There’s an irony in my ministry that I never expected: in order to proclaim the message of Jesus of Nazareth, I have to talk about politics. Not because I want to, but because in America, so much of what Jesus actually preached has been politicized.
When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor,” that was a spiritual truth… but in our culture, it’s also a political statement. When he welcomed the stranger and told us to love our neighbor, that has become a matter for legislation and border policy. When he healed the sick and told us to do the same, we run headfirst into arguments about health care.
So here I am, a priest who would rather simply preach the Gospel, dragged again and again into the public square. I don’t speak because I want influence or power. I speak because the Gospel leaves me no choice.
Why Christians Can’t Avoid the Political Arena
Jesus himself did not campaign for Caesar or for Herod, but he certainly confronted them. When he said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” it wasn’t a clever dodge, it was a declaration that earthly rulers are not ultimate. Every empire claims more than it deserves. Every nation asks for allegiance that belongs only to God.
That’s why Christians cannot be silent in the face of injustice. Silence is complicity. To proclaim Jesus faithfully means speaking to the realities of this world, even when those realities have been carved into party platforms.
Why Christians Must Not Be Owned by Politics
Yet here is the other side of the truth: while Christians must speak into politics, we must never be owned by it. Political parties demand loyalty, and that loyalty inevitably distorts the Gospel.
The left tempts us with visions of progress apart from God. The right tempts us with visions of order and morality that often deny mercy. Both parties demand that we close one eye to their sins if we want a seat at the table.
But Christians are called to keep both eyes open. We must speak for the orphan, the widow, the poor, the immigrant, the sick, and the oppressed. We must say what needs to be said, no matter how it polls.
And here is the deeper question: when we engage in politics, do we begin with the words of Jesus and then ask whether a policy aligns with his command… or do we start with the policy we prefer and then rummage through Scripture for a verse to justify it? Are we content to be placated by a party that offers us one or two Gospel-flavored policies, so long as we swallow with them a mountain of sin, greed, and violence? If so, we are not serving Christ at all, we are only doing the bidding of Caesar with a thin coat of Scripture for cover.
Hope for a Future Beyond Parties
My hope is that in the future, Christians will belong to no political party. We will gather not under elephants or donkeys, but under the Lamb. We will not confuse the ballot box with the Kingdom of God. We will not place our hope in senators or presidents, but in the One who rose from the dead.
Until then, we walk a tightrope. We speak truth where truth is required, even when it sounds political. We engage the public square not to seize control but to bear witness. And when we do, we should remind ourselves daily: the Kingdom of God is not built by ballots or policies, but by lives shaped by love.
A Pastoral Close
It is exhausting, I know, to feel that every moral statement we make becomes a political one. But don’t let that silence you. The Gospel was never meant to be domesticated.
Remember Paul’s words in Philippians: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is the anchor that keeps us steady. We are citizens of a Kingdom not built by hands, and it is that Kingdom we proclaim.
So let us run toward politics only so that we may divest ourselves of it. Let us speak when silence would betray Christ. Let us engage not for control but for love. And let us keep our eyes fixed not on the Capitol or the White House, but on the Cross and the empty tomb.
If this reflection spoke to you, please share it. Send it to a friend, post it on your social media, or bring it into a conversation. Every time we speak about the Gospel in this way, we help loosen its grip from the stranglehold of partisan politics and return it to the voice of Jesus.
The Kingdom is bigger than any party. Let’s remind the world of that, together.