The Christian And Politics In Ghana

I have a great friend called Maxwell Annor Barclays, and over the past few weeks, he has posed a lot of questions I find very intriguing. According to him, our bane as a people is not a result of violent, corrupt or public servants who roam with seared consciences, but rather the able-bodied with well-built capacities who prefer to stay on the touchline in the name of neutrality, and whine.

This situation is evident in the Ghanaian political dispensation. Many a time people who are religious (Christians predominantly) tend to see politics as a dirty endeavour and as such shun away from it, only to sit back and complain about bad leadership and its rippling effect on the citizenry.

Africa is arguably the most endowed continent with respect to natural resources but what have we reaped from our gifts from nature over the years? Refer to Proverbs 28:28 and Proverbs 29:2.

The following are what some men of God think about politics:

"Christians are the salt of the world and in fact the soap that must cleanse wherever there is dirt.

Leadership is absolutely essential and it is a great mistake for Christians to see politics as a dirty game. If you have ever said that politics is dirty and not for Christians, confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness because it is blasphemous" - Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah.

"Jesus did not say He needed Christians to be the salt and light of Heaven, but rather the earth...The darker the place, the more effective a small amount of light" - Prof. Stephen Adei

"The church has two options, either to stay out of politics and governance or be at the helm of affairs for the development of our country, Africa and the world at large" - Apostle S.Y. Antwi.

Let's ponder over these:
"Elsewhere, Angela Merkel voted against same sex marriage. She believes marriage is between a man and a woman. However, it succeeded by majority vote of 399..."

"Marg Luker declares that any young girl at the age of 10 feels sexual pleasure and no one should prevent that person from discovering how her body works..." (an argument in support of child prostitution)

The late Prof. J.E.A Mills made a vehement statement against homosexuality and it's related issues and in recent times the Speaker of Parliament Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye has done same but what would the situation be in the religious country of Ghana if the reverse should happen? Will the Christians come back nagging?

Politicians at the helm of affairs have the power to do everything there is and the destiny of the people rest on their shoulders. The policy decisions they make are not discriminatory and they affect people from all walks of life irrespective of their religious backgrounds. It is therefore imperative for Christians to take inspiration from the Bible text in Daniel 6:3 and contribute their quota to nation building where need be. It is a necessity for those who call themselves Sons of God to pick themselves up and get to work for the greater good as indicated in Colossians 3:23.

Power to create, power of leadership, control over policy and direction of the state, socio-economic development, power of the public purse and several other functions of governance is vested in the political leadership of the day and all citizens are subject to their dictates, whims and caprices so far as democracy remains a majority rule.

It is equally evident that majority of the political leaders in our country are perceived to be Christians judging from the fact that they swear their oath of office with the Bible but really, who is a Christian? (I guess that's the bigger question begging for an answer)

In the end I can only say one thing, "Fa wo ho hye mu" (get involved).

George Sarpong
( [email protected] , www.georgesarpong.blogspot.com )

George SARPONG,
MPhil Strategic Management and Consulting.
KNUST School of Business.
Center for Business Development &
Kumasi Business Incubator, KNUST (Volunteer).
C/O PIWC-Suame, SE 1553 Suame-Kumasi,
Ghana.
Mob: +233245712287 / +233501348637
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Skype: george.sarpong12
Blogger: www.georgesarpong.blogspot.com