The Current Political Climate and its Impact on the Church

The Church is the universal group of those, throughout all generations, who have surrendered to the will of God and have trusted in Christ. Furthermore, the local church is a community of believers that come together to worship God, grow in wisdom and understanding of His word and love one another in true fellowship. It is to be a beacon of hope, a lighthouse to the lost and hurting. It is an institution that equips its members to love God and neighbor. The church is also a vessel that extends the gospel of Christ to a lost world through evangelistic proclamation and humanitarian ministry. The church is made up of individuals who gather together in unity. Their bond is firmly rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ…

Sounds great! However, if this is the case then why is there so much division among believers in our society?

Personally, I believe the Church (the collection of all Christ following local churches) in America is in crisis. The current climate of our secular culture is divisive in general. The political divide is larger than it has ever been, and unfortunately evangelical churches are failing to stand firm amid this current storm. We are allowing the culture, particularly political and social justice issues, to set the tone for how we address our members and how we engage our communities. We are being reactionary rather than visionary. In other words, secular culture has infiltrated through the walls of our churches and we have begun to adopt principles of the world in exchange for the principles of truth.

Solomon said it well when he said that “nothing is new under the sun.” Division in the church has come in many forms ever since its inception. What God intended for the good of His people and for His glory, has been and will continue to be under attack until the return of Christ. Still, temptations come and plant seeds of divisiveness that sometime take root and cause contention within the body. This contention leads to disunity. If the church is not united, then the message of the gospel will not reach as far as it can. We must resist the temptation to allow these potential contentions to take root.

Currently, politics is one of the major platforms that pose a threat to unity within the body of Christ. I have read several articles that have shown concern and proof that evangelicals pick and choose what lines to draw, as they justify their promotion of certain political candidates on both sides of the fence. Candidates who may have a good stance on some issues and not-so-good stances on others. Subsequently, because of the single-mindedness that has been cultivated in our society, several people within the same congregations are at odds due to the candidates that they either support or reject. For instance, a New York Times article from earlier this year was entitled, “A Quiet Exodus: Why Black Worshipers Are Leaving White Evangelical Churches.” In the article, the author describes the ineptitude of a certain church leader’s inability (and/or lack of desire) to address the issues of racism and prejudice that are represented in the culture at large, as well as the church. The root of the problem appeared to be that the church was not listening to its ethnic- minority members as they shared concerns for the political climate as it pertained to social injustices that had been taking place against people of color. While the church leadership attempted to address the need for the church to deal with the issues at hand, there was no genuine effort to pursue avenues of healing for its minority members who were struggling. Instead the church, in the article, eventually would cryptically advocate for a specific candidate during the 2016 election. These kinds of practices, within the walls of the church, can and most likely will cause divisiveness and disunity in the life if the church.

The temptation for the church to adapt to its culture has always been an issue. However, the church is called to set itself on a course to follow God and stick to it, no matter what the cultural draw may be. In our day, we see a major miscommunication regarding political/racial issues in both secular and church culture. For instance, a recent an article from dallasnews.com addresses the issue of how the evangelical churches in America have lost their identity in Christ and have begun to split based on political affiliations rather than then gospel. Many evangelicals are split when it comes to our current President. Some will argue that the issue of abortion is paramount in the political debate, others will argue that the divisive and prejudice rhetoric of the president is inexcusable. Both arguments are valid. Yet, the greater issue for the church is that we allow ourselves to be driven by our ‘societal rights,’ sometimes at the expense of unity within the body of Christ. The issue isn’t whether or not we should be involved in the political process. It is whether or not we forsake our calling to love one another and allow that love to be a testimony of Christ’s love to this lost world. Tim Keller is quoted in the article saying, “the great scandal with evangelicals isn’t Donald Trump, but a church that’s imitating the culture rather than shaping it.” He calls the division a “Red and Blue evangelicalism.” In other words, we are conducting ourselves in a way that is hindering the advance of the gospel rather than spreading it. Keller is neither supporting nor opposing Donald Trump in his statement above. He is simply stating the obvious disillusionment that evangelicals will experience when they put their trust in the hands of politicians. The truth is that there will never be a candidate who completely lines up with the ideals of a Christ — following church. The church needs to heed the call to shape culture not imitate it.

So, what do we do? How are we to conduct ourselves as members of churches that are at odds with other churches? What is the remedy for the disunity among Christian brethren in our culture?

We need to repent individually and corporately. Thus, it starts with me…

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, entitled “Life Together,” has had a profound impact on how I have come to realize the importance of my individual role in the body of Christ. We are individually responsible to personal devotion and godly disciplines for ourselves as well as our Christian community for the glory of God. Regarding interpersonal relationships among believers, Bonhoeffer was very clear at the outset of his vision that Christ is the foundation and we are to submit to Him and understand that Christian community is held together in Him which is, in turn, held up by the Scriptures. He expounded on the importance of meditation and ‘aloneness’ in the life of the individual, emphasizing the importance of prayer and devotion in the life of the individual. Therefore, we must understand that what we do, during our own time (including any of our time ‘outside’ of the fellowship), impacts and reflects upon our Christian fellowship. We are to be devoted to the body of Christ and always mindful of our union with our Christian fellowship.

I have been in the church my entire life. I was saved at an early age, grew in my faith, served in lay ministry and eventually was ordained. However, during that time, I can’t remember being taught (specifically) about each member’s responsibility, regarding their individual spiritual walk, as it related to their church family. Most of my instruction, regarding personal devotion, was centered solely on my individual spiritual growth and God’s glory. Consequently, I had very little understanding of the impact that my spiritual health had on my church community. I believe that many churches miss the opportunity to teach this. I am not sure whether it is because they don’t want to scare people away with accountability, or maybe they just haven’t grasped hold of this concept themselves. Either way, the Church today needs to understand the magnitude of the brotherhood of faith. We need to honor the body of Christ as we pursue Him and grow individually for the greater good of His kingdom. Individually we strive to honor God and our brother and in so doing we remain united under the kinship of the Cross.

Make no mistake about it, our unity is under attack. Brothers and sisters are at odds with one another. In addition to the issues that arise from the outside secular culture, there is no shortage of different ways division can take place inside the life of a church. It could be brought about from a difference of opinion as to how things should be functioning within a certain ministry. It could also manifest itself when some, who are serving regularly, are being scrutinized by those who may only serve sporadically or perhaps not at all. Likewise, people can be at odds due to insecurity. There might be loose-lipped gossips in the church who do not concern themselves with honoring the Lord or others. There also could be dissension due to a lack of discipline for those who are not walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. These things are not healthy for the church and they will eventually lead to the demise of the fellowship.

My hope and prayer are that we, as a living and breathing organism — the Church, can put our different political ideals and personal agendas in their rightful place and identify in Christ alone. That does not mean that we do not have a responsibility to address the issues that are prevalent in our culture. In fact, if we are unified in Christ, we understand our command to engage the world. Therefore, we must communicate clearly with one another. We must understand that we will get offended by other believers in church. Likewise, we will also offend others in the church. However, true spirit-filled believers will plumb the depths of divisive issues and rip them out by the root by the power of Christ within. We are called to love completely. That means, forgive those who offend, exhort/encourage, repent of wrong thoughts and actions, listen to others, consider others and strive for peace and unity with compassion and humility for the greater good of the kingdom.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:1–10 that we were once on a path of destruction, “following the course of this world… But God” saved us and set us on a new course.

All praise be to God that we can embark on this journey of Christian life, arm in arm with brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us strive for unity and pursue peace as we look forward to our eternal destiny in Heaven where there will be no more pain and suffering, no more division, no more politics, no more racism, no more murder, no more abuse, no more poverty and no more fear.

Forgive us Lord. Strengthen us. Unite us… Amen

Works Cited

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. New York, New York: Harper &Row Publishers,

published 1954. Print.

“Church Leaders Wonder If Evangelicals Can Recover from Their Identity Crisis.” Dallas News. N.p., 19 Apr. 2018. Web. 06 Nov. 2018.

Robertson, Campbell. “A Quiet Exodus: Why Black Worshipers Are Leaving White Evangelical Churches.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Mar. 2018. Web. 06 Nov. 2018.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001. Print.

Williams, Michael L. “What Is The Bible Definition Of Church? What Is The Biblical View Of Church?” Christian Crier. Patheos Explore the World’s Faith through Different Perspectives on Religion and Spirituality! Patheos Has the Views of the Prevalent Religions and Spiritualities of the World., 02 Feb. 2018. Web. 06 Nov. 2018.