“You
can preach to people, but you can’t punish those who don’t believe.”
That
single sentence captures the heart of Christianity and the heart of the
struggle for America’s soul today.
Across
pulpits and campaign rallies, “God-fearing” has been redefined, not as humility
before God, but as loyalty to a political order claiming divine backing. The
shift is subtle, but its consequences reach far beyond church walls. As a
Christian, l have this to say,
What True God Fearing Faith Means
To
fear God in Scripture is not to live in terror; it is to live in awe and
accountability to recognise human limitation before divine justice.
Real
God-fearing faith is marked by reverence, not rage.
“The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” — Proverbs 9:10
It
is:
·
Personal
– grounded in conscience and free will.
·
Voluntary
– chosen, never coerced.
·
Compassionate
– animated by mercy rather than punishment.
·
Humble
– aware that judgment belongs to God alone.
·
Inclusive
– open to the stranger, as Christ was.
Faith
like this liberates; it never dominates.
It
invites people into grace rather than threatening them with exclusion.
What We Are Seeing Instead
The
current American landscape shows a different theology taking hold: Christian nationalism.
It
preaches salvation through citizenship and moral order through law.
It
tells believers that to defend the nation is to defend God, and that opposing
certain leaders is rebellion against heaven itself.
Christian
nationalism is not Christianity.
It
fuses religion with power, turning prayer into propaganda.
Its marks are easy to
spot:
·
Politicians declaring
divine mandate for office.
·
Pastors instructing
congregants how to vote.
·
Policies justified
through “biblical” purity rather than civic equality.
·
Non-believers, Muslims,
Jews, and secular citizens were labelled outsiders to “real America.”
This
is not the gospel; it is idolatry.
It
substitutes the cross for the flag and calls the substitution holy.
Jesus Refused Political Kingship
When
the crowd tried to make Jesus a political ruler, He withdrew:
“Jesus,
knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again
to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:15)
Before
Pilate, He clarified the nature of His authority:
“My
kingdom is not of this world… If it were, my servants would fight.” (John
18:36)
He
rejected violent power, rebuking Peter’s sword:
“Put
your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the
sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
And
in the wilderness, He refused Satan’s offer of “all the kingdoms of the world”
in exchange for worship (Matthew 4:8-10).
The
pattern is unmistakable: Jesus chose witness over rule, persuasion over
coercion, the cross over the throne. Any project that seeks to compel belief by
law or punish unbelief in God’s name runs counter to the way of Christ.
Coercion
Is Not Conversion
God’s
relationship with humanity is an invitation, not a command.
“Behold,
I stand at the door and knock.” — Revelation 3:20
“Choose
this day whom you will serve.” — Joshua 24:15
Choice
is woven into the DNA of faith. Without freedom, belief becomes performance.
The
early Church grew not through government backing but through witness and
sacrifice.
Whenever
Christianity has tried to rule from Constantine’s empire to modern theocracies,
it has gained power but lost its moral pulse.
The Political Cost of Forced Piety
When
the state baptises itself, religion becomes a weapon of exclusion.
Dissenters
are branded unpatriotic.
Schools
teach one creed as truth.
Officials
claim divine right for policy.
Minorities
live under suspicion, not law.
History
has seen this pattern before: medieval inquisitions, colonial missions, 1930s
fascisms cloaked in faith.
In
every case, the gospel of love was replaced by the logic of control.
A
nation can be religious without being righteous.
And
it can be righteous only when belief is free.
|
True
God-Fearing Faith |
Authoritarian
or Nationalist Faith |
|
Rooted in humility and service |
Rooted in pride and dominance |
|
Invites belief through example |
Imposes belief through law |
|
Speaks truth to power |
Serves power as truth |
|
Protects conscience and pluralism |
Punishes dissent and diversity |
|
Centres Christ’s compassion |
Centres the nation’s glory |
|
Seeks hearts |
Seeks obedience |
When Religion Becomes Idolatry
The
theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, writing as fascism rose in Europe, warned:
“When
religion is identified with the symbols of national loyalty, it becomes the
tool of tyranny rather than its critic.”
That
line could have been written for 2025.
In
America today, revival language sanctifies vengeance; prayers for peace are
mixed with calls for punishment.
When
pulpits echo state slogans, Christ’s message of mercy is drowned out by
applause for strength.
Faith That Liberates
To
be Christian in this moment is not to retreat from politics but to refuse to
worship it.
It
means defending conscience for all, not only for ourselves.
It
means standing beside those targeted in God’s name and saying: not in ours.
True
revival will never come from legislating belief.
It
begins where hearts are softened, where enemies are forgiven, and where truth
is spoken without fear of losing favour.
A Final Reflection
America’s
founders, many of them devout, enshrined the separation of church and state not
because they distrusted faith but because they understood its sanctity.
Religion coerced by law ceases to be faith at all.
“Render
unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are
God’s.” — Matthew 22:21
That
verse remains the firewall against tyranny disguised as piety.
A
God-fearing nation knows even the state must bow before conscience, not claim
it.
The
task for believers now is not to reclaim the nation for God, but to reclaim
faith from those who would use it to rule.
The
power of the gospel has never been in the sword or the ballot box, but in the
quiet courage to love those who do not believe as we do.
“When faith is forced, it
ceases to be faith.
When love is legislated,
it ceases to be love.”
