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I remember the day I laced my Reeboks and jogged around the classical Christ Church in New Zealand. What a glorious concept–a Christian community built around a church. The church lay at the center; streets were arranged in such a way that the entire community was tied into the church.

Calvin’s Geneva must have been like that. Some of my friends would still like it to be that way. In Sunday school here in Pennsylvania I heard the lament that Sunday is gone. They bemoan the passing of the day when lawmakers made “Christian laws.” Their dreams of a society based on Christian principles and laws are crumbling before their eyes.

I am a Mennonite. Some of my more conservative friends, the Amish (who are also Anabaptists), have another idea. Because they have no enduring faith in any nation, they don’t even try to influence American culture. Instead they work hard to perfect and rigorously preserve their communities by establishing their own rules, relationships and behavior patterns in almost every aspect of life. They still use horses and buggies, refuse to use electricity because it ties them into the nation’s system, and so forth.

By separating themselves, the Amish represent one way to situate a body of believers in society–a sealed community that preserves the faith. I commend their efforts but remain uncomfortable with their view. They are not of the world; neither are they in the world.

How should new and old Christian communities see themselves in today’s world when it is virtually impossible to think of a settlement like Christ Church or Calvin’s Geneva, or the Amish way? We followers of Jesus Christ must impact our societies for good, for we are salt and light. Should we aim to produce “Christian” governments which write and enforce good laws? Should not Christians simply take over for society’s good? Kenya, for example, where I lived for many years, now has a Christian majority. They could conceivably establish themselves as a powerful political party, win the elections, and then right society’s wrongs. But something tells them this is not the way.

How should the world’s newer churches situate themselves in their cultures and nations? And how should we as missionaries and world Christians guide them to use their talents to God’s glory–even if their passions and abilities are leadership in the public sector? Should we encourage or discourage local believers’ involvement in politics? In Burundi, for example, a young missionary acquaintance of mine taught a student who was a member of parliament. Unfortunately, he was stigmatized by other Bible college students because politics were seen as dirty although he was a believer.

I hear the lament worldwide: “Our governments are corrupt.” Is this not a siren call to Christians to do something? Part of me wants to do just that. But another part says, “Go slowly.” Was this not Constantine’s vision to forge a Christian empire? That enterprise resulted in the most corrupt Christianity imaginable. A natural child of that dream was the deplorable Crusades of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a period in world history that brings a flush to our faces when we speak of love and compassion to our Muslim friends.

History shows that when Christians marry politics, the children forget that one of their parents was Christian. Jesus made it clear that he did not come to establish a political kingdom with armies, thrones, taxes and presidents. The Bride that he is preparing for himself is in all nations–invisible, but powerful, like salt and light. If Christians used the arm of government to forward the kingdom of God, the end would certainly be tragic. Was this not the fatal flaw of Constantinianism?

We may disagree on how to impact governments, but I believe that we can agree to support believers in politics. In nations where the church views politics and spiritual issues as separate realms, Christian officials are often stigmatized and abandoned by their fellow believers. If individual Christians are called to enter politics and enhance justice in the land, believers should pray for them and offer advice and counsel. Maybe they should even vote for them. Note, I said maybe.

Each Christian community needs to find its place in society where it can nurture believers while blessing the society that does not yet believe. We should not assume that all Christian communities will look alike, but each of us can powerfully witness to God’s wisdom, love and power.

Donald Jacobs served in Tanzania and Kenya for 20 years under Eastern Mennonite Missions.