Don’t Take Sides!

November 8, 2022. I opened an app on my phone to listen to music—something I do often. But that day was different. Instead of selecting a musical piece and sound traveling to my ears, an ad took over the screen.

“Ohio!” the headline declared, with an outline of the state. The rest of the text told me to get out and vote. Also included was a specially curated playlist of vaguely or explicitly political songs that were popular in the area.

Every election run-up in the United States includes a pushy deluge of ads trying to get you to “make your voice heard.” Nowhere is safe. Google a dinner recipe, and there is text below the search bar: vote. Read an article on a news website, and a banner pops up: vote. Seemingly every celebrity from obscure to megastar: VOTE!

Things have only grown more divided and vitriolic since that time—and not just in the U.S. (For more on this subject, read or review Should Christians Vote?)

Everything is political now. American football is a perfect example. What was once a diverting activity enjoyed by conservatives and liberals alike is now often the center of political discourse. Years ago, there were kneeling protests during the national anthem to highlight racial injustice. At the Super Bowl this year, the discourse surrounded whether a billionaire pop star in attendance would use her fanbase to influence the 2024 presidential election.

Yet the politicization of everything does not stop with sports and entertainment.

Look at the 2023 wildfires in Canada, with smoke traveling down throughout the U.S. NASA reported that the blazes burned an estimated 18.4 million hectares, which is roughly the size of North Dakota. Such disasters happening across the globe are ripe for political discourse.

Liberals point to rising temperatures and assert that manmade climate change is the cause of these costly blazes. Conservatives will tell you “forest mismanagement” is to blame—that sometimes means they want to increase logging in the area.

Neither side will admit this is an impossible situation with no easy solutions. California is a good example of this. More than 15 million live in the northern part of the state, where fires occur naturally to keep forests and wildlife healthy. Also, a decade of fire suppression—attempting to put out every blaze that starts—has allowed for an overabundance of dry underbrush ready to explode.

Politics seeping into every nook and cranny of society is not the only problem. Americans seem to only agree on one thing these days: that we are growing more and more divided.

An April 2023 YouGov poll found that an overwhelming 65 percent of those surveyed say the nation is more divided than usual. A Gallup poll from August of the same year found that, over the past decades, the partisan divide has drastically widened over major issues. These include how much power the government should have, global warming, abortion, foreign trade, immigration, gun laws, healthcare and income tax.

Social media is supercharging the political division across the globe. Like never before, if you have an opinion or feel passionate about a topic or issue, this can be seen by hundreds or thousands soon after you hit “post.”

The following Bible verses show how Christians should view the political vitriol:

• I John 4:8 says, “God is love,” which is incompatible with the hate-filled conduct of the world today.
• Galatians 5:20 lists debate (variance) alongside idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, wrath and heresy.
• Revelation 3:14-22 is a message to the church of Laodicea—the one that mirrors today’s society. The word Laodicea can mean the people rule, judge and decide. Individuals today worship at the altars of their own opinions and feelings. Precious few seek to know God’s mind.

Clearly, the hyperpolitical, debate-fueled world of today is un-Christian! So how can you rise above—and survive—the political divide?

God’s Perspective

Understanding today’s world requires remembering who is behind it. Revelation 12:9 includes the answer in no uncertain terms. It states that Satan “deceives the whole world.” Realize what this means: All the governments, courts, schools and other institutions are deceived and influenced by the devil.

To what degree?

Notice: “In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not” (II Cor. 4:4). This god has a lowercase “g”—that is Satan once again. The true God has allowed the devil to be in charge of this world in order to prove that his systems and ways do not work.

Satan, while tempting Jesus, offered “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” if our Savior would bow down to the fallen angel (Matt. 4:8).

Jesus did not tell Satan his offer was ridiculous. He knew Satan controlled all governments and that they were his to offer.

The results of this influence are everywhere: governments in gridlock, disarray and failure. This alone should make God’s people think long and hard before taking political sides.

One more verse drives this point home: “Come out from among them [the world], and be you separate” (II Cor. 6:17).

Christians should not participate in this world’s governments—or take sides.

While it can be tempting to side with certain political figures or ideologies, remember the mind that influences all governments (Eph. 2:2). God’s truth does not align with liberal or conservative policies—they are never perfectly right. At best, if there are one or two small points upon which you agree, the rest will go against God’s Way.

Trying to identify with the left, middle or right does not work. And what does it accomplish?

Christ’s Words

During the trial before Christ’s crucifixion, He was asked by Pontius Pilate, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33).

Jesus answered in verse 36: “My Kingdom is not of this world: if My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My Kingdom not from hence [here].”

Put even more basic verses together. We are told to pray, “Your Kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). That means God’s Kingdom is not here yet. Also, Jesus never told us, “Go become involved with politics and try to fix things now.” Rather, He said, “Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

Christians are not here to “fix this world” as it stands. We are waiting for God’s Kingdom to come and truly change the world for the better.

Where to Look

Until Jesus returns, the following verses should guide your actions. Philippians 3:20 states, “Our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

II Corinthians 5:20 adds to this, calling us “ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God.”

Think of what ambassadors in this world do. They are assigned to foreign nations to represent their home governments. They must learn everything they can to properly portray and shore up the interests of their nations.

Note what it means for you to be an ambassador of Christ. People are watching you. They know your beliefs are different. They know your conduct is different. You must make sure to be a leading example of God’s Way so they can understand the Kingdom you represent.

To better fulfill this post, you must examine every part of your character. Notice what Paul said to the Philippians: “Let your conversation [conduct] be as it becomes the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27). The gospel is the coming government of God. Is the way you conduct yourself becoming of that Kingdom, or are there ways you are an un-becoming representative?

Be honest with yourself and make the necessary changes.

Other verses can help you see where to improve. Colossians 4:5-6 contains two great principles: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.”

(1) “Walk in wisdom” means to be careful how you interact with those who do not know God’s truth. Ask God regularly for more wisdom so you can avoid situations where you may be pushed to compromise your beliefs.

(2) “Speech always with grace” means you have thought through to whom you are speaking. Note that the purpose of seasoning your speech “with salt” is so you may know how “to answer every man.”

Some people may appreciate if you are more formal, others more casual. You need to read the person to know how best to be an ambassador to each unique individual.

Also, it helps to know if someone is more politically liberal or conservative. Are they religious, atheist or agnostic? Take these factors into account when speaking with them. Strive not to bring up topics or say things that could cause friction. Of course, this means you need to know a little bit about many different political viewpoints and religious ideas.

Paul’s sermon on Mars’ Hill in Acts 17:22-34 is a textbook example of how to keep your audience in mind and tailor your response to them.

This idea is encapsulated another way in I Corinthians 9. It states we should learn to be “all things to all men” (vs. 19-22). In other words, as ambassadors for Christ, we should be able to gracefully communicate with all different types of people.

Rising Above

So how can you rise above the political divide? This can be more difficult for some, but there are specific ways to make your news watching non-political.

While Jesus Christ repeatedly commanded us to “watch” world events and conditions (Luke 21:36), this can unwittingly play into political opinions and ideas.

Why? News reporting today is chock-full of personal opinion. Many who get their news from Fox News, CNN, etc., unknowingly watch opinion shows. While these use facts to prove an ideology, the truth is still often twisted.

Even programs, newspapers and magazines that claim to give straight news still generally have a strong slant when it comes to pet issues.

You should know the biases of each of your favorite news sources and consume their content with that in mind.

When you are with brethren, you can naturally be more open about what you think. Yet you should still be careful of clashing over differing opinions. And, when you are having these open conversations, be careful where you bring up political and religious topics. Keep an eye on the booth next to you at a restaurant. If it is easy to hear their conversations, then they can likely hear yours.

Make sure you do everything in your power to honor elected officials. They are not perfect—far from it—but we all must remember to “honor the king” (I Pet. 2:17).

One way to do this is to build a habit of referring to political figures as Mr., Mrs. and Ms. Such formality will help you remember that God commands us to obey those in authority over us “as to the Lord” (Col. 3:22-23). This will help you avoid getting sucked into political mudslinging that is so prevalent today.

Finally, social media. As a general rule, be careful of posting or commenting on any political or social justice issue. Your words will almost certainly be misunderstood. If you do want to share news with friends, private messages are often the best option.

If you are unfamiliar with the inner workings of social media, it might be best to keep your news conversations to phone calls, emails or face-to-face interactions.

Another rule of thumb is to never post something when you are emotionally keyed up. If you have an issue that gets your blood boiling—racial tensions and immigration are big culprits—be especially careful.

The most effective policy with social media is to avoid politics altogether.

The Future

It can be a challenge to bite your tongue when it comes to politics. As someone who knows God’s truth, you know the answers to many of life’s problems. Even more, the goal of Christianity is to become kings/priests/judges in the Kingdom.

At that time, you will enact laws as kings, preach how to live the right way and judge matters that come to you.

Yet we have to wait just a little while longer before “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).

A little while longer and we will go “into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The entire world will hear about God’s Way.

A little while longer and we will do a marvelous work and wonder the world over (Hab. 1:5).

But we are not there yet. We still need to “be ready always to give an answer to every man”—but only if he asks (I Pet. 3:15). And when you do, make sure you let your light shine.