Politics and Religion

Published on 30 September 2026 at 10:43

The title of the message today is, “Politics and Religion” and the reason I’m talking about it today is because of a conversation Jane Doe and I had last Sunday. I’m not telling you that to single Jane Doe out or embarrass her. Jane Doe had a legitimate question and the reason it’s the topic of today’s sermon is because all of you have the right to know where I stand on the issue and how I will be dealing with politics as your pastor. So, no one gets to give Joyce a hard time about this and, in fact, I want to say, “Thank you, Jane Doe,” for bringing this up because what I’m about to say needs to be said.

First and foremost, we need to recognize that politics and political speech have become so divisive in this country that, in a lot of cases, we simply cannot talk about the subject without going for each other’s throats.

And, I have personally witnessed politics poison a church.

That’s not going to happen here.

I told you during the group question and answer period that I am not going to run and hide from elephants ( or donkeys) in the room. I love you people and we should be able to talk about anything like people who love each other – like a family.

So, in the interest of full disclosure, you should know that, if you dig way back in my history when I was the reporter for the Maple River Messenger, I confess that I wrote some things that may have been considered offensive to animal rights advocates, militant vegetarians, and/or fans of President Bill Clinton, among others.

If you are still among those groups, please accept my apologies. And, of course, please note that all of this took place in a different century, so hopefully none of that comes back to haunt me – or us.

I’ve also told you that there was a period in my life where I wanted to be a hippy.

Now, while some people today view hippies as people who were simply into drugs, loud music, and sinful lifestyles, it was much worse than that. The hippy movement was, at its very foundations, political – and its aim and goal was to destroy the political and economic foundations of this country of ours.

Books like “Revolution for the Hell of It” by Abbie Hoffman (1968), “Do It!: Scenarios of the Revolution” by Jerry Rubin (1970), and “The Politics of Ecstasy” by Timothy Leary (1968) fueled that movement – as did the music of the day.

And, if you google it up, the internet will claim that hippies weren’t really trying to destroy the nation, they were simply “attempting to dismantle mainstream political, economic, and social norms, which they often framed as replacing "America" with a decentralized "Woodstock Nation" or “communal consciousness.”

Tomato, toh-mah-to. Same thing.

You can look this up: From February 1, 1943, to October 1, 1980, the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service (which was later absorbed by the National Security Agency) ran a counterintelligence program called the Venona Project which was intended to decrypt messages transmitted by the intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union including the NKVD, the GRU, and the KGB.

What they found was that there were indeed Soviet spies working within the US, and that the Soviet Union had indeed weaponized propaganda to influence social movements, including the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

The ideological fuel behind that movement came from people like Chairman Mao, Marx, Lenin, and Che Guevara. Among the many objectives of that movement were the infiltration and control of our schools, the media, and even our churches.

And that is why, when I sobered up and really took a hard look at what I believed, it became obvious that I had believed a whole pack of big fat lies.

I’m sure you’ve heard it said (mostly by folks against Christianity) that most wars have been caused by religion.

That’s another lie.

In 2005, Charles Phillips and Alan Axelrod wrote a book called, “The Encyclopedia of Wars” which cataloged 1,763 wars during human history. They found that only about 123 of those wars (or about seven percent) were explicitly religious in nature.

And what most of the folks who go around humming John Lennon’s song “Imagine” don’t like to tell you is that communism has killed somewhere between 80 and 100 million people – and those were not just people who died in prisons, labor camps, or gulags. That includes political purges and executions, state-directed terror campaigns, and millions and millions of people who were purposely starved to death by their own governments for the specific purpose of reducing the population.

I have a friend who was born and raised in Communist China and he didn’t realize that China had enforced mandatory abortions on women who had more than one child from 1980 to 2015. He had to look it up and fact-check it when he was living outside the country because the Chinese government controls what its people are allowed to believe as “truth.”

I should also note that, under most forms of communism, dissidents (And that is defined as people whom the government believes strongly disagree with it.) are shot.

And then we have the fact that in most communist countries, faith in Jesus Christ is outlawed and punishable by death. Atheism is mandatory in most communist countries.

Where Christianity is allowed, it is strictly controlled, as is the case with the Russian Orthodox Church which is strictly controlled by the Kremlin.

And, as a missionary, I can tell you that in many, many cases, the human pain and misery in many countries is the direct result of corrupt and evil governments.

So, yes, if you want to drag Pastor Dan into a political discussion, I will freely admit that I am very much against any political and ideological system that outlaws faith in Jesus and kills the people God loves.

You got me there.

Now, if we are being fair and honest, it should be said that there was indeed some truth in the things that needed to change in this country back then, specifically in how we treat women, minorities, and the environment.

And yes, there was an aspect of the counterculture movement that opposed materialism, and yes, they had a point, but it never made any sense at all to throw out the baby with the bath water because how are you going to feed and clothe and provide a safe place for people to live if you establish a “Woodstock Nation?” You cannot spend your whole life smoking dope and grooving to The Grateful Dead, folks.

It’s not a viable plan.

Despite all its many flaws and problems, I am a firm supporter and advocate not only of democracy, but also of capitalism. Yes, I believe that a person who engages in honest work should be paid a fair wage. I believe that if a person wants to start a business and conduct fair trade and honest buying and selling of goods and/or services, that is a good thing.

And, if in the process of engaging in honest business that benefits people (both employees and customers) that if that person should make an abundance of money, then HALLELUJAH! We would pray that such people would be so much the better equipped and encouraged to use the funds God has given them to benefit those in need and those doing His work here on this earth.

Now, do I believe capitalism should be regulated?

Absolutely! We don’t want young girls painting radium on watch faces until their jaws rot off, nor do we want seven year-olds working in coal mines, or meat-packing plants putting sawdust in our sausages.

We still live in a sinful world, so of course we need someone to regulate and enforce fairness and justice in the system.

And that, my beloved family, is hopefully the last time you will ever hear me go off on a rant like this ever again.

To explain why, and get ourselves grounded in the Word of God, let’s take a look at Matthew 22:15-22. (I love this scene.)

“Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

His reply amazed them, and they went away.”

Do you see what’s going on here? This was entirely a political trap. The Pharisees figured if Jesus said people should pay the tax, the people would see Him as a traitor to the Jewish people and if He said they should not pay the tax, He would be an insurrectionist against Rome itself and subject to the death penalty.

They thought they had Him.

But what Jesus did, as He always did, was take their measly little earthly plot, throw it to the ground, and elevate the discussion to a heavenly level.

The image on that coin was of an earthly man, but you and I are made in the image of God. So we should give to God – that which has His image on it – that which is God’s! That’s us! Namely all of us and every part of us!

The Messiah the people had been waiting for and praying for for hundreds and hundreds of years was standing right in front of them in the here and now! How did the value of a denarius – a single day’s wage – compare to the LORD of eternity standing in their midst?

And Jesus, our Messiah, is still with us. He is right here, right now. (I told you I was going to preach that.)

Politics is a trap. It’s the fastest way to alienate people, create division, and sow distrust among people I know of. It starts people complaining and complaining will kill a church.

And that leads me to something super-important. I know you folks, well some of you folks, okay maybe a couple of you folks, love me. I have felt that love and I truly and dearly appreciate it. THANK YOU!!

But, at some point, I will mess up. Maybe it’s this sermon right here.

I am a human being. At some point, I will make a mistake. I will hurt someone’s feelings, and someone, somewhere, will say, “Hey, wait a minute, that Dan Jones guy ain't so perfect after all …”

When that happens, please, please, please come to me FIRST! Do not wait days and weeks and months to do it while that burr digs itself deeper and deeper under your saddle. Come to me and we can talk about it.

I can assure it is not my intent to harm you, I certainly did not mean to be a big dumb jerk about whatever subject we are talking about, and if you saw me wearing a Hawaiian shirt and camouflage pants without having my teeth in, it was because you caught me in a moment of weakness when I never expected to encounter any other living being except perhaps a fish on the end of my line.

Thank you.

And now, back to the sermon:

Religion, when it’s practiced as a system of rituals and rules that elevates itself (and its officials) above the truth of who Jesus really is, can be even worse.

That’s why I said I’m not fond of religion.

A

t its inception, before Christians were called Christians, Christianity was called “The Way,” as in “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” and it was a Jesus movement.

Christianity should not be a religion. It’s about relationship, as I have preached before – and it should be a movement.

And let’s be clear about something else, too. When it comes to the mainstream media in the United States of America, Christians are often portrayed as racists, bigots, ignorant, stingy, and just plain mean. So, how do we overcome that?

I have two short stories to go with that thought:

The first one is about my friend, Pastor Tim. He was a pastor in Hutchinson, but his dad’s health started to deteriorate, so he decided to move back to Kentucky to be with his dad during his last days. When he moved back, all he could find for a job was a night shift position stocking shelves at the local Wal-Mart. Tim called me to tell me (and he was absolutely ecstatic about this) that one of his co-workers was a young lady who described herself as lesbian witch – and they were having conversations about JESUS!

The second story is about my friend, Luca. Luca spent 31 years as a transgender man and now she has been saved and is a fabulous witness for the LORD Jesus Christ! She is currently preparing for a trip to the Philippians to help pastors there address transgenderism. HALLELUJAH!

I can absolutely guarantee you that neither of those people had their lives changed by a political discussion. In fact, I would be very, very interested to know of even one single person who ever came to Jesus through a discussion of politics.

Okay, it’s going to seem like I’m going off on yet another bunny trail here, but stick with me for a couple of minutes. I will come back to this.

On Wednesday, I put in my first office hours here in the church. I went to the cafe first for a delicious 10,000 calorie meal and when I got back, I decided I needed to go for a walk to burn off a little bit of the pork commercial I had just consumed.

I first started walking laps inside the fellowship area and then, since it was a beautiful day outside, I started walking around the grounds of the church.

I was moved to Holy Spirit tears!

This is a beautiful, glorious church! This congregation has done a wonderful job of maintaining and beautifying and keeping up this amazing place both inside and out! I am absolutely astounded and humbled that the LORD has called me to be the shepherd of this church.

As I walked, I prayed, “Lord Jesus FILL this place with people! Put joyful, happy children in these swings! Let the power of your Holy Spirit fill this place with people who will experience your grace, your mercy, and your amazing, limitless love! Let it ALL be to your glory, LORD JESUS!! AMEN AND HALLELUJAH!

So, yes, I firmly believe the United States of America, this country that was founded on the concept of people being made in the image of God, is the best place in the world to live. I believe we have been blessed beyond what any other people at any other time in the history of the world have been blessed. I believe God has given us those blessings to bless others and to enable us to fulfill the Great Commission in ways more wonderful and more glorious than any other people at any other time in history!

Even though we live in this amazing country that attracts millions of people to immigrate here every year, there are broken and lost and confused and hurting people yearning for Jesus to rescue them all around us. They need someone to tell them that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, to tell them that they are loved and God wants each and every one of them to know Him and His Son, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to experience and live out the full and abundant life He planned for them from the very beginnings of time itself!

But I am absolutely certain we are not going to attract those people to the love of Jesus Christ and draw them into this glorious, beautiful place by talking politics. That’s why I’m not going to stand up here and talk about how our country has gone to hell in a handbasket and all hope is lost.

All hope is NOT lost!

If you believe that, I would advise you, as your loving pastor, to get a shovel, go into your backyard, dig the deepest hole you possibly can, and throw every television set you own into that hole.

I firmly believe that if the LORD is going to fill this church with hundreds of joyful people healed and saved by the love of Jesus Christ, He’s going to do it with those beautiful prayers you lift up, songs of praise, warm slider sandwiches, granny pants, and the love you people pour out every day – not with me standing up looking like some foaming at the mouth flat-earth nut case.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: The most powerful force in the universe is the love of Jesus Christ. It lives and moves and breathes here in this place, in you people, and I am more than happy to proclaim THAT as long as the LORD gives me the ability!

So, here’s the plan: Let’s introduce everyone we can to the love of Jesus Christ, watch them be adopted into the family of God and changed forever into new creations, and then trust the Holy Spirit to tell them which little circles to fill in on their ballots.

Are we good with that?

LORD Jesus, THANK YOU that you are indeed The Way, The Truth, and the Life! Help us to be a church of gratitude and praise! Help us to take delight in you, and help us to share ALL of who you are with great multitudes of people that will fill this church!