The morning after the election, a church member found himself on his regular run through the neighborhood, passing houses with opposing political signs. Each sign triggered an increasingly visceral reaction until he caught himself mid-thought: “I realized I was looking at these homes – homes of actual people, my neighbors – and thinking about whether I would help if they were in trouble. That’s when I knew I had to stop and check my heart.”
This raw moment of self-reflection captures a struggle many Christians faced following the 2024 presidential election. According to Pew Research Center’s latest survey, 82% of White evangelicals voted for former President Trump, while 85% of Black Protestants supported Vice President Harris. The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that Christians represented 72% of voters who turned out, making their divisions particularly significant for church unity. CNN’s exit polls reveal even deeper fissures: 73% of voters described feeling either dissatisfied or angry about the state of the nation, while 70% expressed concern about potential violence following the election.
The Reality of Our Division
“We keep pushing off our responsibility,” observes Rev. Dr. Fraser Venter, who has spent over 30 years in pastoral ministry focusing on justice and reconciliation. This deferral happens in multiple ways – we expect elected officials to solve community problems, look to church leaders to bridge divides, or wait for someone else to take the first step toward reconciliation. Meanwhile, our communities remain fractured, and our witness as Christians is diminished.
The church’s response to political division often mirrors these patterns of deferred responsibility. Some congregations avoid difficult conversations entirely, while others allow political identity to overshadow Christian identity. Both approaches fail to address the fundamental challenge facing the American church: how to maintain unity in Christ while engaging honestly with real disagreements about how to love our neighbors and steward our nation.
Yet there’s hope in remembering our primary allegiance. “Beyond all the political differences, we have one Savior,” Venter reminds us. This isn’t just aspirational rhetoric – it’s a practical reality. When Christians focus first on their shared identity in Christ, they often discover that working together on community needs creates bridges across political divides.
Staying at the Table
Bishop Kenny Martin, who presides over the Free Methodist Church USA along the West Coast and in the South Central U.S., understands the temptation to walk away. “The easy thing for me to do is say, ‘Let me just go back to my people,'” he acknowledges. But he sees a deeper calling: “If you stay long enough, you’ll begin to see a change. And I want others, when I’m done, to know he stuck it out because it was a calling to this family.”
Making Space for Grief
“Someone’s gonna have to lay our blades down,” Bishop Martin reflects, “sit at the table and say, ‘Listen, this is the family.'” This process begins with creating space for genuine grief and concern without rushing to fix it. Different members of our community will experience political outcomes differently based on their lived experiences and perceived vulnerabilities. “We’re not saying stop being angry, get over it,” Martin emphasizes. “That’s where they are.”
Building Real Relationships
“It’s going to be uncomfortable,” Bishop Martin acknowledges. “We have to have some talk where it’s gonna be uncomfortable.” Yet it’s precisely these difficult conversations, had in the context of relationship, that can lead to deeper understanding. The key is maintaining commitment through the discomfort, recognizing that true community isn’t built on agreement but on genuine love and mutual respect.
Preparing the Next Generation
“We’re preparing those who come behind us,” Bishop Martin emphasizes. This long-term perspective helps us see beyond current political tensions to our responsibility to future generations. Just as we stand on the shoulders of those who maintained unity through previous divisions, future Christians will look to our example of how to navigate political difference while maintaining Christian fellowship.
A Longer Table
“We serve a house that is bigger than the house,” Venter reminds us, referring to political institutions. “We are ruled by a court that is bigger than the courts in D.C. We are legislated by the King of Kings.” This perspective doesn’t diminish civic engagement but rather places it in proper context. While election outcomes matter, they don’t change our fundamental calling to love our neighbors and work for the flourishing of our communities.
Later that week, the church member returned to those same streets, this time praying for each house he passed, regardless of their political signs. “It didn’t immediately change my feelings,” he admits, “but it reminded me that these are people God loves, people Jesus died for, people I’m called to love regardless of how they voted.”
This practice of choosing love over resentment isn’t easy, but it’s essential for maintaining Christian witness in politically divided times. We are family first – not because we agree on everything, but because we share one Savior who calls us to love even those with whom we deeply disagree. The table is set. The invitation is open. The question is: will we choose to stay?
