I grew up in a Christian home that was also very political. We watched presidential debates the way most people watched summer blockbusters – with our favorite snacks and a giddy sense of anticipation. Loving God and country as a Christian meant wanting the values of society to align with biblical values, and that’s not bad, but it is complicated.

Christianity wasn’t born in a modern democracy, and while Scripture has things to say about governments and Christian responsibility, those waters get muddied quickly. The overall gospel message is Christ. Our first priority is knowing him, becoming like him through the power of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately making him known to others. This is why the gospel matters for every nation, because it is not itself about an earthly government, it’s about God’s kingdom. I think sometimes as Americans we forget that. In certain circles the word conservative and Christian are used almost interchangeably, and while there may be some shared ground in terms of values, those two words refer to entirely different authorities.

While I’m thankful for my upbringing, looking back, I can now see the way the lanes of faith and politics often merged together. Even for families less politically devout than mine, faith and politics seem to share an inextricably intertwined past and present. This, in part, is why so many exvangelicals, the trendy TikTok term for former evangelicals, who are largely my age, are deconstructing their faith.

I would argue that our faith is not what needs to deconstructed, but rather the political zeal which has trumped Scriptural integrity and abused true biblical worldview. The gospel is good news. Jesus is our savior who came full of grace and truth (John 1:14). But Christian hope is too often tied to which candidates are elected and what policies pass. Obviously these things are important, but God is sovereign and not thwarted by the earthly powers that rise and fall. Additionally, our ultimate citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20), so while I am thankful to be an American, my first obligation is to represent the kingdom of God.

This is where an unhealthy codependence of faith and politics becomes problematic. When the soapboxes of our social media contain more governmental concern than gospel witness it gives the impression that we are more concerned about the lordship of Caesar than we are about the kingdom of Christ.

I can only speak from my own experience, but in revisiting the halls of church experience from my youth, I find distinct and dissonant chords that played repeatedly among professed Jesus-loving Christians and their engagement with culture through politics. You see, my teen years occurred in the 90’s grunge era and honestly, I see the legacy of the church in those years with the same grimy recollection as I do my oversized flannels and big bangs. At the time, I didn’t realize how awful that phase was, but now, just as I cringe at the Polaroid’s of my teenage sense of fashion, I also cringe at the memory of so many Christians speaking about gay people during the HIV epidemic with derision, disrespect and disgust. I cringe at the churches picketing abortion clinics with ungracious signs, and the reality that when some clinics were bombed, too many Christians, instead of grieving the atrocity, downplayed the severity. Abortion, after all, is bad. I cringe at being taught about culture wars with the same frequency and passion as I was being taught about Jesus.

To be clear, Scripture speaks very clearly about the issues listed above. Scripture also shows Jesus as willing to speak truth even if it offended people (John 6:60-68). What is not in Scripture, however, is where Jesus villainized sinners or fought with Rome, and this is the reason why the love affair with politics, or the modern rise of Christian Nationalism, or whatever you want to call it, is so dangerous. It reduces our focus from seeing and serving real people, to fighting for positions and agendas. When this happens, people – people who God loves and Christ died for – become collateral damage.

I think it is possible that the way the church has engaged in the public square is largely why we have lost our voice in it. Oh sure, there are other factors at play too, but 1 Peter highlights a truth that is vital for Christians today to remember. Peter instructs believers to “… be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you…” (1 Peter 3:15). This is the great apologetics verse about knowing why we believe what we believe, but did you catch what Peter said? Non-Christians were going to ask Christians about their faith. The full context of the chapter implies that the way Christians lived and engaged with the culture around them would actually prompt unbelievers to want to know more about Jesus. Why is it then, that today very few people want to talk to Christians – about anything?

In answer to that, it might be tempting to say something along the lines of how far culture has declined, but have you read about the ancient world in which Peter’s words were written? It was not exactly a 1950’s American sitcom. So, when it comes to culture’s disinterest, could it at least be in part because of the way we have interacted? Is it possible that our passion for political debate and demonstration has overshadowed the proclamation of the gospel or that our tone has misrepresented Christ?

Peter finishes that noteworthy verse above by also specifically instructing Christians in the way that they are to engage: “But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). In all the words that nonbelievers could use to describe Christians and the church, I’m not sure those two descriptions would make the list.

This is why Christians need to be intentional moving forward. Since so much of our engagement has missed the mark, how we communicate and interact with culture moving forward matters. This is not to say we forget truth. We can’t. It is the truth that sets people free (John 8:32). This is also not to say that if we engage in exactly the right way, people will accept the truth. Many will not (again, John 6:60-68). All that said though, we must come to understand that how we engage as Christians matters because of who we represent.

In his book, Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion, Os Guinness writes, “Christians must seek to communicate in a way that is shaped by the One who sends us, and therefore by the pattern of the incarnation, the cross and the Holy Spirit. The uniqueness of the message we share requires a corresponding uniqueness in the manner with which we share it. The style of our communication will therefore always be crucial to the substance, and it too must be shaped by the very truths that we proclaim” (174).

So, what do we do?

Well first, we repent. Second, we each take a long look in the mirror that Scripture offers us. Colossians 3:12 says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” If we look in this mirror and find that we have not been dressed appropriately, it gives us a chance to ask God to help us and change us. This is my prayer for myself and his church. That as Christ loved us, so we would love others… and maybe by this kind of love people will know we are his (John 13:34-35). And maybe, just maybe, they will want to know more about him.