Politics not evil - Abena Ruthy tells gospel artistes
It has been a heated argument in many Christian organisations about the need for Christians not to actively involve themselves in politics but for gospel artiste, Abena Ruthy, she believes politics must not be seen as evil and has urged her colleagues to have a say in the country’s governance.
Basing her argument on the upcoming elections which is scheduled for Wednesday, December 7, the Lala artiste who spoke with the Graphic Showbiz last Monday said she has mostly being disappointed by the perception held by some Christians that politics is evil and hence, must be shunned.
According to her, a frequently raised objection against Christian engagement with politics is that, anything besides explicit preaching and teaching of the Bible is a distraction from the mission of the church.
However, she believes that perception is a “limited understanding of the kingdom of God”.
“Government plays a role in the work of God’s kingdom on earth. This is because, good governance encourages an environment conducive for people to live peacefully, whereas bad governance fosters unrest and instability.
“How can you promote your works as an ambassador of the gospel in an environment where there’s no peace, situation created by bad governance.
“ Yes, gospel artistes who are a symbol of the church in the society must be seen as neutral but the truth is, for how long would we be cowed into silence because we don’t want to be seen as worldly people by doing politics?” she queried.
Abena, who entered the gospel scene in 2013 with her debut Lala which featured Nacee says gospel artistes must take inspiration from Jeremiah 29:7, which states that, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
The artiste who is currently promoting her Going Higher song on the new Higher Praise album added that because of what the Bible teaches and the inevitability of its effect on our culture, Christians must care about politics.
Signed to Media Excel, Abena Ruthy is a banker by profession and currently, is the Administrator of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a sister company of UniBank (Ghana) Ltd where she has worked for over a decade.
Within a short period in her music journey, Abena who is married to a pastor and also pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Administration with Walden University has gained many nominations among which include the Ghana Gospel Music Awards organised by Adom FM. She earned a spot in the New Artiste category.