Repeat: The Church MUST Divorce Itself from Political Affiliation and Cling to Christ (No More “Religious Right”)

I didn’t say anything yesterday because I was so livid that I knew I would say things sloppily and things I would regret, and the truth of the atrocity that happened yesterday was so apparent I didn’t need to say anything anyway.

But now I will because what we cannot do is go back to business as usual. I said before Trump was ever elected that 1) I would not vote for him because not only was he an evil man (we have all done evil), but he was PROUD and CELEBRATED his evil and 2) that Christians in America must stop trying to use party affiliation to cling to social influence.

As I said the day Trump won the Presidency, I was hoping I was wrong. I was hoping that he would prove me wrong and that I would have egg on my face and be lectured and mocked for my stance because, as painful as that would be, it would have been far better to eat crow than to witness what I witnessed yesterday.

And while a riot by the citizens is not EXACTLY how I envisioned him trying to destroy our country’s process and identity, I DID specifically say he would. And why did I say it? Was it just fear-mongering because I thought him an immoral man? No – it was because he flat out said he supported autocratic, totalitarian, and violent means to keep power and control. I referenced time and time again interviews he gave praising Putin’s handling of dissent and the CCP handling of Tiananmen Square. People countered by saying he said he was now a Christian. I countered by pointing out he was still saying he had never asked God for forgiveness for ANYTHING because he had never done anything wrong and therefore needed no forgiveness. That’s like someone calling themselves a swimmer without ever having been in the water.

That Trump would do something like this was INCREDIBLY obvious, and yet many people in our churches are surprised. Why? Because they completely refused to believe there was not an option that would promote their understanding of Christian laws on the table. They used the phrase “the lesser of two evils.” While I don’t believe that should be our standard of voting, if you are going to use it, at least still call evil, evil. Calling evil good is one of the most heinous things you can do and comes with extremely harsh consequences according to Christ.

And that was why I was so livid. Even more than the attack on democracy (far more – though that itself would be way more than enough for a huge wake-up call), the tarnishing of the witness of the Church by people pushing that vile man as the Christian candidate made me want to vomit. EVEN AS PEOPLE STORMED THE CAPITOL, many of them were waving banners of “Jesus Saves.” That is taking our Lord’s name in vain AND using it to promote evil, and God has no more wrath for any in humanity than those who use his name to carry out evil.

I beg my fellow Christians – true Christians – let this be a wake-up call. We CANNOT allow our zeal for Christ to be purchased with political ambition. This world, including this country, are temporary. As his Church, we are not called with saving our land or culture, we are charged with harvesting in his fields. We are at war, but as Paul writes, not with the principalities of this world – ie, not with Democrats or Republicans (PLEASE do not read this as a call to join the Democrats, that is the opposite of what I’m trying to accomplish) – but we are at war with the Powers of Darkness commanded by Satan: Hate, Violence, Deceit, Pride, Selfishness – all things which Trump gladly and unabashedly promoted. But our mission is not to conquer America for Christ. We are on a Search & Rescue mission behind enemy lines, to provide comfort and hope to people who are dying, enslaved to their own desires and pain before this world, including this country, inevitably fall. This country is temporary. The souls in it are not. Stop sacrificing our eternal calling for vain, temporal power.

If that wasn’t enough, nothing will be, but I’ll share more anyway. You cannot force people by law to return to God anyway. Christ said his Kingdom was not of this world, and Paul wrote in Romans about the law being powerless to turn the soul to God, that was the entire reason Christ had to come! Yet, as Paul writes, when the people are reborn of the Spirit, the Law no longer is needed to bring life anyway, as the Law becomes written on their hearts. The great irony of sacrificing our true calling to try to save this country is it has the opposite effect and hastens the fall of our nation, not delaying it. If we were to reach out to those who are dying in love and compassion, this nation would return to God and the laws of this land would begin to more and more conform to His nature…naturally – without the need to force people to do it and without sacrificing our integrity and sacred calling.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for – ever. I’m not wise enough to know who would be the best person to lead a country of 330 million people, nor am I an expert in economics, science, or a million other things that these leaders need to know. And obviously, your faith and your understanding in God should guide your vote – but realize that the goal of politicians and the Church are about as separate as they come (they are concerned with this world, we with the next), so it should be no surprise there will always be conflict and do NOT go around publicly proclaiming any candidate to be the “Christian choice.”

All it will ever do is damage our witness. And one day, we too will stand before Almighty God and have to give an account – not just unbelievers. Not for the way our nation or fellow men acted, but for how we bore witness. Let us remain faithful to him, and let the world’s politics fall where they may, trusting in his Providence and Sovereignty even when we can’t see it, instead of letting Fear cause us to vainly justify evil.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen.