As everyone is already aware, this has been a dark week for the United States. The politically motivated assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has cast serious doubts from us all on the protection of our fundamental freedoms. The same day, the 47th mass school shooting of 2025 occurred in Colorado. These two senseless acts of violence have left millions grieving and looking for a place to turn. As our weary souls sought comfort and unity, many of us have been appalled by the amplified rhetoric and partisan positioning by shameless provocateurs.
“Charlie reaped what he sowed”
“The demonic Democrats did this. We are at WAR.”
“The killer and all radical leftists should be rounded up and executed.”
Hate and division poured in from all points on the political spectrum. Tragically, however, much of these sentiments were shared by those who claim to follow the Prince of Peace. Even worse, many of these individuals did not react with any remorse or compassion when Melissa Hortman, a Sunday School teacher and Minnesota’s Speaker of the House was assassinated in June at her home for political reasons. Seeing as she was a registered Democrat, it reveals an uneasy hyprocrisy within our congregations.
Ashamedly, I must even condemn myself, as I was not familiar with Mr Kirk’s work and my immediate reaction was sinful. Upon seeing news of his death, I was offended by many appointing him a Christian martyr. Over the past decade, I heard mostly Mr Kirk’s political opinions, and I vehemently disagreed with most of them, including the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and his support of the Great Replacement Theory. His assassination does not change my differing views on his political opinions, but I was never aware of his evangelical work.
I had searched his videos for hours to affirm my bias, only to come away repenting and acknowledging that we had actually lost a member of the Body of Christ. While I believe some of his personal opinions were rooted in sin, so are mine. I was reminded that we are all totally depraved sinners, doing good only by the grace of God (Rom 3:10-12). This revelation about myself and all of the responses I’ve seen in the past few days by countless people has led me to the conclusion that politics has become the Golden Calf of the American Church.
Political idolatry is not new; the country was aware of it 249 years ago. Separation of church and state was not to protect the state, but to protect the church from being destroyed by the poison of political opinion. In the 17th century, Roger Williams, a Puritan minister, called for a high wall between church and state to protect religious freedom from government interference and corruption. In his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, Thomas Jefferson famously reaffirmed that the First Amendment built “a wall of separation between Church and State”. However, in this day and age, that wall has been damaged with holes that blur the lines between religious principle and political opportunism.
What exactly is politically idolatry in the modern context? Idolatry is simply defined in Exodus 20:3-5: “You shall have no other gods before me.”You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.” That is very straightforward, but the ways in which politics have invaded the American church are not so obvious. Here are a few signs that politics may have become an idol in your life or your church:
- You hear more about a political idea, party, or figure more on a daily basis than Jesus
- Spending more time thinking about politics than the Gospel
- Spending more time listening to talk of politics—on social media, talk radio, cable news, and so on—than you spent in the Word of God or with gospel-oriented media
- Making assumptions about another believer’s level of sanctification and commitment to Jesus based on their political affiliation
- Judging yourself as having noble motives when it comes to politics, yet assume the worst about people on the other side of the political divide
- More obsessed with achieving a political outcome than bringing people to Christ
- More willing to allow injustice to occur to others to prevent oneself from suffering injustice
- Praying for failure of leaders of the opposing political party rather than praying for their salvation
- Words and actions more worried about how a Christian will vote rather than how they are enjoying God’s presence
- Overlooking politicians “on our side” sinning and disobeying Christ
- Having more pride in your political affiliation than your security in Christ
- Concerns about political outcomes show we do not truly believe in God’s sovereignty
- Any of the above points offend you more than the revealing of your idolatry
Once we acknowledge our own idolatry, we can consult Scripture to overcome it. Paul lays this out in 1 Corinthians 10:13-14: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
As believers, we should seek to fight the seed of division rather than stoke the flames of this fire that is burning in this country. I pray for everyone in my circle to work towards building unity. I pray for everyone outside my circle that I would point them towards Christ. Finally, I’ll continue to pray for the Kirks, the families in Colorado, and all victims of political idolatry and resulting extremism that will undoubtedly continue to occur until Jesus returns.
Have questions? Or maybe a personal story? I’m committed to having open and civil dialogue. Just comment, DM, or email.
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