The speaker who stepped into the pulpit of the historically black church in West Philadelphia took on a familiar persona. Impassioned and employing the lyrical cadence of African American preachers, she deftly wove together lines from Scripture and hymns, pausing for the frequent “amens!” from the congregation. The speaker was Vice President Kamala Harris who, just a few days before the presidential election, explained how her faith animates her campaign and why supporting her is the Christian thing to do. 

Referencing the assurance of Psalm 30 that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes (she said “cometh”) in the morning,” the vice president asked the congregation, “What kind of country do we want for our children? A country of chaos, fear, and hate, or a country of freedom, justice, and compassion?”  

Among the many things that make this whole episode so fascinating is that Harris is the standard-bearer for a Democratic Party that has never been more professedly secular and has never been more vocally opposed to mixing religion with politics. Consider the near-hysterical warnings about “Christian Nationalism,” or the party’s consistent references to Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, as if America is on the brink of becoming a right-wing theocracy in which women are enslaved and forced to bear children.  

Media outlets echo these warnings. Op-eds in The Washington Post have warned that the National Prayer Breakfast is full of right-wing political idolatry. A lengthy essay in the latest issue of Mother Jones exposed how Republican vice-presidential hopeful Senator J.D. Vance is tied to Christian Nationalists who want to “remake America,” repeal the Constitution, and govern according to the Ten Commandments. (All of this, ironically, as the Trump campaign has gutted pro-life language in the GOP platform and made peace with same-sex “marriage.”) 

The clear message from the political and journalistic left is that it’s scary and dangerous to mix religion with politics, but only when the right does it. For progressives, it’s not only okay, but it is also inspiring. In fact, as it turns out, there may be even more of this “Christian Nationalism” from the left than from the right. 

According to statistician Ryan Burge, liberal Christians are more likely to attend political rallies and protests, more likely to contact their elected officials, more likely to put up a sign and work for a campaign, and much more likely to actually donate to a candidate. In other words, by the most obvious measures of political involvement, liberal Christians are more comfortable mixing faith with politics. Why then the double standard?  

That question was posed recently by Acton Institute research fellow Anthony Bradley: 

If Donald Trump spoke at First Baptist in Dallas, would that be [Christian Nationalism]? What’s the difference between Harris speaking in a black church and Trump speaking in a white Southern Baptist church? 

The answer is “not much.” Both parties clearly attempt to portray their political goals as aligned with Christian principles. The real difference is in why. 

A core reason that left-wing Christians focus so much on politics is that their tradition has de-supernaturalized the faith. Or, as H. Richard Niebuhr famously summarized, “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a Kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a Cross.” After sin, Hell, Heaven, and eternal salvation are scrubbed; so is morality. After abortion is accepted, marriage is redefined, and most of the Bible discarded, what’s left is a program of liberation dependent on political ambition.  

An irony of this political gospel is that it leaves little reason to go to church, which explains the long steady decline of liberal, Mainline Christianity in America. It also explains why left-wing politics frequently takes on such a feverish and almost religious zealotry. It is, in fact, a religion, or at least a replacement for one.

None of this means that Christians who do still believe in a supernatural Gospel should talk less about politics. In fact, a recent poll by LifeWay Research found that 80% of Protestant churchgoers believe a pastor must address current issues to be doing their job. By all means, Christian wisdom should be brought to bear on politics and the ballot box! It is, after all, a tangible way to love our neighbors, to promote peace and justice, and to advance moral norms.  

However, the proper motivation for Christians in taking part in this earthly process is our certainty in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. After all, it is His kingdom for which we ultimately pray and work, on earth as it is in heaven. And it is He who promises to bring joy in the morning—even the morning after an election.