Finding Faith Beyond Political Power
When hard questions arise in faith, they often hit close to home. Like when healing doesn’t come as we expect, or when our comfortable understanding of God collides with reality. Today, I’m wrestling with another challenging truth: how the Jesus I follow has become entangled with something called “Christian nationalism.”
Let’s be honest – this isn’t an easy conversation. Many of us grew up in spaces where faith and patriotism were so tightly woven together that questioning one felt like betraying the other. But just as I’ve had to learn to trust God when healing takes unexpected paths, I’m learning to examine what it means to follow Jesus in our current political climate.
Understanding Christian Nationalism Today
Christian nationalism isn’t just patriotism or having faith-informed political views. It’s a political ideology that fuses American identity with a particular version of Christianity. It’s what happens when we forget that Jesus consistently subverted expectations of political power, showing us instead a kingdom that transcends national borders.
White Christian nationalism takes this further by intertwining Christian faith with ideas of white supremacy and American exceptionalism. This belief system portrays the United States of America as a new Israel, a divinely chosen nation with a special covenant relationship with God.
The teachings of Jesus, however, present a radically different cultural framework for His followers. Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus rejecting the political power that many expected the Messiah to claim.
Jesus and Political Power: A Different Kingdom
Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Yet throughout history, including today, we’ve been tempted to try to establish God’s kingdom through political power. I see it in Jesus’s disciples asking, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). They wanted national restoration and political dominance. Sound familiar?
Christian nationalists often view political influence and military power as the best way to advance God’s kingdom. But the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed operates on a completely different set of values. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about establishing a Christian nation or reclaiming control of the public square.
Remember when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well? He crossed every cultural and political boundary of His time to share living water with someone society had labeled as “other.” That’s our Jesus – breaking down walls that divide us, not building them higher.
Breaking Down Walls, Not Building Them
I think of Jesus’s response when asked about paying taxes to Caesar. Rather than advocating for religious control of government, He drew a distinction: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). This wasn’t just a clever dodge – it was a profound statement about the separation of church and state.
The early Christians flourished not through political power but through radical love and service, often in the face of persecution in a foreign land. They understood Paul’s words that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). This didn’t make them less engaged in society – it freed them to be salt and light without getting entangled in power politics.
For a long time, many white evangelicals have embraced a version of Christianity that aligns closely with national identity. But the Apostle Paul reminded us that in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28) – our primary identity is found in Jesus, not in our nationality, political party, or racial background.
Following Jesus means we can’t stay silent when we see harm being done in His name – but we respond through servanthood, not power.
Following Jesus means we can’t stay silent when we see harm being done in His name – but we respond through servanthood, not power.
www.graceinthemargins.com
Speaking Truth Without Seeking Power
The Jesus I follow didn’t stay silent in the face of injustice. He turned over tables in the temple when He saw exploitation. He boldly confronted religious leaders who burdened people with impossible rules while neglecting justice and mercy. Following Jesus means we can’t stay silent when we see harm being done in the Lord’s name. We’re called to speak truth to power, to stand with the marginalized, and to actively work against systems that harm people. But – and this is crucial – we do this through servanthood and sacrificial love, not by seeking political power or forcing Christian values on others. Our weapons, as Paul reminds us, are not the weapons of this world (2 Corinthians 10:4).
John Leeland, a Baptist preacher during the founding of our nation, wrote: “The fondness of magistrates to foster Christianity, has done it more harm than all the persecutions ever did. Persecution, like a lion, tears the saints to death, but leaves Christianity pure: state establishment of religion, like a bear, hugs the saints, but corrupts Christianity, and reduces it to a level with state policy.”
Christian nationalism ultimately corrupts both public life and the way of Jesus. When Christian leaders align themselves closely with a political party or public policy goals, they often find themselves making compromises that undermine the true religion they claim to protect.
Finding Our True Citizenship
Here’s what I keep coming back to: Jesus never called us to establish a Christian nation. He called us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). When we blur this distinction, we risk creating the very kinds of divisions Paul warned against: “Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:13).
During the presidential election cycles, we often see American flags waving alongside talk of “making America great again” to some idealized Christian past. But the kingdom of heaven that Jesus proclaimed isn’t about national borders or state recognition of a religious calendar. It’s about unconditional love, justice, mercy, and the Holy Spirit working through God’s people across all nations.
The end goal of following Jesus isn’t to ensure Christians control the levers of government or to protect a particular way of life. Jesus’s command is for us to love God and love our neighbors—including those who don’t share our belief system.
Like finding joy in pain or trusting God when healing doesn’t come, this journey requires us to hold our earthly allegiances loosely. It means admitting that our carefully constructed categories might not be as biblical as we once thought. It means being willing to sit with uncomfortable questions and trust that Jesus is big enough to handle our doubts.
America is not a Christian nation, and it shouldn’t be. The fusion of Christianity with national identity throughout Christian Europe’s history has often led to terrible abuses in God’s name. From colonization to the mistreatment of indigenous people, history provides sobering examples of what happens when Christians seek power rather than servanthood.
Jesus never called us to establish a Christian nation. He called us to make disciples of all nations.
www.graceinthemargins.com
Moving Forward: Love as Resistance
The Jesus I’m getting to know isn’t interested in political power. He’s the one who shows up in the margins, who dines with tax collectors, shows compassion to enemies, and challenges religious leaders who turn faith into a system of control rather than a pathway to God’s love.
I’m still wrestling with what this means practically and how to live it out day to day. But I’m convinced that our primary allegiance must be to Christ and His kingdom – a kingdom that knows no national boundaries and that advances not through political power but through sacrificial love.
Maybe you’re wrestling with these questions too. How do you navigate the tension between loving your country and keeping your primary citizenship in heaven? What does it look like to follow Jesus faithfully in this divided time? I’d love to hear your thoughts as we continue this journey together.
Because at the end of the day, the kingdom of God isn’t advanced through political power or national identity. It’s advanced through the same radical love that brought Jesus to the cross – a love that transcends borders, breaks down walls, and transforms hearts one at a time.
Christian nationalism vs. Jesus presents us with a clear choice: Will we pursue the dimmer switch of political influence, or will we embrace the brilliant light of Christ’s kingdom that illuminates every corner of our world? As disciples of Jesus, may we choose to follow the true King whose lordship transcends every earthly allegiance.