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It’s not a pastor’s job to tell his people who to vote for, or to constantly provide running political commentary. It’s also not a pastor’s job to be silent because a political idolater declared something “political” and therefore outside the pastor’s purview (1)
Jesus Christ is Lord, and He has the first word AND the last word on everything—including those things we categorize as “political” in an attempt to insulate ourselves from His Lordship over any area of our lives. Faithful pastors MUST call this out. (2)
This is most important when the body of Christ begins to tear itself apart over politics—when brothers and sisters who worship in the same space on Sunday begin demonizing each other on social media to the point that relationships are broken. (3)
When we make generalized statements that demonize “the right” or “the left,” we’ve given in to a binary, worldly view of culture commended to us by a demon god called civil religion. And right now, worship of that idol is tearing at the very unity that Jesus prayed for (4)
That person across the aisle in church who thinks and voted differently than you is not your enemy. They are the blood-bought son/daughter of the most high God. And that relationship is infinitely more important than your ideological pre-commitments. (5)
That relationship is also the only answer to what ails this nation right now. Better conversations. Greater understanding. Eventual Christ-centered unification that both the Democratic and Republican parties have failed spectacularly and bringing. (6)
But then again, this is a central characteristic of an idol: aside from it monopolizing your time (compare time you spend in Scripture to that spent scouring social media for confirmation bias), it never, EVER delivers what it promises. (7)
Obeying the commands of Jesus to love one another and have hard conversations under His Lordship is much harder than sharing the latest social media hot take, but it’s the only way to unity—and to a God-honoring approach to public faith. (8)
So the command to the church here could not be more clear: act as if your relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ are more important than your political loyalties, and let this be reflected in your online conduct. (9)
Refusing this command is no less than to exchange obedience to Jesus for an idol that will keep you trapped in the same cycles, imprisoned by the same hatred. If you don’t burn down that ideological idol, God eventually will. (10)
