Politics and the Pulpit: Where’s the Line?

Politics and the Pulpit: Where’s the Line? Every pastor I know wrestles with this: How much politics belongs in a sermon?

I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a young man in our church during an election season. He came up after service and said, “Pastor, I just want to know—who do you think Jesus would vote for?”

He wasn’t trying to be funny. He was genuinely looking for guidance.

That moment hit me. People really are listening. They’re hungry for direction. But they’re also easily divided. If I just give my political opinion, I might gain some cheers—but I’ll lose the bigger mission of pointing people to Christ.

And that’s the tension.

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The Tension We Feel

The gospel doesn’t belong to a party—but it always speaks to real life.

Jesus never ran for office, but He wasn’t silent either. He spoke truth to leaders and called out injustice. So when we preach the Bible, it’s natural that some things sound political.

But I’ve also seen what happens when the pulpit turns into a campaign rally. The message of Jesus gets smaller, and the church gets divided. Instead of uniting around Christ, people start lining up by party.

That’s not what the pulpit is for.

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Three Guiding Questions for Pastors

Over the years, I’ve learned to run my preaching through three simple questions whenever politics creeps in:

1. Is this biblical, or just my opinion?

I’ve got plenty of opinions—but opinions don’t change lives. If I can’t show it in the Word, I probably shouldn’t preach it as the Word.

2. Am I pointing people to Jesus—or to a party?

One Sunday, after a message, someone told me, “I couldn’t tell if you were Republican or Democrat.” I smiled and thought, Perfect.

My job isn’t to make people better partisans; it’s to help them look more like Christ.

3. Will this unify the church around Christ—or divide it unnecessarily?

The cross itself is offensive enough. I don’t need to stir the pot with side agendas that fracture the body.

If I’m dividing over politics instead of the gospel, I’ve missed the point.

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Why This Matters

A woman in our church once told me, “Pastor, if you avoid every political issue, it feels like you’re ignoring real life.” She was right. If we never address these things, we risk sounding out of touch.

But I’ve also had people leave because they thought I was being “too political.” That hurt. But it reminded me—if all people hear is politics, the gospel gets lost.

This is the tension we live with as pastors: preaching God’s Word in a divided, political world.

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A Final Word

Politics and the pulpit will always feel like a tightrope. But maybe that’s exactly how it should be.

The gospel will always challenge earthly kingdoms, but it can never be contained by them.

So when I step into the pulpit, I try to ask myself:

• Am I giving them my politics—or God’s Word?

• Am I pointing them to a party—or to a Person?

The line won’t always be crystal clear. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, I believe we’ll walk that line faithfully.

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