Why Christians Must Join The Political Fray

Image Credit: @realDonaldTrump / Truth Social, canva

Op-ed by The Tennessee Conservative’s Olivia Lupia –

Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Determination. Hope. Grief. Anyone with a beating heart felt some combination of these emotions and more as we watched the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. 

At first, all I could do was watch all the different angles of the event and find no other words to pray but, “Oh God, oh God.” Then the tears came as I watched Trump raise his fist in defiance as a display of courage and strength like no other. Tears of relief, tears of hope, tears of gratitude, and then tears of grief at the reports that at least one precious soul was lost, more injured. 

Now, only two months later and with no answers or accountability, a second attempt on President Trump’s life has the nation facing many of these emotions and questions yet again.

In the aftermath, we’ve seen countless denunciations of “political violence” and calls for “unity” from every side of the political spectrum, particularly from the hypocrites on the left who ignite violence at every turn. But here is where I dissent. Righteous violence has its place and is evidenced throughout both Scripture and history. 

The most obvious, and perhaps most relatable, example that immediately comes to mind is our own Revolutionary War. This particular season of warfare was absolutely a series of politically violent acts, ordained, protected, and ultimately blessed by the Lord because those who participated, every patriot from General Washington to the unnamed preachers who urged their congregations to take up arms for the cause of righteousness, watched and waited upon the Divine. 

The Word itself is filled with acts of political violence that were ordered and directed by God, David being a prime example, the destruction of numerous cities and peoples being another. 

Political violence has its place when ordered by Justice Himself, political terrorism does not. And that is what the assassination attempts were- acts of terrorism fueled by hatred and without Divine justification or mandate. And that’s the difference that Christians need to discern and allow to frame their response to these atrocities.

This leads to my second disagreement with the “let’s all hold hands and move forward” rhetoric.

Christians are called to violence- sometimes physical, but always spiritual.

In Matthew 11:12, Jesus states “… the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.”

This is not an instance of a call to physical violence, but an illustration of how zealous and vigilant we are to be in the pursuit of the Kingdom of Christ. I believe this is the attitude Christians in America should be adopting in this time- we should be violently crying out for revival and rebirth in this nation. Revival is painful and messy and hard and bloody- sometimes literally. And though we have lived in soft times, it’s time for anyone who calls themselves a believer to make tough choices. 

So we have a choice, get into the trenches or turn a blind eye to a spiritual battle of epic proportions and grave consequences for the sake of “tolerance” and “unity” because much of the modern church fears mockery and worships at the altar of cancel culture.

While not everyone is called to run for office or be a statesman, the Word is filled with instruction for the believer and their place in civics and governance, Proverbs being a most outspoken example.

So get into your prayer closest and down onto your knees. Weep and moan and wail and let your anger be heard by the Author and Finisher of our faith and ask where your place on the wall is in this fight. Perhaps it’s working as a poll watcher, campaigning for actual conservative candidates, utilizing social media to counteract mainstream misinformation, or even starting a small home group to fellowship and discuss truth. The Lord will guide your steps.

My dearest brothers and sisters, though Jesus reminds us time and time again that this world is not our home, He also came as perfect Man and perfect God specifically to save it. He did not shy away from any arena- spiritual, political, philosophical, or otherwise and in fact prayed for His followers knowing He was sending them into a harsh and difficult world, yet knowing it was exactly where we are supposed to be (John 17: 6-26). 

I pray the Divine intervention of both the July and September assassination attempts was a spiritual wake up call for many politically neutral Christians who have sat on the sidelines and tacitly watched as Evil has unabashedly raised its serpentine head and grown bolder in its contempt of the sons and daughters of the King.

Dear Christian, you must take a stand. Jesus reminds us that He came not to “grant peace on earth…but rather division”. That when we faithfully follow Him, division from even those closest to us may be the price we pay (Luke 12:49-53).

There is no more time to sit on the sidelines and hope “political unity” will heal the nation. We must first find division from the world so we can find true unity in Christ. 

Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.