Politics, Worship, and the Church’s Witness in a Divided America - w/ Andy Lara (Reconciling Faith and Politics Series)

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2018

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Exploring the critical intersection of politics, worship, and the role of the church, Mike Erre reunites with longtime friend and Vox co-founder Andy Lara for a powerful episode in the ongoing Faith & Politics series. With heart, humor, and serious theological reflection, they examine how Christianity in America has been co-opted by partisan allegiance—sacrificing the holistic, worship-driven vision of community that scripture outlines.

What begins as a joyful update featuring special guest Seth Eery—sharing family vacation antics and Mighty Ducks anthems—turns into a candid conversation about the dangers of political idolatry and the temptation to separate church identity from civic engagement. Mike and Andy critique the views of influential figures like Pastor Robert Jeffress, discussing how defending policies at the expense of character reflects a broken understanding of kingdom citizenship. Together, they challenge believers to imagine what it actually means to be the church in a politically diseased culture.

Key Takeaways:
• How false divisions between “spiritual” and “political” allow Christians to justify immoral policies for the sake of preferred outcomes
• The biblical vision of worship as encompassing justice, economics, and social order—not just Sunday rituals
• What Paul, Jesus, and early Israel teach us about communal identity and political engagement as acts of worship
• Why Christian identity should take priority over national, political, or ideological allegiances
• The real meaning of loving our enemies in the public square—whether that’s Donald Trump, Barack Obama, or Judas at the table

Notable Moments:
⭐ Special guest appearance by Seth Eery, whose joy, wit, and spontaneous mic drops (“Five!”) provide levity and love throughout the conversation.
⭐ Andy Lara shares hilarious stories from the world of worship guitar pedals and underground Facebook groups—proving there’s room for theology even in the comment section.
⭐ A bold response to listener Josh’s tough but honest question about whether Christians worship the same Jesus across ideological lines.

Resources Mentioned:
• “Your Favorite Band Sucks” podcast – Satirical takes on pop music legends
• Facebook Group: Pedalboards of Doom
• Voxology Faith & Politics Series – Previous episodes in this ongoing series
• Philippians 3:20 – “Our citizenship is in heaven...”
• John 13 – Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, including Judas

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Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford – https://www.timothyjohnstafford.com/
Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody, Mike here with a very special guest.
0:05.0	Seth.
0:06.0	What's your last name?
0:08.0	Seth, Seth Erie.
0:09.0	Seth Eerie, E-R-R-E.
0:11.0	And Seth and I are coming at you today from the Vox World Headquarters
0:16.0	from Newport Beach, California.
0:19.0	Seth, are we in California?
0:20.0	Yes. What are we doing in California? And we're swimming. We're Beach, California. Sethi, are we in California? Yes.
0:21.6	What are we doing in California?
0:22.6	We're swimming in California.
0:24.6	What else?
0:26.6	Um, play arms.
0:27.6	And we play arms?
0:28.6	Oh, big arms, like when you're swimming.
0:31.6	Yes.
0:32.6	And then are we seeing a bunch of friends?
0:34.6	Mm-hmm.
0:35.6	And then are we, what? Did we go?
0:38.6	Go ahead.
0:39.2	Where else did you go?
0:40.6	Chick-fil-A.
	...

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