All but the most isolated hermit can see that our nation is terribly divided. It’s evident in TV, magazines, newspapers, and social media. In 2021, Pew Research[i], reported “the public is deeply divided over how far the nation has progressed in addressing racial inequality – and how much further it needs to go.” Even more recently, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found[ii] that the political schism in America has narrowed only slightly since the 2020 U.S. presidential election” and “immigration is the top issue contributing to the current high level of polarization.” This division runs deep across political, racial, gender, and economic distinctions. One sad result is that we have lost all civility in public and private discourse. Where once people could share ideas calmly, seeing mutual understanding, now conversations degrade into anger and acrimony. Traditionally held political views now elicit epithets like “racist”, “communist”, or “transphobe” without any empathy or humility. It’s so pervasive that both sides anticipate the outbreak of violence and anarchy in November if the election results do not suit them. We have not been this divided since the Civil War, and then it was only around one issue. Now there are as many splits as there are aggrieved groups. It makes one wonder how long our nation can survive with such division!
In 1 Corinthians 12, we see a model of the Christian church as a body of believers that are united by the guidance of One Spirit (v. 4), the love of one God (v. 5), and the need to share the benefits of everyone’s unique gifting for the benefit of all (v. 7). We should be the epitome of people working together despite their differences to accomplish something wonderful for the Lord. In John 17, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of the unity of Him with the Father that should be mirrored by our unity with them and with each other.
Instead of being a model of unity for the world, we have become an example of disunity and bickering. Not only are there the historical roots of the major Catholic/Orthodox schisms and the Protestant Reformation, there are also thousands of Protestant denominations[iii]. The world sees this and mocks us for it. Worse, our lack of unity is a major cause of unbelief in the world. If the church can’t agree on basic doctrine enough to respect each other, then why should anyone outside the church take them seriously? Jesus took this to another level of importance in In John 17:23 where he says that our unity will allow the world to know that the Father sent the Son and that He loves Him.
What is the cause of this division? The world has its explanations. Liberals blame Donald Trump’s strong rhetoric on crime and the border crisis for the rise in racism and bigotry. Conservatives say that Democrats use critical race theory and DEI to stoke the feelings of victimization, class envy and division. But if you were to ask Jesus for the answer, he might point you to His words in Mark 8:15, where he said, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Here Jesus is admonishing his disciples about the religiosity of the Pharisees and the political machinations of the Herodians. The same forces that confronted the early church are still dividing us today, the religious spirit and the political spirit.
The Religious Spirit
I have faced mild religious persecution ever since becoming a Christian. I’m 70 years old and have been a Christian for 42 of those years. Having been raised by Charismatic Catholics who believed in the gifts Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc.) I was grateful that they never made me feel guilty for not being Catholic. Frankly, they were thrilled that I turned from serving Satan to loving Jesus. As a new Christian, I was surprised that sincere, conservative Christians rejected and opposed me because I believed that the gifts of the Spirit that were so important in the Bible were still available to believers today. I even led a fellow employee to make a recommitment to Jesus through my passionate love for the Lord who later condemned me once he reconnected to his Baptist roots. He said that speaking in tongues was demonic.
The number of Christians who feel that justified in condemning other Christians is staggering. It is interesting to note that this attitude was condemned by Jesus when he suggested that the Pharisees were committing the unpardonable sin when they attributed his miracles to Beelzebub (see Matthew 12:24-31). In spite of this, many influential pastors and teachers have used their influence to demonize the Charismatic movement and divide the church. Other controversial subjects bring out the judgmental, pharisaical critics too. If you type in the name of any prominent Christian leader into a search engine or YouTube, you will find a great many of the results are criticisms. Recently, one of the actors in the wonderful and popular series The Chosen has built up quite a following on YouTube by publishing videos that are critical of Christian leaders and movements. Sadly, this critical, religious spirit generates tons of approval (clicks and views) from Christians.
With all this rush toward judgment, is it any wonder that the Church is filled with self-righteous condemnation for a man like Donald Trump, focusing on his imperfections rather than his sacrificial attitude of saving this country from sliding into wokeness, antisemitism, and religious repression. Now I don’t dismiss anyone’s sins, but I also know that I didn’t clean up my act before I came to Christ. Trump is not perfect, but then Moses and David were murderers and one of them was an adulterer besides. Before Trump became a front runner in 2016, Lance Wallnau prophesied that the 45th president would be an Isaiah 45 president. This chapter tells the story of the Persian king Cyrus who gave the order to rebuild the Jewish temple around 538 BCE. Cyrus was a vicious man who was not a believer in God, but God used him. There are many Christians who feel that God had chosen Trump lead our nation and to fight the contest that the Church has been unwilling to fight. Imperfect though he is, Trump has certainly challenged many sacred cows in the government. having called out the FBI, the CIA, Big Pharma and Big Tech. After two assassination attempts and constant slurs from his opponents and the media, he needs the church’s support now more than ever. Every Christian in America, and the world for that matter, should be praying for Donald Trump daily. He is the most threatened man on the planet right now and we owe him and incredible debt of gratitude. Even if you don’t agree with me on the debt of gratitude, just obedience to the Word of God (1 Timothy 2:1-2) should motivate all Christians to intercede for him. Even if you think he’s morally corrupt, pray for his salvation. He wouldn’t be the first sinner who gets called to a higher purpose and then finds God. I personally pray daily for his safety and almost as often for his spiritual awakening. I encourage every believer to pray for him as well as those currently in office.
The Political Spirit
Regardless of whether you’re watching news, entertainment, or social media, you’re likely to see self-righteous people attacking their opponents and denigrating their character, intelligence, or both. This came close to home recently when I was personally called out on social media after speaking out at a local County Board of Supervisors. Someone took exception to my support for more secure election tabulation in the county where I live. I stated my position calmly and politely, and then had the audacity of applauding a second speaker who is a well-known proponent of election reform. My antagonist was so enraged that he took the time to locate me on Facebook and fire off a polemic against me. While I admire the passion for his beliefs, it’s sad that he was so angry with me for standing and speaking out for mine. Unfortunately, the church is little better. I have had Christians get upset with me for supporting conservative candidates, and they refuse to dialog about our differences. One member of my church even got angry with me when I said that liberal and conservative Christians could or should pray together for our nation. This person would prefer to divide the body of Christ based on political differences rather than join to pray for our nation.
The political spirit causes us to view those who disagree with us as evil. They become the enemy. We lay down the divinely powered (and Spirit led) weapons of the kingdom and pick up carnal tools that want murder, violence, and destruction. This is the aim of our true enemy, and he wins when the church is divided and political. We don’t have to refrain from taking actions in the public square which involve political processes, but we must avoid the political leaven that puffs up and brings division.
So what would that look like if we really worked on being united as a body? Would we need to muffle our requests to the Lord, or could we appeal to biblical truths without attacking specific political figures? That would be a challenge. We have been programmed to think of politics in a win-lose, us-vs.-them affair. But consider going back to the words of Jesus and the wise witnesses who wrote the scriptures to see what they can teach us about uniting despite our political differences.
| Scripture Passage | How We Could Pray Together |
| Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. | Lord, bless the people of Israel. Preserve their right to live in the land that you’ve given them. Protect the lives of all the innocent. |
| Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.” | Lord, give us righteous rulers to bring prosperity and peace to the nation. |
| Isaiah 10:1: “Woe to those who enact evil statutes and to those who constantly record unjust decisions.” | Lord, set the wicked rulers apart and chastise them for their evil ways. Protect us in the time of your judgment. |
| Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” | Lord, give our leaders and our nation the means and the desire to help those who are less fortunate. |
| 1 Peter 2:17: “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” | Bottom line, as a body we are commanded to respect and pray for our leaders. Let’s do it together, in love. |
We can’t all share the same political goals. But when it comes to the kingdom of God, we should be able to unite over the welfare of our nation, praying for God’s protection, blessing, and peace.
Being the Body
We need to be united in the Body of Christ for the world to see Christ in us. Jesus is coming back for a spotless bride (Ephesians 5:27) and not a Frankenstein monster. God’s plan from the very beginning was for the Church to be one. The unity of the Trinity is an example for us to follow and is the means by which we display the character of our loving God to the world. Every problem that the world faces is at its core a spiritual problem. The church needs to conquer these core spiritual issues before we can expect society at large to unite. Judgment begins with the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), but God is the judge and we are admonished not to judge in many places in scripture (Romans 14:4, Matthew 7:1, James 4:11-12) and the Lord wants us to have clean hands and a pure heart. Judging our brothers is sin. It taints the witness of the Church’s and condemns the world to a divisive, rancorous view of the kingdom of heaven. Christ wants us to display unity with our brothers and sisters, and to love the people of this world as He loves them, through humility and sacrifice. If you can think of a brother, sister, or even public figure that you have judged and even maligned, I call you to turn aside from what you’re doing right now and repent, confess, and make amends. It may not seem significant, but the Bible says that we should not despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). It may not seem important in the big scheme of things, but if this is the first step toward uniting the Church, then your simple act of obedience could result in a colossal move of God in your sphere and beyond.
[i] https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/08/12/deep-divisions-in-americans-views-of-nations-racial-history-and-how-to-address-it/
[ii] https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/usc-polarization-index-reveals-americas-political-divide-remains-wide
[iii] Just How Many Protestant Denominations Are There?| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)
Truth Be Bold 