I am frustrated with today’s politics, so much so that I feel a bit politically homeless. I don’t fit in their camp and I don’t fit in their circle. Anyone else feel that way?
“I’m a Christian who is theologically conservative & socially compassionate, too conservative for progressives & too progressive for conservatives, pro-life from womb to tomb, politically homeless, & who’s ultimate citizenship is in Heaven not America.” – Rondell Trevino
“I’m not allegiant to an elephant or a donkey I’m allegiant to The Lamb.” – Pastor Samuel Rodriguez
The three main reasons I am politically homeless right now:
1. The Perception
In the cancel culture in which we live, I don’t want anyone finding out, seeing, or knowing that I belong to a certain party and then canceling me or any chance I may have to minister to them, just based on the perception of what I might stand for in that party.
2. The Problems
It was and is a major problem to me that there seems to be a growing and blind support among many Christians of a Party, its policies, and its politicians without an apparent concern to line up the policies and the politicians under the Authority of Scripture.
3. The Policies
For instance, I am undeniably pro-life. I believe life begins at conception and that God knits us together in our mother’s womb, knowing us before we are born as Scripture says. As a Christian and as a pastor, I can’t read the Scripture and not walk away with a pro-life view, but it’s pro-life from the womb to the tomb. God is not JUST pro-birth, He’s pro-LIFE. All lives.
That makes me ask some very tough questions of myself, of Christians, and of our parties. Am I as pro-life for the woman who chooses abortion as I am the child who was aborted? What am I, and what are we doing to love, care for, and serve her? Wouldn’t Jesus do that?
I wholeheartedly believe in the historic Christian view of sexuality; that marriage and all sexual activity are reserved for by God as one man and one woman until death do us part. But I also believe in loving, honoring, and protecting the rights of LGBTQ people. I don’t know where the answer is in protecting the rights of religious liberty and LGBTQ people, but there has to be a better way than the extremes we find ourselves at.
The growing racial divide, the criminal justice reform needed, and the existing systems that make it harder for people of color to experience the same advancements in America as I would have as a white male seem to find their extremes in the parties as well. Why is that? Again, I don’t know the answer but there has to be a better way.
In politics, with each of these policies and issues I’ve addressed, and so many more, I have massive concerns about where we find ourselves, and it’s pushed me to my political homelessness. I’m frustrated and I’m concerned.
If you find yourself politically homeless like myself, don’t let that keep you politically silent or inactive. As Pastor Fred Gallop said, “While we may not be lining up on a side, we still need to move forward in Christian action.”
If you’re currently in a party, stay in! Fight. Shine your light! But by all means, don’t just blindly follow or accuse someone else of something without truly knowing where they stand.
Look at the life of Jesus! Let Him be our example and guide in everything, including politics. Because remember, America is not our Jerusalem, it’s our Babylon, and we are God’s exiles in a foreign land. I’m asking all of us who are Christians to be good exiles!
1 Timothy 2:1-2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.