Among believers, there is an internal battle within the church as to the appropriate response (or level of response) Christians and politics.

But in order to understand the divided response, we need to understand and detangle the rhetoric, labels, and ideas that vocal Christians use in the political or public sphere.

What are they?

Conservatism

This is a political/social philosophy that is difficult to define, partly due to its global nature – conservatism can be applied to many cultures, not just the US.  The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy helps to define as emphasizing the importance of tradition, inherited institutions, gradual change, and skepticism about large-scale or radical reforms. In a political sense, conservatism has traditionally emphasized free markets, small/limited government and individual liberty.

Conservatism is not a religious doctrine.  There may be overlap with Christian ideas, but there is also conflict.

Christian Ideals/Values

This is not a cultural or political belief system. Rather, one way of defining this is that these are values that are sourced from theology/study of Scripture that include core subjects of Bible, God, Scripture, ethics; and then values/ideals are derived from these studies – love, justice, mercy, truth, etc.

Christian values transcend politics and nations.

Christian Nationalism

This is a political ideology that marries religious faith and civics/politics.  It seeks to privilege Christianity legally, culturally, and politically, and often treats the nation as having a special covenant with God.

The PRRI / Brookings Christian Nationalism Survey defines it in terms attitudes and beliefs that consist of:

• The U.S. government should declare America a Christian nation.

• U.S. laws should be based on Christian values.
• If the U.S. moves away from our Christian foundations, we will not have a country anymore.
• Being Christian is an important part of being truly American.
• God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.

There are additional dimensions discussed in the article, “Patterns of Christian Nationalist Engagement and Connections to Spirituality.”

Patrick Schreiner states, “Christian Nationalism simply means that Christianity has influenced and should continue to influence the nation.” But he also acknowledges that this is not the definition most people use or think of when talking about Christian nationalism.

What does the Bible say?

Matthew 22:21 – “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.”  Jesus’ enemies tried to lay a trap for him by asking him a question about taxes. But with Jesus’s answer, he was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of this world where Ceasar holds power. But there is another kingdom, not of this world, where Jesus is king. As believers, we are (temporarily) part of both.

Romans 13 – “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”  As residents in this world, we are subject to the authorities and laws in the country we live in – for those of us in American, we are subject to American laws.  God instituted authorities for order, not for salvation.

Acts 5:29 – “We must obey God rather than men.”  The Apostle Peter responds to the Jewish Sanhedrin when they commanded him to stop preaching about Jesus. The Apostles responded with this famous declaration.

Psalm 146:3 – “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” This verse teaches the folly of placing trust in human leaders and mortals. They are temporary, fallible and limited. Instead, we are to shift to God.

John 18:36 – “Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place”; Philippians 3:20 – “But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  God’s kingdom transcends nations. We are temporarily citizens of the nation states of this world, but our true citizenship identity is one that transcends this world.

Looking to the Confessions

The Westminster Catechism sheds some light on how our faith relates to Christian Nationalism:

Westminster Catechism	Core Emphasis	Meaning
God’s ultimate sovereignty (WSC Q.1; WLC Q.2)	Humanity’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever	The church’s identity is worship of God, not allegiance to any earthly nation
Christ’s exclusive headship over the Church (WCF 25.6)	Christ alone is head of the Church; no civil magistrate rules it	Rejects conflating the Church with the State
Spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom (WCF 25.2)	The church is a spiritual kingdom, not a national or political entity	Contradicts the idea that a civil nation should be officially Christian
The Church’s catholicity (WCF 25.1–2)	The universal Church is made up of all believers throughout the world	Undercuts ethnonationalism and cultural supremacy
Human depravity and need for grace (WSC Q.16–19)	All people and nations are fallen, sinful, and need redemption	No nation is righteous and chosen above others
Lawful but limited civil authority (WCF 23)	Civil magistrates are ordained by God to uphold justice and peace	Sets boundaries: the State’s role is civil order, not advancing a particular faith

Where does this idea come from?

There are a couple arguments to try make the case for Christian Nationalism. We will address them one at a time:

Constitutional/Founding Intention

The founders never intended Christianity as the national religion.  What the Constitution itself says is, (in Article VI), “(N)o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”  Additionally, the First Amendment states,  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  We are guaranteed both the free exercise of religion and prohibits Congress from establishing a national church.

For more information, here are 2 articles that talk about the history of the US: Is America a Christian nation?, and the Christian-nation idea.

What was the religious background of the Founding Fathers?

It varies.  The nationalist argument relies on the belief that the founding fathers of the US were orthodox Christians and therefore guided by “Christian” principles.  The majority of the founding fathers were Protestants. They attended church, they publicly pronounced their faith, most were baptized. However, some were outspoken Deists – e.g. Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin. Deism was one of the driving forces of the Enlightenment, which influenced the founding fathers.  (Note: Deists believe that there is a being who is no longer involved or intervene with humanity; they argued that human experience and rationality—rather than religious dogma and mystery—determine the validity of human beliefs.)

In his article on the Founding Fathers, David Holmes gives four criteria to differentiate influence by deism or from orthodox Christianity:

“First, an inquirer should examine the Founder’s church involvement… The second consideration is an evaluation of the participation of a Founder in the ordinances or sacraments of his church… Third, one should note the religious language a Founder used… Finally, one should consider what friends, family, and, above all, clergy said about a Founder’s religious faith.”

Holmes uses these criteria in his assessment of the founding fathers and concludes that many were orthodox Christians but were also more closely non-Christian or Christian deists. 

The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, ratified unanimously by the Senate and signed by John Adams (categorized by Holmes as a Christian Deist), explicitly stated: “The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”

Conflation of Conservatism and Christian Faith

One main issue today is the (con)fusion of conservatism and faith.  Many believe that conservatism (in its political approach to preserving traditions and values) is “(more) biblical” and therefore is (more) Christian.  There is overlap, e.g. importance of family and moral traditions, personal responsibility. 

However, we must also remember that Christian values are not owned by any political ideology.  At its best, conservatism may help to preserve morality and tradition; at its worst, it can prioritize cultural power, wealth over justice, greed over compassion, self-centeredness over selflessness, tradition over truth, and inherited social norms over God’s call to love, righteousness, justice and care.

At its core, conservatism is a political ideology, not a religious one.

How then should Christians respond to politics?

Foundational truths we must recognize:

Truth: We are citizens of heaven, merely exiles and sojourners of this world.  There are those who like to say: “God, family, country.”  But a good litmus test is this – what keeps you up at night: the direction of the country or the advance of God’s kingdom?  What weighs on your soul: the eternity of the lost or success of your party or agenda?

Truth: Government and legislation are not salvific.  We are not saved through politics or laws. Salvation for all humankind has been purchased through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Truth: Government is not THE solution to societal problems.  One writer states, “We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire’s unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, they preached the gospel and lived in a way that gave evidence of the gospel’s transforming power.”

Truth: All humankind, and thus institutions run by humans (e.g. governments), are fallen and fallible.  Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Therefore, any human system will reflect that fallenness.

Truth: Christians must start with Scripture.  The Bible affirms this. As believers, we must always look to God and his revealed truth to us is Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Psalm 119:105; Matthew 4:4).

Truth: We are called to speak to fellow believers with love, unity, humility and grace; and to speak to non-Christians with love, wisdom and respect to preserve our witness and reputation. Many verses speak to these principles:

Towards fellow Christians:

John 13:34–35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 12:10 – “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Towards Non-Christians:

Colossians 4:5–6 – “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

1 Peter 3:15–16 – “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience…”

Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Open eyes, self-aware hearts

We are called to engage with politics.  There are laws and regulations that dictate how we live our lives, and those laws were written by politicians in charge.  So I would argue that at the bare minimum, we must vote.

When we elevate politics, it can easily become idolatrous. It is far too easy for a person and their theology to be shaped by that particular ideology, rather than the other way around. We can easily put our trust and faith in a political figure, leader, party or even a policy, and let that be then lens through which we view scripture. A recent study by the Journal of Political Psychology determined that many who voted for Donald Trump “revised both their own moral belief and their perceptions of Donald Trump to reduce incongruities.”

Instead, we must be in constant evaluation and re-evaluation of our own integrity in relation to how we view the institutions of this world.  The mission of the believer has never been to reform the secular systems through political revolution, but rather by partnering with God.  This means having a willingness to change positions, parties, or seeing and denouncing and rebuking the abuses, sins and corruptions of leaders and parties.

As believers, we are called to be wise in our dealings with the world.  When we fully jump into a party, figure or policy, we can easily venerate that person/position to a status where we unwisely put our trust in all the baggage and implications that come with it/them.  We start having to defend positions and statements that we don’t agree with. We start to rationalize “it’s worth it for the cause”, “at least it’s not as bad as the other position”, eventually ending up at: “the other position/party is evil/unbiblical”.  Ecc. 10:1 tells us, “Dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.”

So then what should we consider when voting? How should we vote?

What is most important – Integrity and Character in Leadership

A starting point would be with the character of the leader.  A great many verses talk about leadership and integrity.  A person’s character will directly affect their leadership. That is why (in a church context), Paul takes care to list the qualifications of elders and deacons.  Shouldn’t we seek leaders of integrity and character in the governing context? Men and women who have power to make and amend laws should not be willing to prostitute themselves to the highest bidder. People who make policies should not be swayed by their own greed, ambition, or profit.

So we can start there: character and integrity.

We look at not only their words, but their lives, actions and attitudes.  We look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Do they embody grace and integrity?

When we endorse or proclaim a candidate/party/etc. based on one or two positions, we are in danger of swallowing a candy-coated poison pill that appeases our taste buds for a moment, but could be fatal to our Christian witness.