Christians & Politics
Faithful Witness in Public Life
We aren't meant to be political animals formed by partisan loyalties, but citizens of heaven trained in the politics of the gospel.
Christians are called neither to withdraw from public life nor to be captured by it. Thinking Christian takes up voting, Christian nationalism, church and state, and America's story, looking for faithful witness rather than partisan victory. Not left. Not right. Not leaving.
The Questions
Politics in Five Parts
- 01Political ParticipationVoting, activism, and faithfulness when every option is compromised.
- 02Church and StateWhat Scripture says about government and the church's place beside it.
- 03Christian NationalismWhy merging loyalty to God and nation is bad for the church.
- 04America and the NationsLoving our nation while belonging to a people drawn from every nation.
- 05Life and AbortionA moral question before it is a political one.
The Book
Serpents and Doves
Christians are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Serpents and Doves: Christians, Politics, and the Art of Bearing Witness argues that however we participate in politics, we must do so as disciples first. The church's aim is not a more moral America, but Americans who come to know Jesus Christ.
Read
Essays on Christians & Politics
01Is Voting a Sacred Duty or a Civil Right?During a recent episode of Stand In the Gap, Sam Rohrer, the host of the show, asked me whether I viewed voting as a sacred duty or a civic privilege. In the re02How Do I Navigate America's Divisive Political Climate?In a lecture titled “Maybe We Just Need a Different Chicken,” sociologist and philosopher Slavoj Žižek suggests,03How Christians Should Think About Politics: Being All Things to All PeopleHow Christians Should Think About Politics: Being All Things to All People04Dear Christians: We Can't Compromise Our Christian Values for Political WinsWhile reading a recent article on Christians and politics, a well-known author expressed concerns about the evangelical church’s leftward “lurch.” In the piece,05Why Should Christians Pray for Their Nation?Why is it important to pray for our nation? Perhaps the simplest way to put it is that God transcends politics. He sits above them and is not hindered by them. 06Competing for DisciplesIt is certainly appropriate for Christians to engage in social, cultural, and political conversations. It is even appropriate for Christians to assert our right07Thinking Christian About Politics: Distinguishing Church and StateAs Christians, we have committed to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and have been sent to expand the community of women and men who recognize Christ’s 08Law and Government: Why the Law Is Good, Weak, and UnifiedIn The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church, Richard Averbeck proposes “three theses”: “…the law is good, the law is weak, and the law is a unified whol09What Christians Should Remember About the First AmendmentPeople on both sides of the political sphere claim that the First Amendment, which guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right 10Christian Nationalism Is Bad for the Church: A Theological Framework for Resisting a Dangerous “-ism”Christian nationalism wraps itself in Christian language and recruits Scripture, but its primary danger is not political.11Putting Politics in Its Proper Place“Christian nationalist” (or its synonym “MAGA Christians”) has, at times, been applied to any Christian who expresses a political opinion or votes Republican. Y12Co-Opting Christ: When Scripture Serves a Political AgendaIn Unleashing Scripture, Stanley Hauerwas suggests, “No task is more important than for the Church to take the Bible out of the hands of individual Christians i13What Does It Mean to Be a Christian Nation, and What Does the Bible Say?In a recent Associated Press article, Peter Smith considers the claim that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. He rightly points out that “Chri14We’re on a Mission from God? Why America Needs the Church, Not Christian NationalismAmerican civil religion constructs partial theological claims as a tool of the state, recruiting Christian language to legitimize political vision without ...15Is America Blessed by God?I’ve never been particularly interested in politics. However, after the 2016 election, I began to take an interest in Christian perspectives on American politic16Three Ways Christians Can Love Their NationIn Deuteronomy 6:5, the people of Israel are called to love the Lord without reserve. Later in Leviticus 19, God calls Israel to imitate his own holiness. They 17In America We Trust?The United States has a trust problem. Pew Research data suggests, “just 20% [of Americans] say they trust the government in Washington to do the right thing ju18The Troublesome Landscape of Religion in AmericaThe world is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny God. But does anyone really notice? It would seem so. A recent Pew Research study fou19Beyond the Law: Rethinking Christian Action After DobbsA funny thing happened during the 2024 election. While pro-Democrat voters and politicians have been taking time to reassess what went wrong, those who were ple
Through the Framework
Christians & Politics and the Sacred-Social Order
Politics is where the forces the Framework names are easiest to see. Assimilation lets a party's story stand in for the gospel, and fragmentation turns political loyalty into a test of fellowship. Two domains of every sacred-social order are at stake: powers and principalities, and nations and race.
Listen
Christians & Politics Episodes
October 5, 2026
The Secular Was a Strategy | Faith & Politics #7October 1, 2026
Politics as an Art, Not a Science | Faith & Politics #6September 28, 2026
William Cavanaugh on Idolatry and Power | Faith & Politics #5September 24, 2026
No Nation Can Be the City of God | Faith & Politics #4September 21, 2026
Augustine's Two Cities: Veronica Ogle | Faith & Politics #3All Christians & Politics episodes
- Karl Barth's Letter to American Christians (1942) | Faith and Politics #8
- The Secular Was a Strategy | Faith & Politics #7
- Politics as an Art, Not a Science | Faith & Politics #6
- William Cavanaugh on Idolatry and Power | Faith & Politics #5
- No Nation Can Be the City of God | Faith & Politics #4
- Augustine's Two Cities: Veronica Ogle | Faith & Politics #3
- David Koyzis on Divided Loyalties | Faith & Politics #2
- Politics Is Bigger Than Voting | Faith & Politics #1