Wrestling with Political Tribalism in the Church

When faith and politics blur, we’re learning to follow Jesus and remember His kingdom is not of this world

Some episodes come easy. This one didn’t.

In Episode 8 of Weird Hill to Die On, we tackled one of the most radioactive topics in the American Church: the entanglement of faith and political identity. We called the episode “Jesus for President? (And Other Bad Ideas)”—but our alternate title, Not Every Hill is Calvary, may better reflect the ache behind the laughter.

This episode wasn’t hard because we were unsure what to say. It was hard because we’ve all lived it. Political tribalism isn’t just a topic, it’s a riptide we often don’t notice until we’re already being carried away. And in some evangelical spaces, it’s become nearly inseparable from what it means to “belong.”

I’ve sat in church pews where a pastor declared that unless you voted a certain way, you probably weren’t even a Christian. I’ve worked in ministry settings where political ideology was piped into the office louder than the voice of Christ. I’ve found myself expected—explicitly or not—to plant a partisan flag just to be seen as credible.

It’s disorienting, especially for someone like me who didn’t grow up Christian. What drew me to Jesus wasn’t a culture war platform. It was the transcendence of God…the truth, goodness, and beauty that pointed beyond this world. But when the Church reduces worship to a rally and theology to talking points, something sacred is lost.

Worship is meant to unite us around the person of Christ. But when it becomes a stage for signaling partisan identity or cultural loyalty, it stops being worship and starts looking a lot more like idolatry.

As I shared in the episode:
If we can’t worship alongside someone who votes differently but still confesses Christ, then something is deeply misaligned in our understanding of worship.

In the episode, we tried to hold space for disagreement—real disagreement—but also to name the damage. We all hold certain issues as worthy of political attention, especially those tied to the dignity and worth of human beings. But Christians should be able to discuss how our theology shapes those convictions without being forced to wholesale subscribe to partisan identities. No political party can fully represent even one person’s Christian faith—let alone the kingdom of God.

I talked about how worldliness isn’t limited to obvious moral failures or shallow theology. It also shows up when we rely on the methods and power structures of the world—like politics, platforms, or institutional dominance—to accomplish what should be kingdom work. When we pursue spiritual goals through partisan alliances, fear-based rhetoric, or a desire to ‘win’ cultural battles, we’re not following the way of Jesus. We’re borrowing tactics from a kingdom that isn’t His.

Also from the episode:
As I reflected on Jesus’ words to Pilate—“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36) — I was reminded that this doesn’t mean we avoid civic responsibility. Far from it. But when we rely on man-made power to do kingdom work, we lose sight of the way Jesus reigned: through sacrifice, not domination.

And honestly? I’m still grieving the spaces where I’ve seen this done in God’s name.

But we also pushed into the nuance. We asked:

• Can politics be discussed in church without becoming dogma?

• What’s the line between moral clarity and partisan allegiance?

• How do we represent Christ without misrepresenting our neighbors?

As we shared personal stories—including painful ones around race, belonging, and public witness—we didn’t land on a single political solution. But we did agree that love of neighbor has to come before love of party. And that misrepresenting people who vote differently than we do? That’s still a violation of the Ninth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)

This episode was vulnerable and, frankly, risky. We know not everyone will agree with what was said. But that’s okay. Some hills aren’t worth dying on—but others, like humility, integrity, and unity in Christ—are.

And if nothing else, maybe this episode reminds us:
Jesus never ran for office. But He did die for people on both sides of the aisle.