How to integrate faith into politics
‘I think where I would start with that would be just the idea that human beings, first of all, want to be in complete control of everything’, begins Cheryllyn Dudley, former South African MP, ‘and even those of us who don’t think we’re control freaks are [still] always trying to control things’.
As a politician, coming to terms with your individual sphere of control can be a daunting task. For Cheryllyn, this is one of many hurdles in politics that she overcomes with some assistance from her Christian faith. The Silent MP spoke with Cheryllyn to discover how she managed to integrate her faith into her politics.
Whilst many politicians find themselves frustrated by the lack of control they have over the broader sphere of politics, Cheryllyn remains calm; ‘we have to be aware of our tendency to want to control things and be a little more open to being less in control, and kind of rolling with the moment’, she tells the Silent MP.
Cheryllyn’s religious faith allows her to remain present in the moment, with a belief that everything happens for a reason; and this involves curtailing our immediate desire for control. ‘If we’re controlling everything’, she says, ‘we’re never going to allow things to happen the way they’re supposed to happen’.
For Cheryllyn, her faith provides both an intrinsic confidence, and a grounding force. This carries over into her politics, and allows her to take an optimistic view of political life. Cheryllyn tells the Silent MP that a situation which, on the surface, may appear to be detrimental, could potentially be something hugely beneficial; and taking advantage of such a situation is viable due to the confidence provided by her faith.
‘There are disappointments every second of every day, for anybody anywhere’, she says, but viewing these disappointing situations as possible opportunities is key. She tells The Silent MP, ‘It’s having the confidence to know He’s there, He’s with you. You’re both in that boat together’.
Being confident, grounded and aware of opportunities has carried over into Cheryllyn’s relationships with others. She tells The Silent MP of one of her key tenets: she does not expect people to be something they are not. In this sense, she views politicans as politicians; they will act as a politician would. Being internally honest about this with herself allows Cheryllyn to ‘[be] real in a situation, but not gullible’.
Cheryllyn’s view certainly makes sense: why would you expect a politicans to be anything other than a politicans? She tells The Silent MP of being astounded when people ask her, ‘can you believe what this person did?’. She replies ‘well, of course I believe what they did’. This realism keeps Cheryllyn grounded within the more human aspects of political narratives and discourse.
In this sense, religiosity and faith has equipped Cheryllyn with the tools to be more accepting of human frailties, and the fact that we will not be virtuous all of the time, purely because we are human. The very-human arena of politics, with such a mix of human tendencies, was the perfect place for Cheryllyn to put her skills into practice.
Yet, despite the benefits her faith has brought her, Cheryllyn avoids being forceful. Rather than imposing her way of doing things on others, she views her integration of faith and politics as a living testimony that it can be harmoniously achieved. Living by these values brought a sense of consistency to Cheryllyn’s day to day political life; whilst still having the sort of confidence associated with the belief in a greater plan.
‘Life is full of little knocks’, she says, ‘you’re not getting devastated over every little knock…there’s a plan, and there’s a purpose’.
To know more about Cheryllyn’s career and perspective on this topic: check out her book: Through my Eyes.
