All Designed to Silence Christians in the Public Square
In today’s politically charged climate, misconceptions about the relationship between Christianity and politics abound. From social media debates to conversations at the dinner table, it seems like everyone has an opinion on how—or if—Christians should engage with politics. As both a pastor and a cultural commentator, I frequently encounter questions and criticisms about the role of faith in the public square. I’d like to address five of the most pervasive myths regarding Christianity and politics in America.
“You Can’t Legislate Morality”
This phrase is often used to argue that moral values, especially those rooted in religion, should not influence legislation. However, the truth is that every law reflects some form of morality. Whether we are debating issues like theft, murder, or even property rights, the underlying question is always about what is right or wrong—what is moral or immoral.
Laws are not created in a moral vacuum. For example, prohibitions against murder and rape are not just practical; they are moral judgments that these actions are inherently wrong. While it is true that not every aspect of Christian morality should be legislated—pride, after all, isn’t a criminal offense—legislation inevitably involves moral considerations. In this way, morality is inextricably tied to lawmaking. Even secular societies base their legal frameworks on ethical principles, often derived from a moral consensus within the culture.
“The Church Should Just Do Evangelism, Not Politics”
There’s a common belief that churches should stick to evangelism and stay out of politics. While it’s true that the church’s primary mission is to proclaim the gospel and make disciples, the idea that the church has no role in political discourse is misguided. After all, the gospel includes the declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord over the entire universe, will return one day to set the world to rights, and expects his disciples to be his ambassadors in every sphere of culture, including politics.
The very act of declaring Jesus as Lord is inherently political. When the church proclaims that Jesus is the ultimate authority, it declares that no government, political party, or ruler should hold claim to our ultimate allegiance. Moreover, the church’s moral teachings inevitably intersect with societal issues. Topics like justice, human dignity, and morality are at the heart of both Christian doctrine and political debate. Churches must engage in these conversations—not as slavishly partisan actors but as advocates for truth and justice.
“Separation of Church and State Means Keeping Religion Out of Politics”
One of the most misunderstood concepts in American life is the separation of church and state. Many assume it means keeping religion out of politics entirely. However, this interpretation is historically and constitutionally flawed.
The principle of church-state separation, as originally conceived, was meant to ensure that no single church or denomination would dominate the federal government, and that the government would not interfere with religious institutions. This separation ensures religious freedom, but it does not mandate that religious convictions be excluded from political discourse. In fact, every person, whether religious or not, operates from a set of deeply held beliefs that shape their political views. Religion, in this sense, is not just about formal institutions like churches; it’s about whatever we hold as ultimate in our lives—whether that’s God, money, power, or something else. Our political decisions will always reflect our ultimate commitments, which means that separating religion from politics is impossible.
“America Was Founded as a Secular Nation”
There is a growing narrative that America’s Founding Fathers intended for the country to be entirely secular, devoid of any religious influence. While it’s true that the United States was founded on principles that protect religious freedom and prevent the establishment of a national church, this does not mean that the Founders envisioned a godless society.
Many of the Founders were devout Christians who believed in the importance of religious morality in public life. The Declaration of Independence famously appeals to the “laws of nature and nature’s God,” and the Constitution references God indirectly, particularly in its recognition of inalienable rights endowed by a Creator. Alexis de Tocqueville, a keen observer of early American society, noted that America’s success was in large part due to the influence of Christianity on its citizens. While America was not founded as a theocracy, it certainly wasn’t founded as a secular nation in the modern sense of the word.
“Jesus Wasn’t Political”
Some argue that Jesus was apolitical, concerned only with spiritual matters, and therefore, Christians should refrain from political engagement. However, this view misrepresents Jesus’ life and ministry. While Jesus didn’t seek political office, his teachings and actions were profoundly political.
Jesus openly challenged the religious and political authorities of his time. He denounced rulers for their corruption, spoke about the poor and oppressed, and declared the arrival of a new kingdom—the Kingdom of God—which had direct implications for the social and political order. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem resembled a royal procession, and his actions in the temple were a direct challenge to the authorities. Jesus was crucified not just as a religious figure but as a political insurrectionist, alongside criminals accused of rebellion. To suggest that Jesus’ message was devoid of political content is to overlook the revolutionary nature of his ministry.
Conclusion
Christianity and politics are not mutually exclusive. While the church should never become a political machine, it has a responsibility to engage the political sphere with moral clarity and courage. Our laws are, and always will be, reflections of our moral values, and Christians have an important role to play in shaping those values.
Far from retreating into a purely spiritual realm, Christians are called to live out their faith in every area of life—including politics. This doesn’t always mean aligning with a particular party or candidate, but standing firm in the truths of the gospel and advocating for justice, mercy, and righteousness in the public square. By addressing these myths, we can foster a more thoughtful and informed conversation about the role of Christianity in America’s political landscape.
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The five myths:
1. You Can’t Legislate Morality
We can’t apply all-or-nothing thinking to this subject. Just because we can’t always legislate morality doesn’t mean that we can never legislate morality. The issue becomes which morals can and should we legislate?
We might also note, as Martin Luther King Jr. said that sometime the legislation of morality isn’t to make people moral, it is to protect some from the injustices practiced by others. He said that while promoting the protection of the equal rights of one group from the oppression practiced by other groups.
2. The Church Should Just Do Evangelism
In his speech against the Vietnam War, King quoted from another source: ‘A time comes when silence is betrayal.’ If the Church must not be silent about preaching against personal sins, how can it be silent about corporate sins? Silence in the face of sin is support for that part of the status quo.
Also, when we associate ourselves with Christ, such as be calling ourselves ‘Christians,’ everything we do and say as well as what don’t do or say can be associated with the Gospel. And since, as James says, ‘we all stumble in many ways,’ that reality should strike fear in every one of us believers.
The issue here is how should the Church be involved in politics? Should the Church be working for a privileged place for itself in society and the state? The answer, my friend, is in the Scriptures, especially the New Testament. What did Jesus say that could relate to that subject? What did the Apostles say and how did they live that relates to that topic?
3. Separation of Church and State Means Keeping Religion Out of Politics
Like with the first question, we can’t use all-or-nothing thinking here. Again, the issue with religion’s involvement in politics is whether the Church should extend efforts to garner a privileged place for itself in society and the state. For us the answer is in the Scriptures, especially in the New Testament. And the answer from the New Testament is a firm ‘NO.’ Whether we are dealing with Jesus’s statements on how we are to relate to people, both Jesus’s and the Apostles’ words on Church discipline, the identity of God’s people, or the teachings of both about the government, there is nothing in the New Testament that would suggest that the Church should seek a privileged place in society and the state.
4. America Was Founded as a Secular Nation
Again, we need to avoid all-or-nothing thinking here. Was religion influential in causing people to Europeans to come here? Yes in New England, but not necessarily in Virginia where commercial interests were a primary motivation for coming over. Did many state constitutions mandate a religious influence on the state? Yes. Was the Federal government as defined by The Constitution a religious government? Here we can say that document defined America as a secular nation. Besides the lack of sufficient references and reasoning used in the arguments in the Constitutional debates, it was clearly stated that there needed to be a change from the religious influences that were exerted on European governments and caused wars.
5. Jesus Wasn’t Political
That statement is obviously false. But the issue here is how Jesus wants both us as individual Christians and the Church as an institution be politically involved. If we Christians seek a privileged place for ourselves in society and the state, how will that denial of equality with our fellow citizens who are unbelievers affect our carrying out the Great Commission?
Perhaps the best example of Christianity speaking to society and the state was done by Martin Luther King Jr and the SCLC. For they never sought any privileged position for themselves or the Church. Instead, they sought equality and justice for themselves and others. For us to do the same, we need to distinguish the corporate sins that need to be addressed in the Church’s political efforts from the sins that we address when evangelizing. Thinking that basing our laws on the two tables of the Commandments is part of discipling the nations starts with separating faith from discipleship.. For we know that no man can please God without faith. And we also know that people can only come to faith when they are chosen beforehand by God.
The Greek word for the Church means to be called out. Doesn’t that imply the kind of society that the Church was designed to exist in?
I’ve heard the phrase “you can’t legislate morality” all my life and the answer has always been the same: “yes we can, we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. Just pick up a history book.”