By: Rev. David Wilson Rogers
Christianity, as we know it, is in peril. In fact, it is rapidly becoming a figment of American history. Some would cry the work of the devil in disrupting and corrupting the culture so much that the church can no longer thrive. Others would say that the intuition of the church has run its long course and is no longer relevant in the world of modern science, medicine, and technological advancement. Yet the reason for the demise of the church has more to do with the way its people and parishioners have failed Jesus Christ.
In the second and third chapters of Revelation, Jesus issues strong warnings to the seven churches of Asia and those ancient warnings serve to also inform churches across time and distance—including American churches in 2018. Among the very specific charges and warnings Christ issues, the general principle is simply this. Jesus warns the churches that unless they focus on what is of God and avoid the idolatrous distractions of their age, the Lord would remove the spirit from the church. It is arguable that today, God is doing just that in American Christianity.
The issue at hand is the polarizing political environment that has permeated the church. Partisan political preference has taken priority where the leading of the Holy Spirit should truly be. Single-issue ideologies have become golden calves in front of which divided and passionate Christians bow in the presumption of sacred obedience to the one true God. In the cultural chaos of the modern age, love of neighbor has been lost to defense of tribal superiority. In short, we have sacrificed worshiping God for serving our own political interests. It is, as Paul warns in Ephesians 4:14, not to be tossed about on the winds of doctrine. This is idolatry!
Absolutist assumptions such as, “real Christians cannot be affiliated with that political party,” or “there is no way a Christian could possibly support that person in political office,” and charges that “no Christian can believe in that political issue,” have divided Christianity into very defensive, angry, and hateful camps. Call them liberal, conservative, main line, evangelical, progressive, traditional, charismatic, or contemporary; the root problem is the same. The modern labels we use as Christians do nothing to further the cause of Jesus Christ. Rather, they serve only to further entrench our mutual disdain for other Christians and fracturing of the body of Christ.
Perhaps the pervasiveness of this dynamic reaches its ugly reality in the wrangling over the legitimacy of the current president. Arguably, the man is far from what traditionalists would consider an upright Christian man. His vile attacks of women, minorities, people with disabilities, and immigrants flies in the face of decent Christianity. Yet, because he appeals to so many conservative values and has the power to appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court, somehow many in the church have overlooked his many blatant flaws to embrace the man as a good thing for America.
Understandably, not all Christians agree. In fact, for many Christians, the president represents such a vile contradiction of Christian morality that they are united in faithful resistance to his authority and are working tirelessly to minimize his destructive ways before he destroys Christianity and America. The passions on both sides of the debate are unrelenting. One thing is certain, Donald Trump has changed America forever. Whether that is for the good or for the bad depends on which side of the political spectrum one falls. Yet, for Christians, it is time we rise above the momentary distractions of the current President and place Christ first—over our politics, partisanship, and ideological assumptions. The fate of the church depends on it.
