Warning Signs of Political Idolatry
In Just Love, we gather around six Justice Practices – they are the heart of what we mean when we talk about pursuing justice in the way of Jesus.
One of those practices is Change Structures. It’s about politics, not only in the narrow sense of parties and elections, but in how we organise our life together in our neighbourhoods, regions and nations. Changing Structures is the task of building systems and institutions that work for the flourishing of all image-bearers.
Recognising the need for structural change is a good starting point. But how we change structures matters just as much as the intention to do it. Idolatry is quite an intense word - but I think it’s an accurate description of what seems to be happening a lot in our politics at the moment. Human beings make idols whenever we seek ultimate meaning, satisfaction or salvation anywhere other than God. Political idolatry, then, happens when our allegiance to a particular political ideology or tribe competes with our allegiance to Jesus.
This is possible across all political persuasions. Even Christians who claim to be ‘apolitical’ often do so in a way that confines Jesus’ lordship to their private, inner world - making an idol of comfort and privilege.
While no one is immune from this danger, it is also important to name Christian Nationalism as an especially vocal and extreme form of political idolatry in our cultural moment, not least in the way that it co-opts Christian language and symbols to further xenophobic, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic ideology. Christian Nationalism seeks to use Jesus without being captivated by Jesus. It uses Christian language and symbols as weapons in the culture war. Make no mistake, this is idolatry. And, in the absence of a culture of robust political discipleship in most of the Western Church, it is colonizing the imagination of an alarming number of earnest, well-intended disciples.
Part of mature political discipleship is growing the ability to smell a rat. Following Jesus faithfully as we seek to build systems and institutions that promote human flourishing means being able to discern when Jesus is being faithfully revered and when Jesus is being co-opted.
So, here are six warning signs of political idolatry. Tempting as it may be, hold back on the urge to use this list to condemn other people. None of us are immune to political idolatry, so let’s start with the plank in our own eye.
1) Our politics becomes idolatrous when we allow ends to justify means
It’s common to use military and apocalyptic language to cast your political opposition as a terrible enemy, an existential threat, and to cast your own side as the righteous defenders of democracy/tradition/freedom/Christian heritage. Warfare language is not entirely inappropriate in politics – changing structures is always going to be a struggle. It’s worth noting that while the New Testament does use military language, it is almost always used towards the ‘principalities and powers,’ not towards human beings (see, for example, Ephesians 6:12). The problem is that if you convince yourself that you are in an existential battle then winning becomes a moral imperative. If you are convinced that the other side not only disagrees with you, but wants to annihilate you, then you are in a fight or flight response. You do whatever it takes for your side to win. Even if that means supporting distinctly unchristian policies or leaders. Ends justify means.
Why is that an issue? Partly pragmatically - if you fight evil with evil, you inevitably get evil. It’s only too common through history for the oppressed to overthrow oppressors, only to go on to become oppressors themselves. If ends justify means, we are stuck in a doom loop of violence and retribution where there are no winners. And then of course there is Jesus. All attempts to justify morally dubious actions because they serve a noble and righteous cause fall apart when confronted with our crucified and risen Messiah.
For further resources explaining Christian Nationalism, we’d recommend this bank of resources from the Joint Public Issues Team: https://jpit.uk/responding-to-christian-nationalism and the Centre for Bible and Violence: https://www.csbvbristol.org.uk/the-church-the-far-right-and-the-claim-to-christianity/ . For critique of Christian Nationalism, we’d recommend https://www.betterstory.info/
As Eugene Peterson put it, we cannot have the life and truth of Jesus without the way of Jesus. Means matter as much as ends in discipleship. Jesus’ means of putting the world to rights was the cross. If we desire to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world – if we want to change structures – then the cross is not just a symbol of allegiance or victory, it is our model for how we join in with God’s mission.
If our politics does not resemble the self-giving love of the cross, no matter how noble the ends we are pursuing, it is not the politics of Jesus.
2) Our politics becomes idolatrous when we explain away the words of Jesus
If we ever find ourselves attempting to explain why the words of Jesus don’t really apply to a particular context, we’re in trouble. This seems to happen a lot with the sermon on the mount. I’ve heard people on both sides of the political aisle in the US say words to the effect of: ‘we tried turning the other cheek, and it doesn’t work.’ The same could be true for enemy love, the beatitudes, or any number of Jesus’ teachings that subvert the dominance of realpolitik. This betrays a common misreading of scripture, which treats the bible like a self-help manual. Like much of Jesus’ teaching, the sermon on the mount is not practical advice for successful living, it is a prophetic declaration made on the basis of God’s arriving kingdom. Our call as political disciples is not to decide what ‘works in the real world’ and dispense with the teachings of Jesus that don’t fit that mould. Our call is to live together as signposts and foretastes of God’s new world – and that requires us to submit all of our political discipleship to the teaching of our Messiah.
If our politics requires us to explain away the words of Jesus, it’s not the politics of Jesus.
3) Our politics becomes idolatrous when it allows us to dehumanise others
One of the most damaging impacts of polarisation is the way it forms us to dehumanise those that we disagree with. When we are consuming endless content that stokes fear and hatred towards our opponents, we quickly start to treat our political opponents as dangers to be silenced, moral abominations to be shamed, and monsters to be destroyed.
As followers of Jesus, we can have no part in dehumanising. To treat any human being as less than an image-bearer, intricately created and saved at immeasurable cost, is an insult to the creator and redeemer. However much we may disagree with the opinions or actions of a political opponent, we must, without exception, insist on their dignity and worth as a human being.
If our politics allows us to dehumanise others, it’s not the politics of Jesus.
4) Our politics becomes idolatrous when we equate ancient Israel to any modern nation state
We’re often taught a way of reading the bible that is a bit like a pick n mix – a random assortment of verses, which we take out of context and apply to affirm whatever we want. This quite often happens in politics, when people take passages from the Torah, or the Old Testament prophets, and without any caveat, just quote them as though they were written to America or the UK.
They weren’t. Part of reading scripture reverently involves honouring the genre and the context of the text. The ancient Israelites were a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession (Exodus 19:6). That vocation was brought to fulfilment in Jesus the Messiah, Israel’s representative, and that vocation is now given to the Church (1 Peter 2:9).
The global, universal Church is God’s ‘holy nation.’ The UK is not. America is not.
If our politics equates ancient Israel to any modern nation state, it’s not the politics of Jesus.
5) Our politics is idolatrous when it feeds on fear
So much of our current political discourse is driven by fear – fear of losing a tradition or way of life we hold dear, fear of change, fear of difference, fear of harm. Many of these fears are completely understandable, but the fruit of such fear is devastating – fraying social fabric, eroding bonds of trust, soaring rates of loneliness and anxiety.
As followers of Jesus, our political posture is not a defensive crouch. We do not treat difference as a threat. When all we have is gift and when our allegiance and identity is in Christ, not in a nation, or an ideology, or a tradition, we do not need to be operating from fear. The politics of Jesus is the politics of love – not sugar-sweet sentimental love – but costly, sacrificial, redemptive love. We welcome others – even opponents – as gifts, not threats. We’re real about evil and injustice, but we know that their days are numbered. We hold on to hope.
Here, surely, is one clear area where Christians should be offering a beautiful alternative. We are people of hope, we serve the God who is love. ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.’ (1 John 4:18).
If our politics feeds on fear, it is not the politics of Jesus.
6) Our politics is idolatrous when we fully align with any party or movement
Our political discipleship may lead many of us to join a political party or movement. There is nothing wrong, and a lot that can be good, about that. But if we ever find ourselves in total agreement with our particular tribe, without any critique or discomfort, then those idolatry sirens should be blaring.
Jesus had many political options available to him in first century Judea. He subverted every one of them – his politics could not fit any existing category or box.
If we ever find ourselves convinced of our own righteousness or uncritically endorsing the totality of any secular ideology or party manifesto, we are in trouble. Of course, there is wisdom required here – it is not a licence to become a self-righteous fanatic. We best serve the parties, movements and societies we belong to by refusing conformity and groupthink even when that costs us.
If our politics fully aligns with any human leader, party or movement, it’s not the politics of Jesus.
I hope these six warning signs give you a starting point for reflection and conversation. If you want to explore our approach to Changing Structures more, why not work through our Justice Practice course in your church small group or with some friends?
