Simply put, the way of Christ does not call us to pick and choose who is worthy of mercy. He expects us to walk in the same action and attitude as he does, not in the minimums of Christian rhetoric. His Word is clear: our role is whole-hearted sacrifice reflecting an eager and deep devotion to the One who sacrificed himself for us. In truth, this is Gospel 101, verified by more biblical passages than one could possibly fit into such a short space. 

But aren’t we permitted to have political opinions unrelated to our obedience and devotion to Christ? Biblically, the answer may sound surprising in our current climate: it’s a clear “no.” We should be grateful for and good stewards of our civic freedoms and duties, but our devotion to political viewpoints must pale in comparison to our devotion to the biblical ways of Christ, and those ways are unambiguous when it comes to our attitudes toward people like immigrants and refugees. “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down… the Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.”[1] Even more shocking, God says, “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”[2] 

Furthermore, no political party or figure who simply, perhaps even convincingly, claims to be rushing to the defense of Christ or his ways exempts us from being faithful to weigh their attitudes and actions against those very ways, just as we would do with anyone we follow who also claims to be following Christ. In fact, if those who claim to represent Jesus sound nothing like him, avoid or refuse to do the same works he does— or dare it be said, proudly display a disposition oppositional to Jesus’s —then we should not abide in their teachings or leadership. Does such a statement hold up biblically? The Apostle John opined: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”[3] There are few terms as broad as “whoever,” leaving little wiggle room for reinterpretation. If living as Jesus did is not our full-throated, full-hearted intention, then the easy answer is simply not to claim we live in him—that is, not to declare that we immolate and take our marching orders from him. 

The Apostle Paul would be accused of being the “tone police” if he were to write in the present day what he penned to the Philippians some two thousand years ago: “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”[4] In other words, we simply cannot claim that policies eclipse attitudes in the eyes of God. Certain attitudes may be politically expedient, but if those in political power do not even attempt to think, act, or treat the poor as Christ did (and does), we should not proclaim their attitudes or actions as being of the Christian persuasion. Each of us must reconcile ourselves to the politics we choose, but we should rest assured that the God we serve will never reconcile his Kingdom to the politics of lesser kings. There will be only one King. Such statements shouldn’t anger us; they should invigorate us, reminding us of the Source of our true life! This is the good part of the Good News. After all, in Christ’s Kingdom, we are the foreigners and refugees for whom he cares so well (Ephesians 2:19).

A popular sentiment exists today: “I’m not electing a pastor. I’m electing a president (or senator, governor, etc.).” Truer words have never been spoken, but if they’re true, we should stop ascribing pastoral traits (or worse) to the people we’re electing (i.e.,“He alone is God’s man for the job,” “God needs him to save our country,” etc) Just let the elected officials be our politicians, a noble profession. But if they also claim to be religious leaders (or we proclaim them to be), then they must be judged by the same scriptural standards we use to judge elders and church leaders, and rightly so. 

Once our attitude and actions, governmental or otherwise, have been placed into the category of “Christian,” they must reflect the merciful approach of Christ. This is the irrefutable litmus test. We can speak or sing words of praise all we want, but as Martin Luther observed, “God wants to be praised through works of mercy.”[5] Again, if there are no works of mercy to be found, call it whatever you want—even support it, if you feel you must. Just don’t call it “Christian.” And once you stop calling it “Christian,” it may be easier to grapple with the tensions of what it actually is, perhaps arriving at a more objective evaluation that is hard to come by when something has an arbitrary divine seal of approval attached to it. Dallas Willard points out these clear and divine demarcations: “Now reflect: Has your heart gone out in generous blessing to someone who has insulted or humiliated you? Can you work without thought of gain for the well-being of someone who openly despises you, maybe has told you to drop dead? Are you enthusiastically pulling for the success of someone competing with you for favor, position, or financial gain? That is what those possessed and permeated by God’s kind of love find themselves doing.”[6] 

Yes, I realize this is not the popular refrain among the populist movement that is, at times, driving the majority of Christian sentiment in America today. But the Bible implores us to: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”[7] Again, try to fathom the breadth of “all who are destitute.” We have work to do—and it’s the right kind of work. Such a posture means we must be more concerned with righteous, just, and humble living before our humble King (Matthew 11:29) than avoiding tired and predictable accusations of “wokeness.” The low-hanging indictment of wokeness is a vague, indefinable distraction, while God’s call to the merciful treatment of those in need could not be clearer. As much as it is possible, we are to love our neighbors indiscriminately as defined by Christ in the parable of the Good Samaritan. This echoes John Wesley’s passion to: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can.”[8]