Whether it’s abortion, LGBTQ rights, gun control, racism — our nation has clear dividing lines along political parties and ideologies. Issue after issue is a painful reminder of this division. But as followers of Jesus we are called to be peacemakers.

Justin Giboney, attorney and political strategist, and Walter Kim, NAE president, discuss what it practically looks like to bring love and truth to the most difficult issues. You’ll hear:

  • An assessment of society’s advancement on polarizing political issues;
  • How the Church can confront lies that offend us and lies that serve us;
  • What the Black ecclesial tradition offers for our posture and action; and
  • How biblical doctrine and compassion change our approach to challenging conversations.

Read a Portion of the Transcript

Walter: What does it look like for the Church to confront these lies, these wrong ways of thinking? That’s awfully difficult in this moment. Any advice for us?

Justin: I think it starts with making sure we’re not conflating theology and ideology. A lot of people cannot tell you the difference. I’m conservative in my theology; that doesn’t mean I’m always going to be conservative in my ideology. A lot of people can’t tell you where one begins and one ends. We have to make sure — and that’s not just for conservative but that’s for progressives as well — these are different things. The theology has to control the ideology and not the other way around.

I can’t tell you how many Christians I know that once they got deeply involved in politics, their theology was impacted by their partisanship. Your partisanship should never be the master of your social action, but certainly not the master of your theology. That’s one thing that Christians really have to watch out for, not just going along with the narrative they may be getting from folks in their ideological tribe, but challenging those narratives and digging a little deeper to get to the truth of what’s going on.

Share the Love

If you enjoyed the program, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That will help us so much!

Relevant Resources


Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Wesley Seminary.

Wesley Seminary