God and Politics

We  have allowed idolatry to infiltrate our churches for far too long. Many  faith-based communities are suffering because church leaders have  failed to shepherd believers with clarity and courage, leaving countless  Americans unable to distinguish between the United States of America,  Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of God.

This  confusion is not accidental. It is the result of Bible illiteracy  combined with Christian-coated partisan rhetoric that distorts the Gospel. As a result, many who claim Christ cannot recognize when  Scripture is misquoted or twisted for political gain.

Instead of Jesus Christ being our light and hope, national identity and political ideals have taken His place. This is nothing less than idolatry, and it is a deep deception. It leads people to believe they  are walking in righteousness when they may one day hear, “I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23)

This is the spiritual danger we face. We must confront the lies, rediscover the truth of the Gospel, and recommit to God over politics. We must seek biblical clarity in faith and government, and begin praying for the government not to advance partisan goals, but to honor God’s justice, mercy, and truth.

There is much to undo—and much to learn. Let us begin again, not with fear, but with humility and a hunger for Christ alone.

Political idolatry in the church doesn’t only take the form of American nationalism. It also appears in how social ideologies are read into Scripture. In recent years, some pastors have reshaped Jesus’ teachings on oppression through the lens of American social issues rather than the lens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Pastors across America have taught their congregations that Jesus was a “person of color murdered by a white nation.”

First, it is not historically accurate or intellectually honest to label ancient Rome as a white nation. Rome was an ethnic empire. There is no way to apply our modern social construct of race to ancient Rome. In addition, this sermon fails to teach the gospel according to Jesus. 

Jesus said “No one takes my life from me. I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father (John 10:18, NIV).” Yes, it is true the sin of man played a role in the crucifixion of Jesus, but man was only successful because the Father willed it to be and Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. Revelation 13:8 tells us that this divine plan was put into motion from the foundation of the world. The purpose was to offer a sacrifice that would establish a Kingdom to bring salvation to all of mankind. The cross is not a symbol of racial injustice; it is a symbol of redemptive love. Its story cannot be stripped down to a modern racial metaphor.