Who Do You Trust?

We live in a broken world. What can we do about it? We could anxiously obsess over all the turmoil and moral decay, or rest in God. Worry is fretting over things we can’t control. Prayer is taking our concerns to the One who can change things. God is in control, even when the world seems out of control. Kings, Presidents, and Prime Ministers can’t fix everything. Legislation can’t make people ethical. Psalm 146 makes that clear: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” Many people trust governing authorities more than they should. Our currency states: “In God we trust.” So, who do you trust, God, or government? We need to respect and pray for our leaders but not idolize them. They’re powerful, but they have feet of clay.

Patriotism is generally a good thing, and I hope we love our country, but we need to guard against “statism,” a troubling, secular worldview that elevates country above God. It holds that peace and prosperity come primarily from government. This is a troubling delusion. “Religion” is a set of beliefs and practices that give meaning to life. Statism is a false, substitute religion. The state is not the source of our rights, only the protector. Trust in the ability of government to provide our needs gives a false sense of security. C.S. Lewis warned that “love of one’s country becomes a demon when it becomes a god.” When political allegiance replaces the Gospel, it ceases to be Christian. Politics becomes especially idolatrous when we think “My country, right or wrong.” I’ve visited 29 countries and I’ve lived in four. America is one of the best places to live, but America is not the hope of the world; the hope of the world is Jesus. It is appropriate to be patriotic, yet we need to understand that we are foremost under Christ’s lordship.

Nationalism and religion seem to go hand-in-hand during election campaigns. To gain support, many politicians appear religious. Comedian Mark Russell commented on a Presidential primary season where both parties had several candidates. He said, “All of them claim to be born-again Christians. This could give Christianity a bad name!” The values secular leaders claim does not always reflect their true beliefs.

An example of this is Vladimir Putin, who has effectively manipulated the Russian Orthodox Church. He can be seen lighting candles in church, and he has ikons on display in his Kremlin conference room. Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been a vocal supporter of Putin and the war in Ukraine, framing it as a spiritual battle against Western moral decay. Kirill has described Putin’s rise to power as a “miracle of God.” In return, the Russian Orthodox Church has received massive state funding, real estate privileges, and tax exemptions.

Putin’s support of the Russian Orthodox Church is a strategic, calculated alliance that serves his political goals. This is Machiavellian manipulation. In his political treatise The Prince, Machiavelli says that rulers should appear to be religious but should not be religious. Leaders like Putin weaponize religion for political gain. They claim the moral high ground yet lack virtue. Their goal is power, and they are cunning and ruthless wolves in sheep’s clothing. When a church is partisan, it can become a tool of the government. This is nothing new. Ulysses S. Grant noted: “There are three political parties in America: The Republicans, the Democrats, and the Methodists.”

America is becoming increasingly secular. Church attendance in America is in decline and more people than ever claim to have no religion. What are they relying on? Human ability. One of our past Presidents said his motto was “Man can.” Clint Eastwood said “A man needs to know his limitations.” Trust in self is a subtle form of idolatry. People are determining their own truth. Moral absolutes are being replaced by preferences, and ethics is seen as a mere social construct. With this perspective, anything can be justified. Moral relativism lacks one thing vital to human existence: meaning. Without a sense of the divine, people reach the end of their days wondering, “Is that all there is?”

Some clergy openly promote politics in the pulpit. They endorse candidates. Go to some churches and you’d think you were at a partisan rally. A disturbing trend: Ministers telling their congregations, “If you voted for (so-and-so), don’t call yourself a Christian.” These churches and pastors are in danger of damaging their reputation. We get politics shoved down our throats six days a week; isn’t it a relief to come to church to be reminded of eternal matters? Worship focuses on God and Scripture, which transforms our priorities and how we live.

How many times have we been guilty of this? The worship service is over, and in the fellowship hall, instead of discussing the sermon, we talk politics. I think part of Lord’s Day observance should be giving politics a break! Discuss matter of spiritual importance. Treat the fellowship time as an extension of the worship. We’re in danger of becoming ideological rather than theological, shaped more by the news media than Scripture.