The Lie that is Fracturing our Nation
How a century of misplaced loyalties led the American church into a culture war — and how we can find our way back.
In the days following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, I sat back and watched.
I didn’t rush to post or react. I waited. I grieved. I lamented the murder of a man — a husband and a father.
As I learned more about Charlie’s life, I found things to admire and things that troubled me. I appreciated his willingness to engage in debate and dialogue, but I struggled with the posture that often defined it; a sharpness that lacked humility, a conviction that often overpowered compassion. I believe Charlie loved Jesus, but I also believe his approach to the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed often stood in tension with the heart of Christ.
Charlie, like many in the modern church, often used apologetics not as an invitation but as a weapon.
And somewhere along the way, Charlie became more than a man — he became a symbol. For some, he represented courage and conviction. For others, he embodied everything wrong with a Christianity obsessed with winning rather than loving. But for both, he became something larger than himself: a figurehead in a cultural and spiritual war that has consumed the American church.
Because when you’re engaged in a culture war, you don’t want a person of gentleness — you want a fighter. You want a winner. Someone who can “destroy the other side.” Charlie became that person for many.
But let me say this clearly: he is not my symbol of Christianity, because I am not at war with other image-bearers of God.
The Confusion of Kingdom and Country
Politics and power have crept into the church, disguising themselves as control and influence. And though Jesus spent His entire life revealing a kingdom not of this world, we keep trying to squeeze our earthly agendas into His name.
When we conflate the kingdom of God with our politics, we start putting words in Jesus’ mouth that He would never say. We take His name in vain, not through profanity, but through presumption. We assign divine authority to political ideologies that often run completely contrary to His character.
And the result? A church filled with people who claim to follow the Prince of Peace but have become known for their hostility and division.
Here’s a simple rubric for your faith: If it’s not leading you to greater love, mercy, and compassion, it’s probably not from the Spirit of God.
How Did We Get Here?
A Timeline of the American Church’s Descent into the Culture War
1920s–1940s: The Fundamentalist–Modernist Divide
In the early 20th century, Protestantism split over how to respond to modernity: evolution, higher criticism, secularism. Fundamentalists saw themselves as defenders of “true Christianity” against liberal theology.
Faith became defensive instead of missional. We became critics of culture instead of creators of beauty. The mission of God was reduced to protecting the truth rather than embodying it.
Anxiety about modern life led Christians to view the surrounding world as the enemy. The church began to see itself as a fortress, a place to retreat from culture, not redeem it.
1940s–1960s: The Rise of Christian Nationalism
After World War II, America emerged as a global power, and faith was welded to patriotism. “In God We Trust” appeared on money. “One Nation Under God” was added to the pledge. To be American was to be Christian.
Christianity became a cultural identity rather than a cruciform way of life.
Evangelicals began to see America as a chosen nation; a new Israel.
This blurred the line between discipleship to Jesus and loyalty to the nation.
Instead of the church being a contrast community, it became the chaplain of the state.
1970s–1990s: The Birth of the Moral Majority and the Culture War
In response to the sexual revolution, the legalization of abortion, and the removal of prayer from schools, conservative Christian leaders launched movements like the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition.
Faith became politicized. Moral reform was sought through political power rather than spiritual renewal. Evangelicalism shifted from being a theological identity to a political brand.
Christians were told their most faithful act was to vote the right way. Leaders framed Christianity as being under siege by secular liberalism.
A culture war was born; one that replaced the way of Jesus with the pursuit of control.
Defending “Christian America” became more important than embodying Christlike humility.
1980s–2000s: The Megachurch Movement and Consumer Christianity
As the suburban megachurch exploded, the values of comfort, charisma, and choice replaced covenant, suffering, and community.
The gospel was subtly reshaped by the American Dream. Faith became individualized and moralistic — private spirituality and personal success.
With formation gone missing, politics became the only public expression of belief. As one theologian put it, “Christians were being discipled more by Fox News and Facebook than by the Sermon on the Mount.”
Churches learned to attract crowds but not necessarily to make disciples. Theological depth was replaced by production. Formation was replaced by influence. We lost the slow, cruciform way of Jesus.
2000s–Present: The Age of Outrage
The rise of talk radio, cable news, and later social media created an economy of outrage. Fear, anger, and division became profitable. Algorithms reward outrage, not empathy. The more you hate, the more clicks you get.
Miroslav Volf observed this shift in culture when he said, “We are more defined by our enemies than by our Savior.”
Meanwhile, the church, largely unformed in contemplative life, prayer, and spiritual discipline, lacked the interior depth to resist the pull of power and fear.
Dallas Willard warned: “The church is filled with undiscipled disciples… Those who have never learned to live in the Kingdom are driven by the world’s systems of fear and desire.”
With the decline of Christendom, many Christians now feel like exiles in their own land. But instead of embracing exile as a return to our true posture, humility, love, and mission, we’ve fought to regain control. When power becomes confused with faithfulness, the gospel becomes a weapon instead of a witness.
The Lie Beneath It All
The culture war is built on a simple but devastating lie: that the way to save the world is to win it.
Jesus never said that.
He didn’t come to win. He came to love, to serve, to die, and to rise. He didn’t seize power; He laid it down.
We’ve traded the cross for a crown, the towel for a sword. And in doing so, we’ve forgotten that the Kingdom of God advances through love, not dominance.
The cultural captivity of the church didn’t happen overnight. It’s the fruit of a century of misplaced loves:
A Defensive Posture – protecting truth rather than embodying it.
Nationalism – confusing patriotism with discipleship.
Political Idolatry – seeking transformation through power instead of presence.
Consumer Christianity – replacing formation with production and consumption.
Fear of Loss – seeing cultural change as a threat rather than a mission field.
So, What’s the Way Forward…
Recover a Cruciform Gospel - The gospel is not a strategy for control but a story of self-giving love. When the church embraces the way of the cross it becomes beautiful.
Reclaim Formation - We must become a deeply formed people who are transformed on the inside to resist the noise of fear and outrage.
Recenter the Kingdom - Our primarily allegiance is to a King who rides a donkey. Our mission is not to win America back but to bear witness to the rule and reign of Christ in the world.
Reimagine Mission - The world doesn’t need more culture warriors, it needs culture creators and healers who are called to wash feet, not win debates. To love our enemies not to create more enemies.
🔥