What Both the Christian Right and Left Are Overlooking

Scroll through social media for even a few minutes, and you’ll find it Christians calling out other Christians for being too political or not political enough. Accusations fly in both directions. One side shouts about compromise, the other about division. Everyone is certain they’re defending truth, and everyone believes the other side is wrecking the Church.

But here’s the reality both the Christian right and left are missing the point.

Not because politics don’t matter they do. Policies shape lives, especially the most vulnerable. But politics aren’t the Gospel. And when we start treating them as if they are, we distort both our faith and our witness.

The Gospel Is Not Red or Blue

It’s easy to assume that God favors our political party that our ideology is the only one aligned with His Word. But when we do that, we risk baptizing our preferences and calling it theology.

As Eugene Cho wisely said, “We should not go to bed with any political party.” Once we allow our politics to inform our theology instead of the other way around it’s a short path to idolatry. We start to confuse our partisan platforms with God’s purposes, and soon the message of Jesus is buried beneath the noise.

The Christian right often champions personal morality and religious liberty. The Christian left highlights justice, compassion, and inclusion. These are important conversations but neither party holds the keys to the Kingdom of God. As Cho noted, “Are you saying that one party has a monopoly on all the things we believe to parallel to God’s heart? That’s a complex conversation. But I don’t believe that a party has a monopoly on God’s Kingdom.”

The Real Danger Is Identity Theology

Many Christians were raised hearing “Good Christians vote Republican.” Others now hear “Real Christians must vote Democrat.” Same tactic, different sides. But in both cases, it’s identity theology tying our deepest belonging not to Christ, but to a political tribe.

The danger isn’t just in who we vote for. It’s in how we view the other side. Once we decide our party equals righteousness, we start to see everyone else as dangerous, foolish, or even evil. And when that happens, we stop seeing people as image-bearers of God.

We don’t just disagree. We dehumanize.

We Don’t All React the Same Way

Cho observes three major trends among Christians in this moment:

• Some disengage entirely, worn out by division and disillusionment.

• Others idolize politics, treating every election like the final battle.

• Still others co-opt Christianity into a power structure that bears little resemblance to Jesus.

None of these are faithful responses. But all are understandable. According to recent Barna research, many young Christians aren’t walking away from faith because they stopped believing in God but because they can’t reconcile the behavior of the Church with the character of Jesus.

They see Christians fighting more about party loyalty than sacrificial love. They see a Gospel of grace replaced with a religion of outrage. And they’re quietly asking: Where is Jesus in all this?

Peacemaking Isn’t the Same as Peacekeeping

Some Christians try to avoid conflict at all costs. Others are constantly ready for war. Cho warns against both extremes.

Peacekeeping says, “Let’s not rock the boat.” But peacemaking dares to challenge systems that hurt others. True peace doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine it means working for the good of all, even when that work costs us something.

As Cho reminds us, even Martin Luther King Jr. was reviled during his life. Only in hindsight did we canonize his courage. Faithfulness often doesn’t look popular. Sometimes it looks like protest, lament, and uncomfortable conversations.

Yes, Engage But Don’t Forget Who You Are

It’s not wrong to care about politics. In fact, it’s necessary. Policies matter. Elections matter. But they are not ultimate.

The Sermon on the Mount, not a party platform, is our guide. Jesus called His followers to humility, mercy, justice, and radical enemy love. No political party perfectly reflects those values which means Christians should feel both grateful and uneasy within any system.

We’re called to be citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) which should make us thoughtful, not tribal; engaged, not enraged; prophetic, not partisan.

What’s the Alternative?

It’s not apathy. And it’s not doubling down on our side.

It’s returning to the things Jesus actually told us to do:
Feed the hungry.
Clothe the naked.
Welcome the stranger.
Visit the prisoner.
Love your enemies.
Pray for those who persecute you.
Refuse to dehumanize.
Seek peace, even when it costs you.

In a world torn by outrage and division, that kind of quiet, faithful obedience is profoundly countercultural. It might not trend on Twitter. But it will reflect Christ.

Let’s Stop Settling for Counterfeit Gospels

There is a better way. One that’s not about being “right” or “left,” but about being rooted in Jesus. One that refuses to confuse policy with righteousness, or votes with virtue.

If we want the world to see Christ, we need to live like He matters more than power, more than popularity, more than political wins.

Yes, politics matter. But they’re not our hope. They never were.

Maybe it’s time we started acting like it.

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