God is Not Red, Blue, Or Purple: Winning Hearts, Not Votes

“I suppose there might be good, faithful Christians who are members of [political party], but I haven’t met any yet.”

A few weeks ago, I heard a Christian leader say this, as part of a discussion about the role of Christians in politics. This statement places God on a political spectrum defined by humans. But the truth of God is not a specific political position, it is the lens through which we should view all political positions.

Placing spiritual identity ahead of political identity dramatically changes our relationship with politics. It grants us the peace of focusing on something bigger, gives us the freedom to rightly evaluate the good and the bad in each political platform, and aligns our personal interactions with the heart of God.

First Things First

Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom…not of this world.[1]” The book of Exodus defines the people of Israel based on a covenant with God, not a political structure, a “…kingdom of priests, my holy nation.[2]” The Apostle Paul said to the church in Philippi, “Our citizenship is in heaven…[3]”

It is very easy to take on a political identity as part of a given party or group. In our society, nearly everything, from paying our bills to caring for the poor to generating electricity to corporate logos is politicized in the most combative terms. And many issues are so complex that we need others to help us navigate to the right answer. Not being part of a political “team” can make us feel unsure, lonely, or even under attack.

However, taking on group labels, like political parties or interest groups, can undermine the testimony of our faith because it gives someone else the power to define us.

If I support a politician who later does something I believe is contrary to God’s nature, I face a difficult choice. I can acknowledge something is wrong, potentially raising the ire of my political allies. Or, I have to change my view of what is right, and try to squeeze God into my political framework. All too often it is easier to choose the latter.

Putting Words in God’s Mouth

When our political identity comes first, we can start to think our chosen political group is always on the side of God. We may choose a group based on a single issue where we feel we have moral clarity, like abortion or social justice or caring for the poor. But it becomes far too easy to extend that mantle of morality across a whole range of issues where no clear moral line exists.

The 2024 Democratic Party platform contains over 50,000 words, and the Republican Party platform, carried forward from 2016, contains around 35,000 words[4a]. Political platforms are not just complex, they also change. Only a few years ago Democrats opposed foreign intervention, and Republicans supported free trade [4b]. If we declare either party to be on the side of God, then we are putting thousands of words in God’s mouth, and suggesting God changes as our party’s views change.

We must resist the pressure, and the temptation, to accept all-or-nothing loyalty tests that demand absolute support for a political group. When viewed through the lens of God’s truth, we will likely find some aspects of our own party that we cannot support, and some positions of the other party that align with our beliefs. And we must save our most impassioned words for things that matter in eternity, invoking the name of God with reverence and caution.

Jesus consistently refused to moralize political issues. When asked about taxes he said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” When asked about inheritance rules Jesus said, “Who appointed me a judge between you?”[5] Instead, Jesus focused singularly on reconciling God and humanity.

God’s Agenda

Politics is an essential mechanism for improving the lives of others, and it is absolutely appropriate for Christians to participate. And when we do so, we must bring the same values of humility, love, generosity, and kindness that are core to our faith identity.

A great starting point is being mindful that God’s overarching will throughout human history has been to be in relationship with humanity. “And all of this is a gift from God, who…has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in [Jesus], reconciling the world to himself…and he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.[6]”

Jesus called his followers to reconcile people with each other and with God. This work has progressed for thousands of years in countless political environments: from the ancient dictatorships of Rome, to modern democracies, to communist China. God does not need political support to accomplish his purposes.

When we try to fit God into our political framework, we make politics too big and God too small. The biggest political issue of today is a tiny footnote in a much larger story, written in another’s hand.

Our calling is not to try and use politics to help God defeat some group we deem to be an enemy. Our calling is to join with God in bringing peace and reconciliation, no matter which political system holds power for the moment.

Wherever we engage, in politics or daily life, may we be known first as followers of God. May we be known for working to bring divine peace to a world of souls who desperately need it.

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[1] ‭‭John‬ ‭18‬:‭36‬ ‭NLT

[2] ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT

[3] ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭CEB‬‬

[4a] The Republican National Committee (RNC) voted to carry forward the 2016 GOP Platform unchanged, in 2020 and 2024. The RNC also released a one-page resolution stating that the party “has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-First agenda.”

[4b] See this linked briefing document that lists shifts in the positions each U.S. political party has made on key issues over the past 50 years.

[5] Taxes & Politics Matthew 22:17–21 — Asked about paying taxes to Caesar. “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Cleanliness & Ritual Purity Mark 7:14–15 — “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” Disputes about food laws were treated as moral issues. Jesus puts them in context and re-centers morality on the heart. Nationalist/Political Expectations John 6:15 — After feeding the 5,000, people try to make him king. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

[6] Paul of Taurus’s letter to the Christian church in Corinth, Greece. ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬