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Presented by Lauren Stibgen
One thing we can all agree on these days is that things feel heavy. There are so many social issues breaking daily on the news, and the headlines can be polarizing. The polarization is most often political. As a believer in Jesus Christ, are you overthinking about politics? Have you made politics an idol? Let’s explore some of the pervasive ways politics can become an idol and how we can turn to the Bible for wisdom.
Why would I want to even touch this idol with a proverbial ten-foot pole? Because the real work we do at work matters for the Kingdom. A political candidate or a law will never save someone from sin. Only Jesus can. And living up to the greatest commandment to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves can get very clouded when politics becomes part of our identity—when they become an idol.
A woman in one of my professional groups recently shared she was afraid to share her Christian faith because one of the churches in her community had been very outspoken about the local political climate. Being known as a Christian alone had raised so much angst in the community.
By the numbers, over 50% of workers expressed concern over the impact of conversations about politics at work, but nearly 40% of U.S. workers have engaged in political discussions at work. Of this group, 60% report these conversations have impacts on productivity.[1]
Add to this mix the other matter we care most about, sharing our faith. When these two topics blend, half of your audience will be concerned about the conversation and not in a good way.
Can we keep politics in their proper place? Can we engage but still follow Paul’s advice in Romans 12:2 to not conform to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind? Have we conformed to the world so much that we have lost our salt? Do we behave too much like the culture around us?
This is not about politics, but it is about how we can check in with ourselves to see if politics have become an idol in our lives. As followers of Jesus, we are called into a dual citizenship. How we represent our heavenly one matters.
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[1] CivicScience. (2025, February 11). Pulse of the U.S. Workforce Report: Political Leanings Shape Workforce Experiences, Perceptions of Leadership, and More. CivicScience. https://civicscience.com/pulse-of-the-u-s-workforce-report-political-leanings-shape-workforce-experiences-perceptions-of-leadership-and-more/
