One of the most enduring warning signs that your Christian faith has become too comfortable is when your politics never conflicts with your Christianity.  Following Christ is a radical transformation that upends everything normal about our human existence – it reverses priorities, topples assumptions, unseats preferences, and elevates a new King to the throne room of our existence.

While it’s true our maturity in the faith will bring things like our politics into line with the will of Christ, it is also true that no one reaches the point of human perfection.  All of us, no matter how thoroughly we pursue righteousness, will still have moments where our sinful human nature tempts us towards idolatrous thinking.  Perhaps no area offers a keener glimpse of this reality than politics.

Yesterday, the news was bad for the presidency of Donald Trump, as past sins came home to roost.  Specifically, the President’s former attorney Michael Cohen admitted he violated campaign finance laws by paying hush money to porn stars at the direction of “a candidate.”  In other words, Cohen testified under oath that Donald Trump coordinated to commit a federal crime.  That means a subpoena and legal nightmare for Trump.

One of the first responses I saw to the news was from outspoken Christian commentator and Fox News contributor Todd Starnes:

“A significant point – the Cohen and Manafort cases have absolutely nothing to do with Russia collusion.”

And:

“Let’s be clear – the Deep State is going to punish anyone who helped Trump get elected.”

The first comment is irrelevant and the second is just bizarre – is Starnes implying that Michael Cohen was really working for the “Deep State” all along?  A Christian’s first loyalty should be to righteousness, and here would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that.  Regardless of our political preferences, right is right, wrong comes with consequences, and this situation offers our lost world another example of how nothing good ever comes from sin – even for the powerful and privileged.

But there was another significant news story that happened yesterday as well.  The body of missing University of Iowa student, 20-year-old Mollie Tibbits was discovered and her apparent killer arrested.  A 24-year-old illegal immigrant named Cristhian Rivera who had seen Mollie jogging, reportedly stalked her, and then killed her when she threatened to call the police.

It's a heartbreaking end to a story that had captured the nation’s attention, and it was a painful reminder that there are deadly consequences for a country’s innocent citizens when it fails its national security obligation.  Of course there are violent criminals who are legal citizens who could have perpetrated this terrible offense.  But we expect our government to do all it can to prevent such crimes.  In this case, merely securing the border would have done so. 

Out of curiosity I dropped by the Twitter feed of outspoken liberal activist and founder of the Red Letter Christian organization, Shane Claiborne.  Shane’s content consists of three themes: 1. Virulent judgment and condemnation of President Trump and his supporters, 2. Lamentation and grief over the execution of murderers and serial killers, 3. Pleas for open borders and clemency for all illegal immigrants to America.

But surely, I thought, he has not grown some comfortable in his version of Christianity that a tragic story like this couldn’t provoke some introspection, consideration, or at least a sympathetic grief for the family of the innocent slain.  There was none.  There was gloating over the President’s bad day, but that was it.

When your faith never demands you rise above your politics, there’s a good chance your faith is man-centered and idolatrous.  That’s a good reminder for all of us.