The influence of the religious right is distorting evangelicalism and jeopardizing our democracy by perpetuating an idealized version of society that never truly existed for all Americans. Their gatherings peddle falsehoods for profit, with even “Let’s Go Brandon” merchandise readily available. Most people know it is a variation of an obscene slogan with offensive connotations regarding the current president. It’s doubtful that Jesus would endorse such products.
When referring to the religious right, I’m not indicting all evangelicals, including conservative ones like myself. I prefer Jesus-follower. It might sound petty, but as both a veteran and lifelong evangelical, I no longer fly the flag at my home or call myself an evangelical because of what both have come to represent. When I say religious right, I’m specifically addressing culture warriors who prioritize politics over faith, elevate religion above their relationship with Jesus, and judge others solely by their political affiliation.
Dubious Historical Claim
Our country has never been a Christian nation, but the water is so muddy you’ll have to decide for yourself. Most historians would say that it was not established as a Christian nation. The closest it came was during the Civil War. Yet, Pew Research found 60% of American adults say the country’s founders intended this to be a Christian nation. Among White evangelicals, the number jumps to 81%, making them the Christian group most heavily inclined toward this dubious view.
The documents that created the United States of America prioritized religious freedom but did not create a Christian nation. The primary concern of our Founding Fathers was to keep the government out of religion. Conversely, today’s religious right is pursuing the opposite goal through a willingness to trade democracy for a religious autocracy.
White evangelicals long for a return to Eisenhower’s America but have little recollection of George Wallace’s Selma and Birmingham. Despite their rhetoric, for all but the asylum-seekers at our border, we are closer to making the American dream attainable for all Americans than at any time in our history. And that’s the problem. Those enjoying privilege feel threatened. As we recently witnessed, Congress cannot implement a comprehensive border and immigration policy because that would destroy the “replacement” theory argument that keeps the religious right ‘base’ energized. It is time we became unifiers.
For those of us who were around then, there was a time when Republicans considered Russia an enemy and abortion a necessary evil. When the Berlin Wall came down, abortion suddenly became the eye of the storm. President Trump became the darling of the religious right because his judges made it happen. But I suspect, if they pull back the curtain, they will find that he picked judges as a hedge against potential legal peril. And it seems to be working in Florida so far.
Our Calling
Christians are called to love God and others–The Great Commandment–and make disciples–The Great Commission. But we are missing the mark. The Greek word for missing the mark is hamartia, a word the New Testament translates as sin. When we fail to love others, we demonstrate that we do not love God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 | ESV) And when we fail to make disciples, he patiently reminds us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 | ESV)
Obeying this one verse could right the evangelical ship. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:9-10 NLT) If you are not one already, commit to being a humble unifier. It is no wonder that people see us as angry, unloving hypocrites. We are judged collectively. They lump us all together because there is little consensus on what it means to be an evangelical Christian.
5 Types of Christian
There are at least five types of evangelical ‘Christians’ in America today. I am not judging. Instead, I am providing categories. Only God knows who is or isn’t His.
- State Christian. A state Christian is someone who mistakenly believes that just because they were born in a supposedly Christian nation, they are a Christian.
- Political Christian. A political Christian adopted Christianity because the religious right aligned with their politics. Like the state Christian, a political Christian is unlikely to attend worship services or read Scripture regularly.
- Cultural Christian. A cultural Christian is a believer because their family raised them in the church. They never considered themselves sinners, so they felt no need to repent. Unfortunately for them, God has no grandchildren. We come to Jesus individually.
- Laodicean or lukewarm Christians. Lukewarm Christians have encountered God but have compartmentalized Him. He’s a ‘Sunday morning thing.’ Then he gets put on the shelf with their Bible during the week. They attend worship services when convenient.
- Disciple Christian. A disciple Christian is all in with Jesus. They have repented, and their life is consistent with a ‘born again’ experience. The Sermon on the Mount is their moral compass, and they do their best to walk in Jesus’s footsteps, by modeling their lives after his.
Politics and Evangelism
If you attend church regularly, I imagine you are already hearing political discussions and witnessing how they affect relationships. People are changing churches to find a congregation with similar political beliefs, not accepted biblical doctrine or sound theology. Politics is impacting evangelism despite what Robert Jeffress, pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist Church, told Tim Alberta in his recent book. That’s bad enough, but even more worrisome is the number of pastors turning their backs on church.
I have addressed White Christian Nationalism elsewhere. In this post, I hope to examine how we can return to making disciples—not enemies. We must become unifiers. Jesus expects us to be peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9 | NIV) We should pour oil on stormy waters, not add gasoline to the fire. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Roman’s 12:18 | NIV) It is bad enough that our Christian brothers and sisters believe lies, but when they spread them they become dividers not unifiers. A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. (Proverbs 16:28 | NIV)
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories are so rampant in some churches that pastors are leaving. Here are two articles that echoed what I have been saying for years. The first was from Aaron Earles of Lifeway Research entitled, “Half of U.S. Protestant Pastors Hear Conspiracy Theories in Their Churches.” The other was by Jaweed Kaleem from the LA Times entitled, “QAnon and Other Conspiracy Theories are Taking Hold in Churches. Pastors are Fighting Back.” I encourage you to read both.
Kaleem highlights the pushback pastors are experiencing when they call out conspiracies as “dabbling in darkness.” He asserts, “Trump’s false insistence that he won the 2020 election may have incited the mob, but it also pointed to a dangerous intersection of God and politics.” Many pastors lament congregants replacing faith in Jesus and his teaching with Trump and his promises.
In his comic strip, Pogo, cartoonist Walt Kelly summed up both articles in just nine words. “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” If you are still on the fence about the dangers posed by the religious right, Rob Reiner recently released a film called God and Country. I haven’t seen it, but so far, reviewers have opined that it doesn’t change minds. It only reinforces what opponents to Christian Nationalism already believe.
Ignoring Scripture
Some on the religious right, absent any proof, claim to be released from honoring the current president because he was fraudulently elected. I don’t see that they have that option, according to Peter. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 Peter 2:13-15 | NIV)
The incredible conspiracy theories emanating from that direction would be comical if they weren’t so dangerous. The greatest spiritual danger is that they have led people to trust politicians to protect the Church. Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem? (Isaiah 2;22 | NIV) It breaks my heart that influential pastors tolerate, if not abet, the craziness. They have forgotten our charge to share the love of Jesus.
Those are the same pastors who rejected Mitt Romney because he was a Mormon and criticized Bill Clinton’s moral failings but ignore the egregious behavior of Donald Trump. Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character. 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33-34 | NIV)
Our Task
Only disciple Christians can stop the damage being done to the Church by lies and conspiracy theories. For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. (Proverbs 26:20 | ESV) We need to become unifiers and treat political lies the same way we do other gossip and mindless babble—confirming what we hear before believing it and refusing to repeat anything we hear, period. Believing a lie is bad enough, but sharing one is a sin. “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak . . .” (Matthew 12:36 | ESV)
Friends don’t let friends fall for dangerous, dumb stuff. If you are serious about making America great again, work to stop the spread of misinformation. Encourage the people you know to seek information sources outside their “bubble.” Otherwise, the algorithms will keep feeding them the same stuff. Stephen Covey said, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Listen to what smart folks on the other side have to say. They may discover that they are being fed a false narrative.
Be a Unifier
One day, the silent body of believers in every congregation, those who are afraid to speak up now for fear of being called judgmental, will recognize silence is agreement. And they will become unifiers. Scripture instructs us to correct our misguided brothers and sisters. But the issues are so divisive, and temperatures are so high that we must exercise discretion. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. … (Ephesians 4:2-3 | NIV)
Our goal as disciples is to be like Jesus. And that means standing up for what he, not some politician, teaches. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV) Be a unifier.
Patriotism has its place in public life. Politics, likewise, gives us a small voice in governance. Yet neither plays a role in the Kingdom of God. My prayer is those who are striving to make America Christian again would do it the old-fashioned way: by sharing the Good News of the gospel, living a life that honors God, and recognizing that the unbeliever is God’s image-bearer, regardless of race, faith, gender, nationality or sexual orientation. Repentance is needed, and it, like judgment, must begin in the house of the Lord.