Guarding the Integrity of Faith in the Midst of American Politics
It’s natural for Christians to want to sanctify the culture around us, to help lift society’s gaze toward God. We are called to evangelizing and spreading the gospel to the ends of the Earth. But when politics becomes the main avenue for this, it can lead to unintended consequences, and at times, even idolatry.
In the political realm, we often become a means to an end. Political parties have their own goals, and they may invoke God’s name or Christian values, but I think it's worth asking ourselves: are we being used? It's easy to fall into the mindset that our political alliances are fully aligned with God. Yet, history shows us that when faith is absorbed into the power structures of politics, it can be distorted for the purposes of men, rather than for the glory of God. When this happens, the people we are called to evangelize recognize this and are turned away by what they see as hunger for power and hypocrisy. We need to guard the integrity of our faith so that it’s always a city on a hill that draws souls to the Lord, rather than a means for achieving dominance.
This need to guard the integrity of our faith is not new. In the early Church, the unbaptized were not permitted to know about certain parts of Christian belief, a practice known as the discipline of the secret (disciplina arcani). This practice was rooted in the belief that the sacred mysteries of the faith needed to be protected from misunderstanding or profanation. Only those who had been fully initiated and catechized were allowed to participate in or witness the central mysteries, ensuring proper understanding and reverence - particularly in a time when Christianity faced persecution and cultural misunderstanding.
Imagine if today we guarded the faith as closely as the early Church did, protecting it from misunderstanding and profanation. While the disciplina arcani doesn’t directly apply to our modern context, its principle of safeguarding the sacred is still relevant. In a culture that often appropriates Christianity for various agendas, aligning the faith too closely with any one political party risks distorting its true mission. When we assume that a particular party fully represents Christian values, we reduce the sacred to a tool for earthly power, scandalizing unbelievers and misrepresenting the faith to society. Invoking God’s name for partisan purposes undermines the call to holiness, turning Christianity into a political instrument rather than a beacon of grace and truth.
Perhaps the greater challenge isn’t choosing sides but remaining vigilant about how faith is used in the political sphere. If we’re guarding the integrity of faith, we must protect it from being co-opted by those who seek power. This means being critical, thoughtful, and cautious when faith and politics intertwine.
Ultimately, the kingdom of God is not of this world. While it’s natural to want to influence society for the better, we need to remember that true transformation comes through grace, not through politics. Perhaps the most important question is: Are we allowing God’s holiness to guide us, or are we letting politics shape our idea of holiness? Asking this question helps us discern whether our political actions are acts of charity that protect the dignity of others, or simply alignments with political agendas.