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This means, first, loving those we contend against in the political process. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Whom you would change, you must first love." Some Christian leaders do get this. Jerry Falwell, whatever else he has done, has gone out of his way to engage the gay community protesting against him. James Dobson set a similar example when protestors surrounded the Focus headquarters.

Second, we offer our strongest witness when we demonstrate that we do love others by fighting AIDS in Africa or the worldwide sex-trafficking trade, or by reforming prisons and prisoners, loving the most unlovable. One New York Times columnist who vehemently opposes our political efforts has nonetheless praised Christians for the work he's seen us perform around the world. When the world sees us working for human rights, we earn moral authority that blunts the "imposing your morality" attacks in the public square.

Our cultural mandate requires us to work for justice and righteousness so that God's creation reflects his majesty and goodness. That includes engaging in politics. But we must remember as we do this that we are proposing a more excellent way to a needy society, and that we do so in love, no matter how much abuse is heaped upon us.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

Machiavellian Morality | One reason teenagers, among others, are jammed in our prisons. (Sept. 22, 2005)

Verdict that Demands Evidence | It is Darwinists, not Christians, who are stonewalling the facts. (March 28, 2005)

The Moral Home Front | America's increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. (Sept. 23, 04)

Reclaiming Occupied Territory | The Great Commission and the cultural commission are not in competition. (July 21, 2004)

Societal Suicide | Legalizing gay marriage will lead to more family breakdown and crime. (May 24, 2004)

Evangelical Drift | Outsiders say we're the status quo. Our call is to prove them wrong. (March 29, 2004)

Confronting Moral Horror | It's a witness even the most jaded find impressive. (Feb. 04, 2004)

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February 2006, Vol. 50, No. 2