Why the Left and Right Cannot Unite (in Church)

Remember this: The left "pulls." The right "holds."

Churches that have significant constituencies of Republicans and Democrats cannot maintain unity for long.

And addressing those differences head-on will not divide the church. The church is already divided. It just hasn't spilled out into the open yet.

Remember this: the left "pulls.” The right "holds."

The internal dynamics of the two political parties are radically different. Progressivism is like a conveyor belt that pulls people to the left. Conservatism is like a tether that anchors people to the past.

This tension cannot be maintained forever in a group of tight-knit relationships, like a church. Sooner or later, something must give.

There are three main possibilities:

(1) The church will get "pulled" to the left.

Galatians 5:9 says, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." Error metastasizes over time.

(2) The church will "hold" to its confession.

Jude 3 says, "I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." God does not change and his word is eternally true. It needs to be proclaimed and obeyed, not adjusted.

(3) The two factions will divide.

1 Cor 11:19 says, "there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized." Not all factions are bad. Sometimes, division is necessary to prune the body of Christ of leftists that want the church to accommodate worldly demands.

In smaller churches, where everyone knows each other and differences are harder to hide, the tension may break more quickly.

In larger churches, tensions can ride out a while longer because they are big enough for people in both factions to find community with others who think like them. This is supported by a pulpit policy of "criticize both sides" which applies a winsome bandaid to a mortal wound.

In either case, eventually, the tension breaks. The progressives in the church insist on pulling the whole church to match their ideology. The conservatives insist on holding to their convictions and resist getting pulled.

The wood is cut, dried, and ready to burn. All you need is a hot cultural moment to light the match. Maybe a presidential election.

I wish this weren't so. I hate division in the body of Christ. But truth must always precede unity. The inevitable "pull" and "hold" dynamics of each group will not allow any other alternative.

It's not a matter of if, but when.