We’ve replaced Christianity and other clearly defined religions with the hologram of politics. Within so many white Christian contexts (“right” or “left”) we simply want to “worship” with people who think like us… politically. (We call it “theologically,” but let’s be real.)

David French raises the warning yet again in this piece.

We don’t just raise differences of opinion anymore. Now… we’ve become vicious.

Matt Walsh, a prominent conservative Christian, declared his perceived leftist opponents “goblins” and their anger “satanic.” A prominent MAGA pastor, Mark Burns, told a cheering crowd that he’s declaring war on every “demonic, demon-possessed Democrat that comes from the gates of hell.” In a conversation with the T.P.U.S.A. founder Charlie Kirk, the prominent evangelical pastor Mark Driscoll labeled what he called “soft beta male woke Christianity” as “demonic,” a characterization Kirk called “perfect.” Kirk, another self-proclaimed Christian, posted this tidbit on his own feed just yesterday: “Whiteness is great. Be proud of who you are.”

What happened to virtue? What happened to joy?

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.Against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23)

David French asks these questions:

Which leads me to ask discouraging questions: Do those virtues mark the most prominent political Christians today? Do those virtues characterize political Christianity in the age of Trump? The answers are self-evident.

We’ve come to the point of scoffing at the thought of “loving our enemies.”

Political Christianity embodies the logic of religious war. It sees threats to American faith primarily outside the church, creating a sense of siege. It casts kindness as weakness, creating incentives for aggression. And since it casts conflicts in the most existential of terms — its political opponents are not misguided fellow citizens, but literally demonic — it raises the temperature to the boiling point. As the popular Christian author Eric Metaxas told Donald Trump in November 2020, in the midst of the president’s efforts to overturn the election: “I’d be happy to die in this fight. This is a fight for everything. God is with us.”

I have become weary of supercharged issues that only cause our anger to rise up. Issues that deal with “the other side” and doesn’t address the log in our own eyes. I’m weary of the lack of repentance in the church for the sins within the church.

When I was a younger Christian, I used to love theological debates and devour theological books. But now I’m much less interested in theology, and I’m far more interested in virtue. If theology minus virtue can equal violence, then perhaps theology plus virtue can enable justice.

I would add to virtue … joy. I was listening to a podcast awhile back and in the discussion one of the participants said they would add JOY as the Christian distinctive. You can “stand” for virtue and still be empty inside. JOY seemed to be the “add on” that may be essential.

My constant theme the past few weeks has been simple: all I have is Jesus. He is beautiful. He is the smartest person in the room. I’m clinging to him.

Joyfully.