When Christians Sacrifice Character for Political Power: Examining the City of God vs. City of Man Divide
Voxology
Voxology
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2017
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How the City of God versus City of Man dichotomy is being misused to justify Christian political compromise. Mike Erre and Andy Bear unpack a popular article defending immoral political candidates by appealing to Augustine's two kingdoms framework. They examine the dangers of compromising character for policy wins, the hypocrisy of shifting moral standards, and the long-term damage this does to the church’s witness and identity.
Drawing from Old and New Testament examples, historical context, and evangelical rhetoric surrounding figures like Roy Moore and Donald Trump, Mike and Andy challenge listeners to consider where their real hope lies—political power or the unshakable kingdom of Jesus.
Key Takeaways:
• Flawed Justification for Immorality – Dissecting the argument that secular leaders don’t require spiritual integrity and why this misreads scripture and church history.
• Hypocrisy and Loss of Witness – How evangelicals’ shifting stance on character from Clinton to Trump undermines their moral influence and credibility.
• Theological Compromise – Why anointing politicians as "God’s candidates" damages Christian theology and risks setting up idols of power.
• True Hope in the Kingdom of God – Why the church’s fate and mission don’t hinge on Senate seats, Supreme Court judges, or political access, but rests in the promises and sovereignty of Jesus.
• Scriptural Misrepresentations – Critiquing how stories like Esther and Daniel have been repurposed to support utilitarian arguments rather than covenantal faithfulness.
Resources Mentioned:
• Gospel Coalition article by Greg Forster – On the eschatological vs. electoral mission of the church
• Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll – Evangelical shifts in views on character and political leadership
• Isaiah 31:1 – “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help…” – a biblical critique of political alliances
• David French commentary on Trump and Christian witness
• Augustine’s “City of God” – Foundation for the dual-sphere argument being reevaluated
Join us as we critically examine the ways faith has been entangled with politics, and explore a prophetic alternative rooted in Jesus and scripture. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow the Voxology Podcast on social media to keep the conversation going.
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.
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Follow Mike on Twitter: @mikeerre
Music by Timothy John Stafford
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 us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook
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 | Hello, Internet. |
| 0:12.5 | Mike and Andy here from the World Vox headquarters in suburban Columbus, Ohio, and |
| 0:19.2 | South Orange County, California. |
| 0:21.6 | Of the two of us, I'll let you guess which one has the wool beanie on right now. |
| 0:29.6 | The California boy, it is 26 brisk degrees here in suburban Columbus, a bit of snow, but no fires, thankfully. |
| 0:41.1 | Half of California is evidently engulfed in flames right now. |
| 0:45.1 | Andy Bearer caught a cold last night, so his voice is a little deeper than usual, which is, you know. |
| 0:52.1 | Yes, perfect, perfect. Oh, yes, perfect, perfect. |
| 0:55.3 | Oh, yeah. |
| 0:56.8 | Oh, wow. |
| 0:57.8 | Barry, Barry Laura. |
| 1:00.0 | Barry Lara. |
| 1:01.0 | Luther Van Lara. |
| 1:02.7 | Yes. |
| 1:05.3 | So, brothers and sisters, hello. |
| 1:08.8 | It's a Saturday, we're recording on a Saturday morning, which is always |
| 1:11.5 | treacherous, at least in the Erie household, because Seth is alert and awake and roaming, |
| 1:19.1 | looking for something to devour. A mischief. Yeah, so he is picking up his brother from |
| 1:26.1 | soccer practice, and then he will be back and I'm |
| 1:28.2 | sure make quite the splash on the podcast. |
| 1:32.5 | So we don't have much time, Andy, to explore some stuff. |
| 1:38.4 | I thought today we would do a bit more of the Roy Moore thing as a test case. |
... |
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