies in children is for our families and church ministries to think about how we can serve people in these categories with our actions, money, and time. If kids grow up thinking through the lens of serving the vulnerable, their lifelong political and economic engagement will be formed by that lens.
E: Engage the process.
Another biblical passage that helps kids have a strong foundation for political engagement is Jeremiah 29:7, where God encouraged his people to seek the good of the place where he’d caused them to dwell. Prompt kids to think about what “the good” looks like in their neighborhood or their school. Ask, “What does it look like to practically help others in the places we go each day?” As your kids answer that question, help them engage in those ways. Make this a family activity. Go to a rally to support a cause your family believes in. Take your kids with you to vote in local and national elections. Go to local town hall meetings. Show your kids how to engage the political process thoughtfully and respectfully.
Kids are concrete thinkers, particularly those in elementary school and younger, so don’t be surprised if the complexities of political issues don’t click with them. Instead, help your kids see that our ultimate loyalty is to God. Pause and take every opportunity to remind them that while we live under earthly rulers, Christians are ultimately citizens of God’s kingdom. We can engage politics with love and confidence, because from the United Nations to our local school board, Jesus reigns as king.