Over the last year, and especially the last days, I have witnessed the church and particularly her leaders, my brothers and sisters on both sides of an American aisle that doesn’t exist in heaven, go to war with one another on behalf of their devotion ‘for or against’ a politician.
The politician Donald Trump isn’t a Savior or a Satan; he’s the catalyst that is exposing the church’s broken ideology and dualistic thinking.
Also.
The politician Joe Biden isn’t a Savior or a Satan; he’s the catalyst that is exposing the church’s broken ideology and dualistic thinking.
The kingdom of heaven, the family of God, has been established through the incarnation of Christ crucified and risen. The family of God is revealed as we awaken to, and participate in Jesus’ prayer that we would be one with our Father and brothers and sisters just as He is one. (see John 17)
Jesus said, “If you live by the sword you die by the sword!” (see matt 26:52) It’s the rebuke Jesus gave after Peter tried to establish his idea of God’s Kingdom through the use of a sword.
If you live by ‘for or against thinking,’ you will die by ‘for or against thinking.’
That’s what Jesus was saying to Peter just before He modeled the way into life by taking up His cross and laying down His life for His friends.
Today, much of the church, and particularly her leaders, are acting like Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane; swinging their swords in defense of ideologies absolutely contrary to the revelation of Christ crucified.
Much of the church, and more specifically, many of her leaders, men and women I greatly respect, are operating in the paradigm of the knowledge of good and evil. They’ve picked sides ‘for or against’ a politician and have justified waging war on behalf of their devotion.
And war makes a hypocrite out of even the best-intentioned Christian.
And nothing undermines trust quicker than hypocrisy.
You know why we can trust Jesus? Because He laid his life down on our behalf not counting our accusations, fears, sins, political affiliations, or dualistic ideologies against us.
He was not against us!
There is no ‘for or against’ in Christ crucified and risen.
Yes, there is great evil and injustice in this world. And yes, we are in a fight, but not against flesh and blood, but against the dualistic nature of Satan. (see Eph 6:12)
The Christian devotion to a politician in the spirit of ‘for or against’ births a call to arms that is counter to the gospel of Jesus and proves us untrustworthy.
Right now, people are looking for somewhere to place their trust. They are looking to their politicians, their government, the news media, and the church. And sadly, when they look at the church, they often see sword-wielding untrustworthy Christians justifying their devotion ‘for or against’ a politician; they see hypocrisy.
In the act of swinging our swords on behalf of our ideology, we, the church, are proving untrustworthy.
Dear church, stop giving your devotion to ‘for or against,’ ‘us and them’ thinking. If you feel you must attack a person to defend your thoughts about God and His kingdom, your thoughts about God and His kingdom are wrong.
God is love, sacrificial, transforming, unfailing, unconditional, reconciling, Christ crucified love.
Dear church, repent, turn away from the warlike thoughts of good and evil and discover the power of Christ crucified and risen.
Repent, step away from dualistic thinking and awaken to your union.
Repent and lean into Jesus’ never-ending, kind, just, and heart transforming Love.
Repent, live confident in and as God’s affection, wisdom, and grace; live in love as love, knowing Love wins.
Love always wins.
Over this year I’ve continued to grow in agreement with the completed work of Christ Crucified and risen.
And that is my prayer for all of us; the church, and this beautiful world.
Because there is no ‘us and them’ ‘for or against’ in how our Father thinks, no ‘us and them’ ‘for or against’ in His Kingdom, no ‘us and them’ ‘for or against’ in our Family.
There is no Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male or female… no black or white, lost or found, sinner or saint, gay or straight, republican or democrat, capitalist or socialist, Christian or Muslim or Atheist… there is nothing that separates us from His all-inclusive love.
“…For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (See Gal 3:28)
There is no death He hasn’t defeated, no hell He hasn’t invaded, no delusion He hasn’t infiltrated, no darkness He hasn’t illuminated; there is nothing that separates us from the love of Christ revealed through His death and resurrection.
THANK YOU!!! And YES YES YES!!!
Thank you. You very clearly put words to my own persepective and feelings. It grieves me, the chasm WE are creating in this time. I pray we remember the we are indeed, “one in Christ Jesus”!!!
Well said, brother!
There is much truth here. I am saddened by the separation I am seeing between Jesus followers on each side. I am also dismayed that there has not been a response to this since 2021. Here it is 2025 and it seems the chasm has widened.
Paul, I empathize with your post. (And I don’t believe empathy is a sin… *sigh* *eye-roll*)
I have been finding the voices on the Tacos podcasts to be an OASIS amidst a desert full of loud voices who keep “othering” those who are not like themselves. Now my challenge is to not be doing the same back to them… and it’s not easy.