As you read this, be aware that the purpose of this article is not political. Some may take it as such, but it is not. The purpose is not to promote a particular political point of view, but to show how different worldview beliefs play out in a practical sense in real life. This does not mean that the different points of view are equally valid. They are not. One side actually does reflect reality while the other does not. Still, the purpose here is not to be political, but to show how different political points of view express the very nature of reality in different ways.
It is no secret that on the whole these days, the Democrat Party has a serious problem with Christian voters. This is not, of course, a universal truth. There are segments of self-identified Christians who are actually in lockstep with the beliefs expressed by the Democrat Party platform. Those particular Christian groups, though, are pretty much churches and denominations that hold to theologically liberal beliefs. They are groups that do not look to the Bible as their ultimate authority source, but rather interpret the Bible through the lens of naturalistic philosophy – the same naturalistic philosophy that is the basis for the policy positions of the Democrat Party platform.
Those theologically liberal “Christian” groups, however, are by far a minority segment of the Christian demographic. And not having the majority of the Christian community aligned with the party’s priorities has created a situation where Democrats are struggling to win elections. This is a particular problem with regard to pro-life Christians. But even people who have traditionally identified with the Democrat party have, in recent times, been falling away as the social issues they are espousing move further away from traditional Christian beliefs. As a result the Democrat party plans to spend millions of dollars over the next several years to reach religious voters. (Check out this article at https://washingtonstand.com/news/democratic-party-plans-christian-voter-outreach–but-its-views-clash-with-biblical-truth-expert)
The current Democratic National Committee Chairman is Ken Martin. Martin is, himself, Roman Catholic. He considers his faith important to his life and a motivating factor in his own public service. At the same time, he admits that Democrats have struggled to reach voters on issues related to religion and faith. In fact, he believes that Democrats actually shy away from, or even totally reject, topics of interest to Christians. His assessment is that Democrats have actually excluded Christian values from their political discourse altogether. He believes, though, that rather than shy away, they should embrace them.
Recent Pew Research polling indicates that only 54% of Democrats identify as Christians of any stripe, and almost all of those who do are people who follow some form of theological liberalism – beliefs that actually contradict the clear teaching of Scripture. From this, we can see that there is a distinct reason why biblical Christians have pretty much been excluded from the Democrat Party. Their core beliefs simply don’t align with the core beliefs of biblical Christianity. How can we know this?
Biblical Beliefs vs. Democrat Party Beliefs
When contrasting biblical beliefs with Democrat Party beliefs, the contrast could not be more clear, and it is seen most clearly in the way they look at morality. In analyzing this, we must begin with the fact that a belief system’s view of morality is based on its authority source, and when we look at the beliefs most prominent in the two major political parties, we can quickly see that what we are dealing with here are two entirely different authority sources.
Biblical beliefs, obviously, begin with the premise that God exists and that He has revealed Himself and His ways in the Bible. Thus, the moral beliefs expressed in the Bible become an objective standard for understanding what is moral and what is immoral.
Democrat Party beliefs, on the other hand, are based on naturalistic philosophy. These beliefs begin with the assertion that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists. There is no God – in fact, no transcendent reality at all. And with no transcendent (external) source possible as a basis for morality, there cannot possibly be any moral belief that can be characterized as objective. All moral beliefs must be relative and subjective based on the opinions and preferences of some group of people.
This brings us, then, to the question as to what is necessary for a creature to be able to make moral statements. Looking at the creatures that exist in our world, the only ones able to make moral judgments are those that are self-conscious. And the only creatures capable of that are humans. Thus, for those who adhere to naturalistic philosophy, there is no other possibility for determining moral beliefs but for human beings to create them.
But that also poses another question. What human beings get to decide the moral standards for society? And the answer is those who are able to somehow impose their will.
Biblical Beliefs vs. Liberal Christian Beliefs
While people whose beliefs are based on theological liberalism generally consider themselves Christians, their definition of Christianity is very different from what is taught in the Bible. It is truly more akin to the beliefs of the Democrat Party as expressed in its party platform than to Christianity. The difference is that the liberal Christians give lip service to believing in God, but at the same time define the nature of God in a way that pretty much corresponds to the naturalistic beliefs of the Democrat Party.
The core beliefs of biblical Christianity are focused on a transcendent God who created mankind in His own image for the purpose of an eternal personal relationship with Himself. Salvation, then, is spiritual and is accomplished by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Liberal Christianity, on the other hand is focused on creating a material utopia on earth – the same goal as promoted by the Democrat Party. While liberal Christianity gives lip service to belief in God, its goals are almost exclusively temporal.
The rationale for its theology is mostly based on Matthew 25:40, believing that God’s ultimate goal (and thus man’s as well) is to take care of “the least of these.” Its focus is on performing acts that promote their version of social justice. Thus, salvation (the ultimate that a person can experience in life) is to reform society in order to lift up those who are being oppressed by oppressors who are defined by their personal beliefs. The oppressors can vary according to the particular sensibilities of those who are making the definition.
Where Religion and Politics are the Same
Based on a naturalistic worldview, there is no distinction between religion and politics. In fact, in some ways, politics is their religion since they don’t believe in any kind of transcendent reality. Giving lip service to God yet living life as if ultimate reality is focused on this world (just like those who don’t believe in God) demonstrates a belief where there is no practical distinction between the two. The difference is totally cosmetic.
Why this Article Is Not about Politics
For those who believe God does not exist, or that His purpose for mankind is exclusively temporal, perhaps this discussion about the source and nature of morality is about politics. Under that circumstance, there is no other way to think about it. For them, man’s ultimate purpose is to create utopia in this world, and engaging politics is the obvious means for doing that.
However, God does exist. That being the case, this article is not about politics, but about how to know God. Under naturalism, religion and politics are the same. Under biblical Christianity, politics are an expression of biblical moral beliefs, not the core beliefs themselves.
Based on biblical theology, the core beliefs about the nature of reality do not relate to accomplishing impersonal, temporal goals. Rather, the ultimate goal is personal. It is about how to enter into a personal relationship with God that, while beginning in our temporal space, extends throughout eternity. For those who know Christ, once material life ends on earth, it continues into eternity with God.
This does not mean that for Christians there is no place for politics. There are actually some Christians who believe that. However, that is not a biblical position. God established man on earth as a social creature, and established various social institutions to meet the needs of that arrangement. Government is one of the institutions He established, and He did it for a purpose – to provide justice and maintain order in the world (actual justice, not social justice). So, based on Christian beliefs, it is appropriate for people to engage in political activity while living life here. That said, politics is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end – and that end is to create an environment that allows people the freedom to seek God, and live life in a way that pleases Him.
In a big picture sense, the difference between the beliefs that emerge from the Democrat Party and those expressed in the Bible is a difference between two different beliefs about the nature of God and His purposes for mankind. One side believes either that God does not exist, or that, if He does, His goal is to provide everyone on earth with a good life here. The other side believes in a transcendent God who created mankind for an eternal relationship with Himself, and provided a way for that to happen.
For those who believe that life on this earth is the be-all-end-all, political activity is the only means for accomplishing mankind’s ultimate purpose. In that case, religion and politics are the same. On the other hand, for those who believe in the God of the Bible, belief in Jesus Christ is the way to accomplish life’s ultimate purpose. In that case, politics is simply a tool to be used to provide an environment for something even greater.
© 2025 Freddy Davis