Religion, Politics, and Patriotism: The Idolatrous Prostitute Church in Action

By David Ryser

Ever since the most recent national election in the United States, my e-mail account has been bombarded with dire warnings concerning the current president, his political party, and his policies/agenda.  Even before the election, so-called prophets were warning of various kinds of disaster should a particular candidate become president.

Some of these “prophetic” words (both pre-election and post-election) even suggested this candidate/president might be the Antichrist.

If the current president of the United States is the Antichrist, I will be greatly disappointed.  I was promised an Antichrist who is intelligent, charismatic, and endowed with amazing supernatural powers.  If this man is all we get for an Antichrist, I want a refund.

In all of this, I find myself greatly troubled by the American Church becoming increasingly involved in the business of politics and aligning herself with a particular political party.  My concern is three-fold.

First, I am concerned that the Church is expending time, toil, and treasure that rightly belongs to God and His kingdom.  We are called to be ambassadors of Christ who are His witnesses (Acts 1:8) and who are engaged in the business of making disciples (Matthew 28:19) for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom on the earth.

2 Timothy 2:4 says that “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of daily life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”  What part of that verse do we not understand?  Judging by my e-mail, many American Christians are engaged in spreading the gospel of Evangelical Conservatism rather than spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

My second concern is that the American Church is placing its hope of security and well-being in the political fortunes of a particular political party.  Many are running around with their hair on fire in a panic over the president, the political party currently in power, and their policies and social agenda.

Did God fall off of His throne when the current president and his political party came into power?  Is our savior the Lord Jesus Christ, or is it our political party of choice?  As Christians, we are supposed to be betrothed to Jesus as a virgin bride.

We are not supposed to be prostitutes who trade our votes for political favors.

And we’re not even decent prostitutes!  Most prostitutes at least get paid for their favors.  We give away our votes for free!  What has our political party of choice done for us…ever?  I posed this question to a friend, and he cited the Defense of Marriage Act which recognizes that marriage is between a man and a woman.  I reminded him that this Act is not law, does not have the force of law, and has not prevented several states (by judicial fiat or legislative action) from redefining marriage.

Passage of the Defense of Marriage Act as a compensation for the Evangelical Christian vote is a lot like paying a prostitute with a counterfeit banknote.

My third area of concern as I read the e-mails and other “Christian” political literature is an increasingly unbalanced view of patriotism.  As American Christians feel more threatened by the direction the United States is going (especially socially), many have begun to contend for their country and its future in ways that may not be healthy in the long run.  They are calling for a return to Christian values that they believe made the United States a great Christian nation.

The United States?  A Christian nation?  The United States has never been a Christian nation!  Our Founding Fathers prohibited such a thing!  Has anyone in the Christian Conservative Movement read the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States recently?

This rising tide of patriotism within American Evangelical Christianity is taking on a tone that is more nationalistic than patriotic.  Patriotism is love of country.  Nationalism is more like worship of country.  Nationalism is a form of idolatry.

To the extent that the Church in the United States is nationalistic, it is also idolatrous.

As I look at the current political, social, and economic situation in the United States--and the Evangelical Christian response to it--I am reminded of Weimar Germany.  As the political, social, and economic situation in Germany deteriorated in the 1930’s, the Church (specifically the Lutheran Church) desired order instead of chaos to the point where the Church was a significant force in bringing Adolf Hitler to power.

I use this example to illustrate the unpredictability of “Christian” politics.  It would be good to remember that the Evangelical Christian vote first became a significant political force in the United States in the national election of 1976.  It was a major factor in the election of Jimmy Carter as president.

Need I say more?

So what can we as American Christians do?  In the United States, citizens have a right to vote for our leaders and their policies.  We should exercise this right and support the candidate--of either political party--whose policies most nearly align with our beliefs and worldview.  It would be best if we would do so as independent voters who are not “in bed” with any particular political party.

And it would be good for us to remember that it is God who raises up political leaders for His own purposes (Daniel 4:17; Exodus 9:16; cf. Romans 9:17).  And His choice might not always be our choice (Jeremiah 27:5-8).  To the extent we can in good conscience, we should submit to governmental authority (1 Peter 2:13-15).  Paul’s admonition in Romans 13:1-7 is particularly ironic since it was the Roman government which eventually executed him.

Having exercised our rights as citizens, we live with the results.  We pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3) even if we didn’t vote for them because the Word of God commands us to do so.

We should not put our political leaders in the place of God.  My salvation, and well-being, is not determined by who occupies the office of the Presidency or the party in power in the Congress.  The president and other politicians are irrelevant to the advancement of God’s kingdom.

And ultimately, God and His kingdom are what we should be primarily concerned about.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com