Why Does American Christianity Feel So Political?

Why Does American Christianity Feel So Political?

In this episode, our guest, Ron Herms, looks at the issues facing American Christians in America. Why does so much of American Christianity seem disconnected from the teachings of Jesus? In this episode of the All Saints Podcast, I sit down with biblical scholar Ron Herms for a wide-ranging conversation about empire, power, Christian nationalism, apocalyptic literature, and the church's role in our cultural moment. Together we explore why books like Daniel and Revelation were written, what the Bible means by "empire," how apocalyptic literature functions as resistance literature, and why the early followers of Jesus understood faithfulness very differently than many modern expressions of Christianity. We also tackle some difficult and timely questions: • Why are Christians so fascinated with the end times? • How did Christian Zionism become so influential in American religious life? • What does the Bible actually say about power, leadership, and faithfulness? • How should followers of Jesus respond to nationalism, empire, and political polarization? • Is there another way beyond fear, violence, and culture wars? At the heart of this conversation is a simple but profound challenge: What if Jesus calls us not to dominate the world, but to faithfully bear witness within it? This is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply relevant conversation for anyone wrestling with faith, politics, power, and what it means to follow Jesus today. Have a question? More info? Check out: https://www.believedoubtseek.org/ronald-herms A place for all who believe, doubt, and seek.

The Problem isn’t Doubt. It’s Certainty.

Many people have walked away from faith not because they stopped caring about truth, but because they grew tired of certainty being used as a weapon. Too often, Christianity becomes about having the right answers, winning arguments, or correcting people who disagree. But Jesus seemed far more interested in honesty than performance. The religious leaders in John's Gospel were certain. Certain enough to condemn. Certain enough to throw stones. Yet Jesus turned the spotlight away from the accused and onto the accusers. What if the truth Jesus offers isn't a tool for judging others, but a mirror that reveals our own need for grace? The truth that sets us free is not an ideology, a political position, or a list of doctrines. It's a person. And that means faith isn't about pretending we have no doubts. It's about bringing our doubts, fears, questions, failures, and hopes into the presence of the One who can handle them.   Maybe freedom begins the moment we stop performing certainty and start practicing honesty. You don’t need to fake certainty to belong. Bring your questions. Bring your doubts. Being your true self to Jesus. Have you ever felt judged more for your questions than welcomed into a conversation about them?

Stop Asking Jesus to Pick Your Side

Everyone wanted Jesus to pick a side. The Pharisees wanted Him to oppose Rome. The Herodians wanted Him to support it. Instead, Jesus shattered their categories."Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." His kingdom wasn't built through political power, cultural dominance, or winning elections. It was revealed through self-giving love, enemy-love, sacrifice, and a cross. What if our deepest political problem isn't "them"—but the ways we've given our allegiance to Caesar instead of Christ? The politics of Jesus are far more disruptive than left or right. Mark 12:13-17

Jesus Didn’t Come to Earth to Make People Religious

A lot of people are deconstructing their faith right now. Not because they stopped caring about truth, but because what they inherited often felt hollow, performative, guilt ridden and emotionally exhausting. If Christianity only produces fear, image management, culture wars, anxiety, and the pressure to constantly prove ourselves, something is deeply broken. Jesus didn’t say the world would know His followers by how religious they appeared. He pointed to fruit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Wholeness. Jesus’s message wasn’t about pretending, spiritual performance, certainty, or trying to defend God from the culture. His message was about transformation, not transaction. The real question isn’t: “Do I still believe all the same things?” The deeper question is: “Is this way of life actually transforming me into the person God intended?” Galatians 5:16-26

Does the Existence of Evil Prove God Is Absent or That We Need Him

We live in a world filled with war, anxiety, injustice, abuse, grief, and unanswered prayers. And for many people, suffering is not just painful—it becomes the reason they walk away from faith entirely. Because if God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He stop evil? And if He can stop it but chooses not to—can He really be good? This week, we wrestle honestly with one of the hardest questions in Christianity: the problem of evil and suffering. But Christianity does not offer shallow clichés or easy answers. At the center of the Christian story is not a detached philosopher—but a crucified God. A God who entered betrayal, grief, violence, abandonment, and death itself. The claim of Christianity is not: “You will avoid suffering.” The claim is: “God entered it.” For those deconstructing faith, doubting Christianity, or simply exhausted by life—perhaps the invitation is not to return to performative religion, but to encounter Jesus beneath the wreckage. Because suffering may be real. But according to the resurrection, it is not final. 1 Peter 1: 3-12 #Faith #Deconstruction #Suffering #Christianity #Doubt #Hope #Jesus #Spirituality #Church #BeliefDoubtSeek