“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Matthew 5:14

Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) made it official. He is running for the Republican presidential nomination. Throwing his hat into an ever-expanding ring on Tuesday, Kasich, like everyone else, is a jumble of strengths and weaknesses, though for him the two have a happy confluence.

Kasich brings a unique résumé to the race. He was a significant figure during the Republican Revolution in the U.S. House during the 1990s, gaining a reputation as a budgeting savant. He is governor of a large, diverse swing-state, which at one point was the cradle of the presidency. His tenure, though mixed, bears the marks of success. In between, he worked at Lehman Brothers in high finance. Outside of a dearth of foreign affairs or military experience, Kasich brings an ideal background to the contest.

On paper, Kasich should stand in the top-tier of Republican candidates–along with Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, and Jeb Bush–though few give him a reasonable chance of winning. Why? His greatest strength is his greatest weakness. He is John Kasich. Sharing Chris Christie’s bluntness, but lacking his charisma, Kasich’s truth-telling too often veers toward undisciplined abrasiveness. Unfortunately for his supporters, instead of letting his résumé do the talking, Kasich insists on doing it himself.

Kasich has also made religion a critical part of his presentation. Since early in his governorship, Kasich has spoken often, and publicly, about his faith. In his announcement address, Kasich referenced God, in one way or another, nine times and faith twice. He also paraphrased Matthew 5:14 at the closing:

And, folks, as it has been said many times, the light of a city on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of a city on a hill cannot be hidden. America is that city and you are that light. God bless you and God bless America.

In using the terminology, Kasich channelled Ronald Reagan and John Winthrop, who also spoke of America (or the New World) in majestic terms. Besides the “city on a hill” language, he tried to look forward, to a future influenced by his policies, as well as backward, to America’s founding heritage. But for Kasich, comparisons to Reagan unfortunately highlight his differences with the Gipper.

Reagan, at least rhetorically, portrayed government as a problem. He did not see government as a vehicle by which we help others, but as an obstacle to human flourishing. In contrast, Kasich, taking his address at face value, sees government, or at least his role in government, in the following terms:

“I mean, if you’re hurting, we’ll help you.”

If you have lost your job,

“You’re going to come back stronger and better. We’ll help you.”

Or, how about:

“I just would ask you to think, put yourself in the shoes of another person.”

After seeing an elderly woman struggling to walk down the street,

“I wanted to stop and just hug her, encourage her, people who have not been dealt the best hand in life.”

For those less fortunate?

“Yeah, we want to hold them accountable, but the Lord wants our hearts to reach out to those that don’t have what we have. I mean, that shouldn’t be hard for America.”

And, finally:

What it’s really about is: God didn’t put us on the earth to take care of ourselves. He put us on the earth to make things better.

As intrinsic values, these are hard to argue with–empathy, good works, encouragement, team, and family. But, how does Gov. Kasich view those values as they relate to government? It may be a cold question, but is it truly government’s job to do these things or teach these things? In this view of the world, what does family do? Or faith? While Kasich claims these as inspirations, his view of government robs them of their proper functions.

This is, in part, the fundamental divide between modern progressives and conservatives. Government, at its most essential, is not here to affirm, encourage, befriend, love, or inspire. Government is foremost an agent of justice. To view it in other terms runs the risk of conflating what are fine personal traits with undesirable governmental sentiments. To put in terms familiar to Christians, should government walk the extra mile for murderers, or turn the other cheek for the wicked?

To be fair, one might argue that Gov. Kasich was speaking from his heart about what he holds most dear. How can anyone disagree with these ideas? He was not laying out a political philosophy, but he was articulating his core beliefs. If true, it was an odd time–in a presidential campaign announcement–to refrain from laying out a political philosophy in exchange for a fuzzy recounting of things non-political. It begs the question the question of what Kasich actually believes.

When I hear Kasich, especially when he speaks of religion as a justification, government knows no bounds. It is the nanny state speaking with a religious lisp. At best, Kasich represents George W. Bush’s “compassionate conservatism.” At worst, Kasich uses religion as a political crutch to do whatever he thinks is best.

This may irritate some, but Kasich was also wrong to quote Matthew 5:14 in this fashion, and upon reflection, so were Reagan and Winthrop. Matthew 5 is Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, the ethical heart and soul of the New Testament. Jesus tells his followers precisely how they will interact with the world that surrounds them. They will be counter-cultural. They will pursue peace. They will be meek. They will be merciful. They will mourn. They will be blessed. They–as opposed to government–will indeed walk that extra mile and turn the other cheek when mistreated.

When believers do those things, they are salt and light. The children of Christ are the city on a hill. It is our light that cannot be hidden. In vs. 16, we read, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Though America has its share of Christians, Matt. 5:14 is not directed to America as America. While our national deeds may sometimes be as a beacon, America is not that city. Christians make up the city within America. Though I love America, and will be forever proud to call it my home, America is not the source of the light, but she is in need of it.

Kasich, like many others before him, appropriates Christ’s words for political purposes, abusing their meaning so that he might make a connection to religious voters. Of course, he may believe both the words and the way he uses them, so his mistake may be more innocent than manipulative. Regardless of his motivations, Kasich, like many of us, loses Christ’s essential message by twisting the Bible for his own ends. As Christians, this should repel rather than attract us.