Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Jesus & Politics: What you need to know & don’t want to hear

Jesus & Politics: What you need to know & don’t want to hear

Last updated on: March 11, 2024 at 12:16 am by Rob Dalrymple

Jesus & Politics: What you need to know & don’t want to hear 2024-03-04T08:27:09-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We want to think of the Church and Politics as intersecting at some point. But do they? Courtesy Winston-Salem Journal

This week Determinetruth will begin a series of livestream events over the next 8 months to discuss the Church and politics. In this series, we will address a wide variety of issues. My conviction is that Jesus’ kingdom radically undermines the whole system.

Yep, Jesus was neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Now, I am confident that I could say this in most churches or Christian communities and find little/no objections.

The irony is that most American Christians’ understanding of Jesus actually corresponds quite well to their political convictions. That is, I suspect that many Christians believe that Jesus would vote the way they do. After all, wasn’t that the aim of the Moral Majority? Wasn’t the goal of the Moral Majority’s voter’s guides (which my wife and I relied on heavily 30 years ago) to help Christians know the correct persons and issues to vote for—i.e., to help us know how Jesus would vote?

Truth is on our side

The political world that we live in, which is largely shaped by the media, which are themselves owned by major corporations, wants us to believe that the truth is on their side—It doesn’t matter if that side is the right or the left. The way it often works is that each side presents their views from the perspective that, “We have what is right/true and what is best for everyone.” This usually takes the form of, “They [the other side] spew only lies and promote only what suits them.”

The problem is that everyone does this. And we consume it. We not only consume it, we have become dependent on it. It is like a drug and we are the users/addicts. We have been influenced by the rhetoric so deeply that we have trouble believing anyone else—even Jesus.

So what is the solution? Well, before I tell you my thoughts (Jesus—Jesus is the answer. Sorry, I just had to sneak it in—kinda like a child peaking at their Christmas presents before everyone else wakes up; not that I ever did that—I’ve only heard that this happens in some homes), I think it is important to note that we have been so conditioned by our surroundings that we have trouble listening to anything else.

The only solution for the Church (I prefer people of God—as you may well know by now) is to get back to Jesus. But here is the problem. We don’t actually want to do that. Now, of course, we do, but we don’t.

What I mean is this: We want to get back to Jesus. But the Jesus we want to get back to is the one that corresponds with the Jesus that fits into my popular understanding of right and wrong; good and bad. But this popular understanding of right and wrong is itself the result of all the influences that have come to inundate our society. Sadly, we Christians often believe that we are exempt from popular propaganda.

Conspiracy theories

I hate conspiracy theories. The problem with conspiracy theories is that they give conspiracy theories a bad name. But what if Jesus was promoting a conspiracy theory (maybe not in the way that you and I think of conspiracy theories)? Not in the bad sense, but in the good sense (is there a “good” sense to conspiracy theories?).

The execution of Jesus fits the mold of a conspiracy theory well. After all, didn’t those in power use their power to suppress Jesus and ultimately have him killed? This is tantamount to saying that Jesus’ teachings were subversive and meant to undermine the establishment—which they were as far as I can tell. This is what I mean by a conspiracy theory.

The Romans killed Jesus for treason; even though He stated explicitly to the Roman Governor that His “Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36)—which does not mean what many Christians have come to think it means. Jesus meant that His kingdom was not like the kingdoms of the world. He didn’t mean that it has nothing to do with this world.

Nonetheless, you can imagine the Roman media coverage (Fox News; CNBC—go whichever way you want with this one). They would have reported on Jesus’ claims to be a king and they would have neglected to share that He seemingly posed no imminent threat to Rome. Anyone tuning in to the major broadcasts on Roman television (be they in Greece or Spain) would have sympathized with the Roman Empire’s need to have Jesus executed.

Similarly, the religious elite in Jerusalem handed Jesus over to be crucified because He spoke blasphemy (Mark 14:64)—though this accusation makes some sense; Jesus really did blaspheme, well at least in their minds He did. Jesus, of course, didn’t blaspheme because what He said was the truth. But that is my point. Those in power, in this case, the religious elites in Jerusalem, were not about to consider the possibility that Jesus was speaking the truth because Jesus was a threat to their power.

NB: We too often think that the dispute between Jesus and religious leaders in Jerusalem was merely a matter of the proper interpretation of the Torah—it was a religious dispute. And this may be true to a lesser extent. The real conflict, however, was over power. The religious leaders—well, at least those who adhered to the Pharisaical party—were looking for a Messiah. They wanted a messiah. They despised Roman rule. Why, then, didn’t they accept Jesus? Because Jesus’ messianic claims served to undermine their wealth and power. He wasn’t the kind of Messiah they wanted.

You see, we may want to think that the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees (the Sadducees are a whole other thing to deal with) was primarily about Jesus’ identity. That is what the Pharisees wanted everyone to think. And you can be sure that this is the message they told everyone through their media outlets (imagine their versions of Time Magazine and CNN).

But this was just a cover-up for the real issue. Jesus was teaching and preaching a Gospel of the kingdom that promoted the values of God’s kingdom. And these values undermined the Pharisees and their power.

The Church, Politics, and the Kingdom today

When it comes to the Church, politics, and the kingdom today, it is my conviction that the only place to begin is with a firm understanding of Jesus and His proclamation of the Kingdom. Now, I suspect that you might all agree with this point—especially if you are reading this post, which is a sure indication of your spiritual maturity.

The problem is not going to be in my assertion that Christians who live in a democracy (or any form of government for that matter) must advocate for the principles of the Kingdom of God. I suspect that every Christian will agree with this. In fact, I am confident that we could assemble a large gathering of Christians to attend a seminar on “The Church and politics”; even if we advertised that our message was going to center on “Jesus and the Kingdom.”

The problem, in my estimation, is two-fold.

First, I suspect that most Christians have a very poor understanding of the Kingdom of God. For many, the Kingdom of God is spiritual, heavenly, and other-worldly. As such, the Kingdom of God has little to do with political life in the here and now.

Second (and this is the heart of the matter), many Christians, myself included, don’t really want to embrace Jesus’ kingdom ethics. What do I mean?

Back to the opening

This goes back to what I said at the beginning of this post.

First, we have come to believe that our side [the right or the left] has what is true/right and what is best for everyone. And, as Christians, we have learned to read Jesus and the Kingdom in light of these convictions. We have tamed Jesus and made Him fit into our box. I’m sure there is plenty of resistance to this assertion.

Second, many of us are in positions quite similar to the Romans and the Pharisees; namely, we have power and wealth—a lot more than we realize. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we don’t love Jesus. I am suggesting that we have made Jesus into a good American _________ (fill in the blank here with your preferred political party).

You see, I suspect that if someone were to lay out the teachings of Jesus—which were radical, to say the least—we would easily find modern categories to define them: e.g., those on the right would label them, “communist, socialist, democratic, liberal.” The purpose of these categories would be to dismiss this understanding of Jesus as a misrepresentation of what He taught.

Some would say:

“Surely, Jesus believed that industry and self-effort are the keys to success and He believed that the best way to care for the poor is to support big businesses that will themselves aim for more profit by expanding the labor base, thus providing the poor with jobs—Jesus was most certainly a Republican.”

Others would say:

“Surely, Jesus believed that the rich are greedy sinners who desire nothing but personal gain and He believed that the best way to love our neighbors is to tax the wealthy so that government can provide the necessary resources to care for the poor—Jesus was most certainly a Democrat.”

What happens when someone comes along and says that Jesus was talking about a radically different sort of kingdom; a kingdom predicated on self-denial and love for our neighbors; a kingdom predicated on peace and justice? I suspect that most Christians would either spiritualize His teachings and, as a result, their political convictions would remain relatively unaffected; or they would modify their understanding of Jesus’ teachings so that they correspond to their political convictions. Either way, their political convictions remain unchanged.

Few, however, would realize that those in power (be they Democrats or Republicans) embody the very institutions and power structures that Jesus was speaking against.

To follow the upcoming livestream series go to the Determinetruth YouTube page and “Subscribe.” Then you will be automatically notified of upcoming events. Of course, if you are reading this post sometime after it originally posted, all of the videos will be present on the Determinetruth YouTube page.

Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.

If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app simply download the “tithe.ly church” app on your smartphone and insert “determinetruth” as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the “blog” icon and it will automatically load.

If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via Zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me tab on this site.

General Christian

Church

Kingdom Of God

Politics

About Rob Dalrymple

ob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. He is currently completing a commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, pending 2025). He is also in contract for a book on “Reading the NT in a year: A study and devotional guide.” You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

March 5, 2024

Carlson, Navalny, Russia, and our ministry of reconciliation

Next Post

March 14, 2024 Just war theory and Israel's assault on Gaza

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 000 1 Cor 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 10 Commandments 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Peter 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John 666 Abortion Acts 2:42 Ahmaud Arbery AIPAC All Saints Day America antisemitism BDS Beast Betting Bible Bible study Biblical Interpretation Biden Book of Acts Boycott Campus Protests Catholicism Ceasefire Chavez Ravine Christian Nationalism Christian Zionism Christianity Today Christmas Church Colossians Communion Convict Leasing Covid-19 Craig Blaising creation Crucifixion Daoud Nassar Deception Deconstruction Democracy Devotional guide Discipleship Easter Eden Education Election End-times Ephesians Eschatology Ethnic Cleansing Evangelicalism Evangelicals Evolution Fall Famine Fascism FIFA Freedom of Speech Galatians Gary Burge Gaza Gaza; Genocide; Boycott Genesis Genocide George Floyd Global Warming God's will Gospel Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Government Grace Great Prostitute Hamas Harris healthcare Hebrews HeGetsUs Holy Spirit Holy Week Honor Father and Mother ICJ Immigration Indigenous peoples day Iran Israel Israel Palestine Itamar Ben Gvir James Jesus Joel Willits Jude Just war Justice Kamala Harris Kingdom Of God Kings and Queens land of Israel Law (OT) Lazarus Les Miserable LGBTQ+ Love Luke Mahmoud Khalil Man of Lawlessness Mark Mark of the Beast Marriage Martin Luther King Jr Mercy Mexican Repatriation Military-Industrial-Complex Ministry Mission Money NAFTA Nakba Netanyahu New Creation New Testament Nicaragua Nicodemus Non Violence Occupation Pacifism Palestine Parable Paul Peace Pentecost Peonage Philemon Philippians Politics Poor Power Prayer Pride Month Priests Pro-life Propaganda Prophesy Prophet Qatar Queen Elizabeth Racism Reconstruction Redemption Reformation Resurrection Revelation Roe v Wade Romans Romans 13:1-7 Rome Russia Sabbath Samaritan Seals Sermon Settlements Slavery Spiritual gifts Taxes Tent of Nations Terrorism The Beast Theology Titus Torture Trump truth Ukraine Uncategorized Veteran's Day War Warsaw Ghetto wealth Wedding Women World Cup 2022 Worldview Worship Wrath Yemen Zionism

Select a Month September 2026 May 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 November 2016 October 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who played the harp for King Saul?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Asaph Solomon David Samuel

Support this
Column