Growing up Catholic in New York, I remember the annual holiday services at Saint Patrick\u2019s Cathedral, where politicians and local officials would gather for Mass. Saint Patrick\u2019s became a familiar backdrop for major religious ceremonies, often filled with recognizable faces. Yet beyond those special occasions, I witnessed little political engagement or presence within the life of the church. When I transitioned into Protestantism, the experience was different indeed. In the inner city, churches often were the central hubs of political activity. Every major justice movement, from voting rights to the March on Washington to the MeToo movement, came through the church. During election season, candidates would flock to pulpits on Sunday mornings, intermingling faith speak within campaign speeches to woo potential voters in the congregations. They discussed social and economic issues, using the sacred space to court votes.<\/p>\n
When one\u2019s political beliefs invade the sacred space, that’s when the tension begins for me. The rise and emboldening of the Christian Nationalist movement over the past few years are among the prime examples of how politics and faith have painfully intersected. I believe faith should shape how we see justice and human dignity, but when it\u2019s co-opted by political agendas, its moral power is diluted, and we hear more of what thus saith man and the people vs. what thus saith the Lord. <\/em>My hesitation comes in watching pulpits turn into platforms. Churches should be shaping the spiritual formation of the community and not becoming auxiliary campaign offices. I believe faith must inform politics, but it must never be held prisoner by it.<\/p>\n I understand the rise of Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel that is seeking power under the guise of piety. As Russell Moore argues in Losing Our Religion<\/em>, many evangelicals in Western democracies have exchanged moral conviction for political convenience, confusing cultural dominance with faithfulness. Christian nationalisms and civil religions are a kind of Great Commission in reverse, in which the nations seek to make disciples of themselves, using the authority of Jesus to baptize their national identity in the name of blood and of the soil and of the political order.<\/em>[1] This fusion of Christianity and nationalism is rooted in fear. A fear of losing dominance, influence, identity, and status in a diverse and ever-changing world. Yet, as Moore warns, when the church begins to mirror the political sphere around it, its prophetic voice becomes muted and laryngitis sets in during critical times; empires should be emphatically challenged.<\/p>\n Wright and Bird, in Jesus and the Powers<\/em>, remind us that Jesus\u2019 lordship would confront worldly power, not endorse it. Christians can do the same. It can be right for Christians to retort to state authorities. We must obey God, not human beings, and not be afraid of refusing the king’s orders.<\/em> [2] \u00a0Faithful public witness to me is humility, while also speaking truth to power with no fear of consequence. Esther is a good example as she risked it all for the sake of truth-telling and service, saying, If I perish, I perish.<\/em> (Esther 4:16, NRSV)<\/p>\n I believe we discern when Jesus is being used rather than followed by asking a simple question: Does this or any movement reflect the character of Christ? Does it reflect a love for all of God\u2019s people, more particularly the least, the immigrant, and the stranger?\u00a0 I know that every person who mixes faith and socio-political matters is not a nationalist, but the bigger question is, are they Kingdom? I just shared on Sunday with a group of people Jesus\u2019 admonition to his disciples, not everyone who says to me, \u2018Lord, Lord,\u2019 will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.<\/em> (Matthew 7:21, NRSV)<\/p>\n The Progressive Christianity movement encounters a danger zone when it prioritizes being culturally relevant over being biblically rooted. Also being biblically rooted and culturally relevant.\u00a0 It is possible to pursue justice and equality and be rooted in idolatry, particularly when our pursuits are clearly detached from the lordship of Christ.<\/p>\n I believe in loving the things that Jesus loves while having a holy discontent for the things that are not. However, when sin, repentance and grace and love are selectively denied, this is a recipe for disaster and detachment, and a heart check should be in order as to whether we are acting in grace or self-righteousness.\u00a0 For the Christian message is that all human beings reflect the image of God: God loved the world so much that he sent his son to save it, and the cross proves the true power is found in weakness, greatness is attained in service, revenge only begets greater evil, and all victims will be vindicated at God\u2019s judgment seat. [3]<\/em><\/p>\n Social media has become a dominant force in shaping others’ opinions on politics and the church. Recently, I watched another pastor go viral for how he conducted an offering for his building fund campaign. There are social media snipers in the clouds, but I believe the church must be vigilant and proactive. We must be intentional in our witness in informing others that social media is not the gospel.\u00a0 Moore warns that when our moral imagination is shaped more by tribal loyalty than by the cross, we exchange truth for affirmation. The counter to this should be conviction and spiritual formation as empathy and engagement must be revived if we are ever going to stem the overwhelming tide of clickbait and misinformation. While Christian Nationalism and other mainstream religious political organizations can be viewed as taking a wrong turn for the worse, Moore suggests, their roots are tied to formation. Christian nationalism, blood-and-soil identity politics, and every other self-defining cultural or political category is really rooted in something God created and declared to be good\u2014the longing for membership<\/em>. [4]<\/p>\n Outside the church, it means modeling compassion, justice, and truth in public life. I will challenge both comfort and conformity, reminding others that Christ\u2019s kingdom is not won through fear or power but through grace and sacrifice. Authentic leadership begins where the gospel reshapes our imagination\u2014teaching us to seek God\u2019s reign, not cultural approval. In my own context, I will lead others by providing a safe space for spiritual formation and by engaging in acts of service.<\/p>\n Many issues require attention, but approach and authenticity must be among the necessary staples for success. This can occur by speaking truth to power while simultaneously being a voice to the voiceless. Politics existed in Jesus\u2019 day and will never go away. Add this to the wicked problem list. However, I am crazy enough to believe that Love still wins, and when God\u2019s unconditional love is honestly and authentically displayed by his church, heaven will become more crowded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1] Russell Moore,\u00a0Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America<\/em>, (New York: Sentinel, 2023), 120.<\/p>\n [2] N.T. Wright and Michael Bird,\u00a0Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies,\u00a0<\/em>(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022), 112.<\/p>\n [3] Bird and Wright, 28.<\/p>\n [4] Moore, 137.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Growing up Catholic in New York, I remember the annual holiday services at Saint Patrick\u2019s Cathedral, where politicians and local officials would gather for Mass. Saint Patrick\u2019s became a familiar backdrop for major religious ceremonies, often filled with recognizable faces. 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