I recently had the chance to step out of my Canadian bubble and join my cohort\u2014fellow students from the Doctor of Leadership, Global Perspectives program at George Fox University\u2014in Washington, DC. Since our coursework is primarily online, this annual in-person event is a chance to engage deeply, especially in a place that holds global and political significance.<\/p>\n
One of the most striking aspects of being in the United States, as a Canadian, was the stark polarization I noticed in conversations around big, sensitive topics like abortion, immigration, and climate change. In Canada, I\u2019m used to a range of opinions\u2014a spectrum that stretches from conservative to liberal, with a fair amount of room in the middle for debate and nuance. But in DC, it felt like the conversation rarely occupied that middle ground. Instead, I experienced people standing firmly at the edges of each issue.<\/p>\n
I think what added to my sense of dislocation was the concept of political party registration. It\u2019s a common practice in the U.S., but from my perspective, it\u2019s a strange kind of allegiance to declare. In Canada, I\u2019ve voted for five different political parties over the years, depending on the issues and the candidates. At the local level, our city politicians aren\u2019t formally affiliated with any party at all, which creates a different kind of political discourse. In short, I\u2019m used to fluidity in political loyalty, while in the U.S., it seemed like loyalties were carved in stone.<\/p>\n
This polarization isn\u2019t confined to politics; it seeps into the church as well, at least according to Russell Moore in Losing Our Religion<\/em>1<\/a>. I have to admit, reading this book felt a bit like fiction to me. While I can certainly relate to the cultural dynamics through the flood of American media we consume in Canada, the reality Moore describes\u2014of a church entangled with political allegiance\u2014feels foreign to my experience.<\/p>\n In Canada, politics and church don\u2019t mix quite so overtly. Yes, there are always undercurrents of influence, but I can\u2019t recall a pastor standing up in my church to advocate for a particular candidate or party. Instead, our prayers focus on the well-being of politicians, asking for wisdom and protection, regardless of their affiliation. It\u2019s a kind of neutrality that feels less like sitting on the sidelines and more like focusing on what matters most.<\/p>\n Russell Moore\u2019s book dives deep into the ways the church in America has intertwined itself with partisan politics, to the point where many have become disillusioned, feeling as though they’ve lost sight of what it truly means to follow Jesus. This theme of disillusionment isn\u2019t unique to Moore. Jim Wallis, in God\u2019s Politics<\/em>2<\/a>, similarly critiques how the church has often traded its prophetic voice for political power, urging believers to consider how their faith aligns with broader societal issues rather than political platforms.<\/p>\n But what\u2019s clear from Moore\u2019s writing is that this entanglement is not just about voting habits\u2014it\u2019s about identity, culture, and the way faith communities have shaped and been shaped by political narratives. It\u2019s a crisis that feels distant from my experience in Canada but resonates with what I witnessed in DC, where the lines between political conviction and religious belief seem blurred.<\/p>\n The challenge Moore raises is echoed in the work of N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird in Jesus and the Powers<\/em>3<\/a>. They explore how Jesus\u2019s ministry was a direct challenge to the political and spiritual powers of his day. Their thesis is that following Jesus means being countercultural, often standing against the status quo rather than aligning with it. This, to me, is the core of Moore\u2019s message\u2014a call to step back from the edges of political discourse and ask what it really means to follow a Savior who didn\u2019t pledge allegiance to any earthly power.<\/p>\n Reading Moore alongside Wright and Bird makes me question how the church\u2014on both sides of the border\u2014engages with politics. Is it possible to maintain a prophetic voice without becoming political pawns? The more I reflect on it, the more I see Moore\u2019s disillusionment as a challenge to all of us: to focus less on political power and more on the kind of radical love and justice Jesus embodied.<\/p>\n As I think back to those conversations in DC, I\u2019m struck by how different the cultural climates are between Canada and the U.S., especially when it comes to faith and politics. In the States, the church\u2019s political involvement is often explicit, sometimes even expected. In Canada, it\u2019s quieter\u2014subtle, and maybe even covert at times. But what struck me most was the lack of middle ground in the discussions I witnessed. It\u2019s as if the political climate has become a tug-of-war, each side pulling harder the further apart they drift.<\/p>\n Losing Our Religion<\/em> is a reminder that this polarization isn\u2019t sustainable if the church is to maintain its integrity. It challenges the idea that faith must be married to political ideology and instead urges a return to a more holistic, humble way of living out the gospel. In this way, Moore\u2019s call feels like a plea for the church to reclaim its distinctiveness and its prophetic voice\u2014a voice that isn\u2019t caught up in winning political battles but in embodying love, justice, and humility.<\/p>\n This tension between faith and politics isn\u2019t new. Evangelization has always had to contend with ideology, as Tomas Petrusek points out in Evangelization and Ideology<\/em>4<\/a>. There\u2019s a constant struggle to present a faith that transcends political and cultural divides. Petrusek\u2019s work, much like Moore\u2019s, reminds us that the gospel message is one of hope and transformation, not a tool for political gain.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see how churches\u2014whether in Canada or the U.S.\u2014can become ideological battlegrounds, especially when culture wars flare up. But the question Moore, Wallis, and even Petrusek ask is the same: How do we remain true to our faith without getting swept up in the partisan divides that so easily entangle?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t have all the answers, but reading Losing Our Religion<\/em> has reminded me that faith and leadership require a delicate balance, especially when navigating a polarized world. Moore\u2019s honesty about his own disillusionment is refreshing, and it challenges me to think about how I engage with the big issues of our time\u2014not as a Canadian or an American, but as a follower of Jesus.<\/p>\n One thing I\u2019ve learned is the value of humility in leadership. This ties back to some of the ideas in books like Humble Leadership<\/em> and even Wallis\u2019s God\u2019s Politics<\/em>2<\/a>\u2014that leading with authenticity means acknowledging complexity, valuing the voices of others, and not pretending to have it all figured out. It\u2019s about making space for diverse perspectives, rather than assuming that our way is the only way.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, my takeaway from Losing Our Religion<\/em> is this: We need to hold our political convictions lightly and our faith deeply. There\u2019s room for political engagement, but it should never overshadow the core of what we believe. Moore\u2019s call for a church that\u2019s less concerned with earthly power and more with spiritual authenticity is one I think we can all resonate with, no matter where we stand on the political spectrum.<\/p>\n Maybe that\u2019s why, in Canada, we spend more time praying for our politicians than debating them. It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t care\u2014it\u2019s that we\u2019re striving to be something different, something beyond political labels. A community that embodies the kind of love, grace, and justice that goes beyond partisan lines. It\u2019s not an easy path, but, as Moore and others suggest, it\u2019s the one that will keep our faith honest and true.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I recently had the chance to step out of my Canadian bubble and join my cohort\u2014fellow students from the Doctor of Leadership, Global Perspectives program at George Fox University\u2014in Washington, DC. Since our coursework is primarily online, this annual in-person event is a chance to engage deeply, especially in a place that holds global and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2489,1817],"class_list":["post-39120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-moore","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39120"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39122,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39120\/revisions\/39122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Navigating Faith and Politics: What Losing Our Religion<\/em> Taught Me<\/h3>\n
The Powers That Be: Faith in a Politically Charged World<\/h3>\n
The Middle Ground: Can We Find It?<\/h3>\n
Faith Beyond Ideology: A Call for Authentic Witness<\/h3>\n
Moving Forward: What This Means for Leadership<\/h3>\n
A Call to Prayer and Reflection<\/h3>\n
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