America's Political Idolatry and the Judgment We Refuse to Recognize
For years, I've warned people that no president, no political party, and no election is going to save America. I've watched people put their hope in one politician after another, convinced that if they could just get the right person into office, everything would turn around. And when things don't go the way they expected, they get angry, point fingers, and start looking for the next political savior.
But here's something many Americans, including far too many Christians, don't want to hear. The very thing we're trusting to save this country is part of what's destroying it.
We've become so consumed with politics that we've forgotten the difference between the kingdom of God and the governments of men. We've allowed political ideology to influence how we see the world, how we treat one another, and, in some cases, even how we interpret Scripture.
And somehow, we still expect God to bless what we've made a mess of.
When God's People Demanded Their Own Way
In 1 Samuel 8, Israel demanded a king. They wanted to be like the other nations, with a human ruler to govern them and fight their battles.
God had already established how His people were to live, but that wasn't good enough for them. They wanted something different.
Listen to what God told Samuel:
1 Samuel 8:7 (NKJV): "for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them."
Think about that for a moment. The people weren't simply requesting a different form of government. Their demand revealed something much deeper. They were rejecting God's authority over their lives.
God instructed Samuel to warn them about what their king would do. Samuel explained how a king would take their sons, their daughters, their property, and their resources. He warned them about the burdens they would bear under the very government they demanded.
But they refused to listen.
They insisted on having a king, and God allowed it.
Now here's something we need to understand about God's judgment. Sometimes judgment comes through destruction or punishment. Other times, God allows people to have exactly what they demanded and experience the consequences of their own rebellion.
Israel wanted a king, and God gave them one.
How often do we do the same thing today?
Two Wings of the Same Corrupt Bird
Republicans blame Democrats. Democrats blame Republicans. Both sides insist they're the answer to America's problems, and their supporters keep falling for it.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They're two wings of the same corrupt bird.
I don't care whether someone has an R or a D beside their name. Neither political party can accomplish what only God can do. And neither party cares about you like God does.
Republicans cannot legislate repentance. Democrats cannot legislate righteousness. No president can pass a law that changes a person's heart, and no act of Congress can produce genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
Government has legitimate responsibilities. Laws matter. Justice matters. Protecting people's rights and freedoms matters. I'm not suggesting Christians should abandon those responsibilities or refuse to participate in government.
But we've gone far beyond responsible participation.
We've started treating political victories as though they're spiritual victories. We've convinced ourselves that getting the right people elected will somehow reverse generations of rebellion against God.
And when it doesn't happen, we blame the other party.
We blame the media. We blame the courts. We blame everyone except the people who continue rejecting God's ways.
At what point do we stop pointing fingers and recognize that we're reaping what we've sown?
Political Idolatry Is Still Idolatry
Psalm 146:3 (NKJV): "Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help."
That instruction doesn't change because the politician happens to support policies you agree with.
It doesn't change because he quotes Scripture, talks about God, attends church, or claims to be a Christian.
And it certainly doesn't change because he belongs to your preferred political party.
Political idolatry doesn't stop being idolatry just because the politician claims to be a Christian or promotes policies Christians support.
Some Christians have become so devoted to political figures that they defend things they would otherwise condemn. Their loyalty to a person or movement begins influencing what they're willing to excuse, overlook, or justify.
That's dangerous territory for anyone claiming to follow Christ.
When your political allegiance determines which sins you're willing to condemn and which ones you're willing to excuse, you need to examine who you're actually serving.
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve God and mammon. His immediate teaching concerned wealth, but the principle of divided loyalty ought to make us examine everything competing for first place in our lives.
Power, wealth, political influence, national pride, and personal security can all become idols when we elevate them above obedience to God.
And let me make something clear. You cannot claim that Christ is Lord while giving a politician authority over your conscience that belongs to Christ alone.
Supporting a political candidate is one thing. Allowing that candidate to become the standard by which you judge right and wrong is something else entirely.
Tolerance Does Not Require Compromise
Another problem we're facing is the growing belief that tolerance means accepting whatever someone else believes.
It doesn't.
As Christians, we're commanded to love others, including those who reject our faith. But love doesn't require us to pretend that all religions, doctrines, or moral teachings are equally true.
Jesus Christ didn't leave us guessing about who He is or what He requires of those who follow Him.
Christianity makes claims about God, salvation, sin, and righteousness that directly contradict the teachings of other religions and ideologies. Specifically Islam! We cannot abandon those truths simply because someone finds them offensive.
People are free to believe differently. That doesn't mean Christians are obligated to agree with them.
Likewise, every political or religious ideology that seeks influence over our laws and institutions deserves examination. Its teachings and proposals should be measured against the principles it claims to uphold, and Christians must also measure their own convictions against Scripture.
That includes the ideologies we personally favor.
The problem begins when political loyalty becomes more important than truth, and we stop applying the same standards to everyone.
When Getting What We Want Becomes Judgment
Romans 1 describes something that should get every believer's attention.
As Paul explains humanity's rejection of God's truth, he repeatedly describes God giving people over to what they had chosen. We see this in Romans 1:24, 26, and 28.
Think about what that means.
People reject God's authority, pursue their own desires, and refuse to acknowledge Him. Rather than continually restraining their rebellion, God allows them to experience the consequences.
That's a frightening thing.
And we are witnessing the consequences of that same kind of rebellion in America.
For generations, we've pushed God further out of our national life while expecting to enjoy the benefits of His ways.
We've normalized conduct Scripture condemns, celebrated rebellion against biblical morality, tolerated corruption when it benefits our preferred side, and increasingly treated God's Word as something to be adjusted to fit our personal beliefs.
Then, when the consequences begin appearing, we demand that Washington fix everything.
What exactly do we expect government to do?
Can Congress make someone love God? Can the president produce genuine repentance? Can the Supreme Court give someone a new heart?
Of course not.
We keep demanding political solutions to spiritual problems, and then we get angry when those solutions cannot accomplish what only God can accomplish.
And here's what troubles me most. Rather than recognize the consequences of our choices, we keep demanding more of the very thing we've placed our trust in.
Israel did that when it demanded a king.
And America is doing it today.
America's Greatest Threat Is From Within
I've warned for years that America is heading toward collapse, and I don't believe its destruction will come primarily from a foreign enemy.
I believe we're destroying ourselves.
Our political divisions, corruption, moral compromises, and growing rejection of God's authority are eating away at the foundations of this country.
We're so busy fighting one another over who should control Washington that we're ignoring what is happening within our own homes, communities, and churches.
We've become more concerned about winning arguments than living obediently before God.
Some Christians can tell you everything a politician said yesterday but struggle to explain what Scripture teaches about repentance, holiness, forgiveness, or discipleship.
Others spend hours fighting political battles online while neglecting the people God has placed directly in their lives.
And somehow, we expect the nation to become righteous while its people refuse to live righteously.
The words of Galatians 6:7 remind us that God is not mocked and that we reap what we sow.
We cannot continually sow rebellion, corruption, hatred, and disobedience and expect to reap righteousness and peace.
I know people don't want to hear that America is headed toward collapse. They want someone to promise that another election, another president, or another political movement will turn everything around.
I'm not going to make that promise.
America will collapse under the weight of what its own people have chosen. And when that happens, the consequences won't stop at our borders.
But there's something far more important than whether America survives.
Christ Never Commissioned Us to Save Washington
Somewhere along the way, Christians began confusing the preservation of America with the mission Jesus Christ gave His Church.
Jesus didn't command us to make Republicans or Democrats.
He commanded us to make disciples.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Christ instructed His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe everything He commanded.
Notice what He didn't say.
He didn't tell us to establish the right political party, secure control of government, or place our hope in earthly rulers.
He told us to make disciples.
That doesn't mean Christians can't serve in government, vote, defend constitutional freedoms, or advocate for righteous laws. It means those things must never replace our responsibility to Christ.
Our allegiance belongs to Him first.
And when our loyalty to a country, politician, or political movement begins competing with our obedience to Christ, something has gone terribly wrong.
Jesus warned His disciples that they would face tribulation in this world. He never promised that the nations they lived in would survive forever.
But He did promise that His Church would endure.
The kingdom described in Daniel 2:44 is not dependent upon the survival of the United States, the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or any other earthly institution.
God's kingdom will stand long after every earthly government has passed away.
Where Does Your Allegiance Really Belong?
I'm not writing this to convince anyone to switch political parties. That would completely miss the point.
I'm writing because I believe far too many Christians have placed their confidence in human leadership and mistaken political influence for spiritual authority.
And I'm tired of watching people put their hope in politicians while neglecting the very Lord they claim to serve.
If your hope rises and falls with election results, you need to examine where you've placed your trust.
If you can excuse wrongdoing because the person committing it belongs to your political party, you need to examine your allegiance.
And if you're more concerned about preserving America than making disciples of Jesus Christ, you need to ask yourself whose kingdom you're actually working to advance.
I love this country. I served it. I believe in the freedoms and responsibilities that come with being an American.
But America is not my savior.
No president died for my sins. No political party purchased my redemption. No government can offer me eternal life.
Only Jesus Christ can save.
And that's the message the Church needs to be preaching, regardless of who occupies the White House.
I don't expect everyone to agree with my assessment of America's future. But I will not offer people false hope in another political solution when the real issue is spiritual.
America will fall, but God's kingdom will not.
The question is whether we will continue clinging to a kingdom that cannot last or devote ourselves to the One whose kingdom will never end.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15