On This Statement All My Politic Rests
It is a strange day we live in. If you have any sense of church history you are quickly struck by the recognition that the followers of Jesus have generally stood outside the halls of power. If invited in, they never felt comfortable. Rarely did they make their home in the palaces of power. But today this is totally inverted. Christians as a sub-group in America have whole heartedly embraced the opportunity to combine politics and the pulpit. Those who question this or object to it as roundly criticized and so universal is this demarcating line of “for us/against us” that a giant unholy hush has fallen over the people of God. Things we would have blogged about and posted about with holy fervor just a few years ago are now silent. Those who venture a line or two do so with trepidation.
So that people of conscience today, and future generations might read a witness of how a Biblicist thinks I write. The verse that gives rise to political philosophy is Isaiah 33:22
For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.
We Have a King: Why Christians Must Stop Bowing to Political Idols
A shift has happened in American Christianity—and it’s not a good one.
Believers have looked to political figures as if they were messiahs. As if salvation, justice, or national righteousness could be found in the policies of a president or the decisions of a court. The church has traded the eternal crown of Christ for the fleeting crown of cultural power. And that is not just a misstep. It’s idolatry.
Our Hope Is Not in the White House
Let’s be clear: the Christian’s hope is not, and never has been, in Washington. To place our trust in a political leader to secure the future of the church or the kingdom of God is to worship a false god. It’s to say, with our actions if not our words, “Jesus isn’t enough—we need someone stronger, someone more American, someone who can win.”
But God is not a mascot for nationalism. He is not a puppet for our ideological agendas. He is the Judge, the Lawgiver, the King. In Him, the fullness of power—judicial, legislative, and executive—is perfectly bound. He doesn’t need a Cabinet. He doesn’t need a Supreme Court. He reigns. So why do so many in the church act like we need a political strongman to save us? Could it be that the church in American has come to typifiy the thing we are warned against becoming “a form of religion but without the power of God?”
Obedience Is Not Allegiance
Christians are commanded to obey governing authorities (Romans 13). But that obedience is not the same as allegiance. It’s not blind loyalty. It’s not heart-level devotion. Those things have already been reserved for a higher authority. What it means is we submit to the rule of law within Biblical limits and still keep my conscience free from worldly entanglements. Entanglements are anything that draws our affections and emotions into a relationship that results in changed identity. I can pay my taxes and pray for corrupt leaders. I can live in peace with my neighbors—and still refuse to give my heart to the empire. When the powers tell me to hate the other, I will still love. When the powers tell me to fear, I will retain hope. When the powers say to trust in them, I will refuse to. This will appear on the surface as rebelliousness to those who have bought into the power being sold. It’s not. That’s what faithfulness looks like.
Righteous Protest Is Holy Resistance
True resistance isn’t loud. It doesn’t need hashtags or marches. It’s quiet, strong, unbending. Righteous protest is the refusal to compromise your character in a compromising world. It’s choosing to stay rooted in the Word when everyone around you—including fellow Christians—are chasing after cultural relevance or political power. My soul belongs to the Lord, its spiritual adultery to allow any other to possess it.
It’s not easy. You will be misunderstood. You will be labeled. You might be opposed by the very people who claim to be on your “side.”
But we don’t protest for applause. We stand because we already have a King.
A Conflict You Cannot Win
When we choose to align with worldly power over God’s kingdom, we enter into a war of wills—ours against His. That’s a battle we will never win. The church may gain political influence for a season. We may even feel like we’re “winning.” But if we have lost our prophetic voice, our holiness, and our spiritual authority—what have we really gained?
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36)
Be a Shiny Faithful People.
God has not left us guessing. He has given us Himself. He is our Supreme Leader. Our Righteous Judge. Our Perfect Legislator. He is all we need. So obey where you must. Protest where you should. But never trade your soul for a seat at the table of power. One day, the righteousness of the faithful will shine like the noonday sun. Just make sure you are still who God called you to be on that day.
