Can Christians Be Politically Neutral?

Rev. Jonathan Hall is the pastor of First Christian Church of North Hollywood in California. It characterizes itself as a “politically blended congregation.” When I saw that characterization, I honestly thought it was quite odd. Why would a church characterize itself based on political viewpoint? I’ve seen churches that characterize themselves as racially diverse, traditional, contemporary, welcoming, and a whole host of other ways, but this is the first one I have seen to call itself politically blended. I know there are many congregations that have members on both sides of the political isle, and that various denominations have particular political tendencies, but political affiliation is not usually a actual congregation identifier. In fact, what does their characterization even mean? So I dug a little deeper.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. It is a theologically liberal denomination that has been declining for years and continues that trajectory. While in its earlier days it was evangelical in its perspective, it no longer fits that category. In fact, it is now accepting of nearly anything. First Christian Church of North Hollywood has the following statement on its website:

If you’re looking for a statement of beliefs to be accepted at our church, you won’t find it. Instead, we offer an open invitation to follow the most radically inclusive person ever to walk the earth—Jesus. We’re a faith family of believers without the expectation of shared beliefs; a church that can hold all of us without being beholden to “one right way” of being a Christian. Here, we honor God’s good creation by welcoming people of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses to worship and fully participate in every aspect of church life. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) highly values education, because it helps combat extremism, xenophobia, homophobia, and any form of “othering” that seeks to divide and destroy.

It is actually hard to imagine that with this kind of perspective there would be any politically conservative people participating in this church at all. But apparently there are, and it is causing some waves in the congregation. (You can read a bit about this at: https://www.foxnews.com/media/los-angeles-church-struggles-neutral-members-leave-over-political-differences.)

After the last presidential election, it seems several congregants left the church due to political differences. Some left after they discovered some of the members were attending Trump’s inauguration. Some others left during the service immediately following Trump’s election because they felt that a leader on the stage was too focused on consoling people who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris,”

Actually, I do understand what is going on, and the problem is not political as it has been characterized by the pastor. Rather, it is spiritual. When your non-statement of beliefs (which actually is a statement of beliefs):

• defines Jesus as “the most radically inclusive person to ever walk the earth,”
• characterizes the church as a faith family “without the expectation of shared beliefs,” and
• defines morality in terms that are contrary to what is written in Scripture,

... people in the congregation are left to define the Christian life however they see fit. And many of them define it in political terms. It could hardly be any other way. Thus, the pastor is having to try to figure out “what’s ‘too political’ for a place of worship – or whether ‘being political’ is the whole point of the gospel.”

Well, first of all, it is not the whole point of the gospel. In fact, it is not even a part of the point. The point of the gospel does not relate to political outcomes. It certainly informs people’s decisions related to politics, but the gospel is not about producing any kind of political outcome. It is about showing people how they can enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

But advocates of liberal forms of theology don’t see it that way. They interpret Jesus’ purpose on earth as one that advocates for the “oppressed” against the “oppressor” – and they don’t even look to the Bible to define what that means. They define it for themselves based on their own personal political preferences. Along with that, they view Jesus as a social justice warrior that God want’s them to imitate, rather than a savior who served as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

The result is a confused pastor who can’t figure out “what’s ‘too political’ for a place of worship – or whether ‘being political’ is the whole point of the gospel.”

So, can Christians be politically neutral? Well, no they can’t because their approach to politics is supposed to be based on moral beliefs that God has revealed to be right and true. That said, the politics must flow from biblical worldview beliefs, rather than people deciding on their moral beliefs based on their personal political preferences. Until people get that right, we will continue to see the confusion the pastor of this Hollywood church has.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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