Hi Miranda.
When you say. “I’ve found that it’s very easy in church-land to mix religion and politics and forget that politics is a tool, but it is not the end-goal of following the ways of Jesus, nor is it part of the promises God has.”
I agree one has to be careful when mixing religion and politics, but at the same time we should not shy away from it either. Christianity preaches the Gospel preaches the morality and life of Christ, and we are to preach it to all creation, which would include the political sphere as well. Also I am not sure that politics has no place in God’s promises.
Nathan the prophet pronounced a covenant to King David and is found in 2 Samuel 7 and later summarized in 1 Chronicles 17:11–14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16. In it God promises a Kingdom will be created through the Messiah. Kingdoms naturally require politics albeit in heaven this kingdom will not suffer from mans sinful nature.