Interview With Chris Butler
Many people abandon faith values upon entering the political sphere. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Chris Butler, Executive Leader at the AND Campaign and Lead Pastor at Chicago Embassy Church Network, joined Know Why to discuss how Christians can engage in politics without making their party their identity. Listen to hear Chris’s practical tips for faithful, strategic political engagement—including a test to see whether you’ve been “brainwashed” by your party.
From Church to Politics
“So many people walk into politics out of the church,” Chris told Know Why. That’s why the AND Campaign was founded. “Pretty soon people who come out of the church into politics don’t look very much like the church. They just look like the politics,” he added.
“Step by step, working together, we really can make a real difference in the tone and tenor of our politics.”
Chris Butler
It’s possible to engage in politics and even participate in a particular party. Chris said the key is being partisan at the level of your participation, not your identity.
“It is so important for believers to find their indentity in Christ, not in a political party or an ideological affiliation,” he said.
Prepare for the Moment
To help Christians keep their identity in Christ this election year, the AND Campaign launched the Civic Revival Initiative. The initiative offers resources and action items for those who want to engage faithfully and effectively in politics in 2024. One of the exercises the initiative encourages includes listing 10 things your own political “side” is getting wrong.
“If you can’t do that, it’s not because your side is perfect,” Chris told Know Why. “It’s probably because you’ve gone a little bit too deep into it and begun to be a little bit brainwashed.”
Other aspects of the Civic Revival Initiative help Christians prepare their hearts for the political friction and disagreements sure to happen during an election year. It is possible to maintain civility and retain relationships with people who think differently than you, but “we don’t perform well in the moment when we haven’t prepared for the moment,” Chris said.
Ultimately, he encourages young adults to get involved where they can, using their vote “strategically” but also engaging beyond the voting booth.
“Step by step, working together, we really can make a real difference in the tone and tenor of our politics,” Chris said.
More Resources
- AND Campaign’s Civic Revival Initiative
- Compassion & Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler
- The Church Politics Podcast with Justin Giboney and Chris Butler
- The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life by Michael Wear
- Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference by John D. Inazu