I grew up in India.
I was born into a conservative Christian home in Southeast Asia where Christianity was taken seriously. The Bible was not a cultural accessory. It was not political branding. It was not social identity. It was conviction.
We were not “nominal Christians.” We weren’t Christians because it was fashionable or culturally expected. We believed Scripture deeply. We valued holiness, faithfulness, and the teachings of Christ. And growing up in that environment shaped how I understood Christianity—not as a political movement, but as surrender to Jesus.
Then I moved.
First to Italy.
Then eventually to Canada.
And somewhere along the way, I encountered something I was completely unprepared for:
A version of Christianity that often seemed so politically infused that sometimes I genuinely struggled to tell where the Bible ended and political ideology began.
When Christianity Started Sounding More Political Than Biblical
One of the earliest things that shocked me was how seamlessly certain political beliefs seemed woven into Christian identity.
I met many sincere believers, many kind people, many faithful Christians—but I also noticed something else:
In some spaces, conservative politics and biblical truth were treated almost interchangeably.
Not always intentionally.
Not always maliciously.
But often enough that it became hard to ignore.
I remember one pastor publicly speaking negatively about Cuba from the pulpit—framing an entire nation through a political lens that sounded more nationalistic than pastoral. And what struck me wasn’t merely his opinion on Cuba. It was the deeper question it stirred in me:
Was this the Gospel… or was this politics wearing Christian language?
Because sitting there, I couldn’t help but think:
What about the Cubans in the room?
What about immigrants?
What about believers from different political or national backgrounds?
Was the church supposed to sound like Christ… or like a nation-state?
My First Real Culture Shock: Guns
Then came another moment I’ll never forget.
I was speaking with a North American missionary—the first missionary from that cultural background I had really interacted with deeply.
At some point, the topic shifted to guns, self-defense, and the idea of carrying weapons.
Now understand: I came from a context where Christians often experienced persecution, yet violence was not our instinctive framework. We did not grow up assuming that power meant force. So when I heard the normalization of keeping guns and potentially killing someone—even in certain defensive contexts—I was deeply unsettled.
I asked a simple question:
Why is it okay to take someone’s life?
Not as an accusation.
Not as an attack.
But as someone genuinely trying to understand.
And the response shocked me.
He became offended. Angry, even.
But from my perspective, I was trying to process this through the lens of the value of human life before God. I wasn’t entering a political debate—I was wrestling with moral weight.
That moment stayed with me because it revealed something larger:
Sometimes what one culture assumes is “normal” can be so deeply ingrained that questioning it feels like questioning faith itself.
Is Jesus a Capitalist?
Then came economics.
I was born in Kerala, India—a place with a long history of communist political leadership. I have lived under governments shaped by socialist and communist structures. That doesn’t mean I endorse every outcome of those systems. It simply means I have seen different frameworks firsthand.
But after coming to North America, I began hearing something deeply confusing:
That capitalism itself often seemed framed not just as an economic model… but almost as though it were inherently biblical.
As if:
- To be Christian was to be capitalist
- To question capitalism was to question biblical wisdom
- To support social welfare was somehow spiritually suspect
And I kept asking:
Where did Jesus say this?
Where did Christ ever declare that the Kingdom of God was synonymous with one economic system?
This is where I think many believers unintentionally blur critical lines.
To be clear:
This is not an endorsement of communism.
This is not an attack on capitalism.
This is not an argument for socialism.
This is a plea for discernment.
Because the Gospel is not capitalism.
The Gospel is not socialism.
The Gospel is not conservatism.
The Gospel is Christ crucified and risen.
Political systems can be evaluated.
Economic systems can be debated.
Policies matter.
But Jesus did not come preaching Wall Street, Marx, or party platforms.
He preached the Kingdom of God.
When Political Identity Becomes Spiritual Identity
One of the strangest things I noticed was this subtle expectation that becoming Christian often also meant adopting an entire political mold:
You must think this way about guns.
You must think this way about welfare.
You must think this way about immigration.
You must think this way about healthcare.
You must think this way about national loyalty.
And again—I am not saying these topics do not matter.
They absolutely do.
But my question is:
Why are these sometimes treated as though they are direct Gospel essentials?
Romans 12:2 says:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
That verse cuts both ways.
It doesn’t just warn against “the other political side.”
It warns all of us not to let worldly systems—left, right, conservative, progressive, nationalist, or ideological—become the primary mold shaping us.
The Problem With Borrowed Thinking
Another concern I have is how many of our convictions today are not formed by deep biblical reflection, but by constant media consumption.
TikToks.
Political commentators.
Social media outrage.
Cultural tribes.
We are increasingly told what to think before we have even paused to ask:
What does Scripture actually say?
And that is dangerous.
Because Christians are not called to mindless conformity.
We are called to discernment.
Kingdom Before Culture
I believe one of the greatest dangers facing modern Christianity is not persecution from outside—
But confusion from within.
When Christianity becomes too fused with nationalism, economics, or partisan identity, we risk presenting people not with Jesus…
…but with a cultural package.
And Jesus is bigger than every political tribe.
He is not a mascot for capitalism.
He is not a spokesperson for socialism.
He is not owned by conservatism.
He is not contained by progressivism.
Jesus is King.
And His Kingdom challenges every earthly system.
Final Thoughts: Are We Following Jesus… or a Political Tribe?
I’m deeply grateful for many believers I’ve met in North America. This is not condemnation.
This is reflection.
Because as someone who came from a very different Christian context, I think sometimes an outside perspective helps us notice things insiders may not.
So I keep asking:
Are we truly discipled by Scripture?
Or are we being discipled by politics with Bible verses attached?
Because when politics becomes the lens through which we read Christ, we may stop following Jesus as He is…
…and start remaking Him in our own image.
And that should concern every believer.
Jesus did not call us to Republicanism.
Jesus did not call us to socialism.
Jesus did not call us to nationalism.
He called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
That calling is far more uncomfortable—and far more holy—than any political label.
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