One of the reasons I believe American Christianity has veered so far off course is our ontological bent toward immediacy. Every policy decision becomes either a disaster or a silver bullet. Every sensational headline signals the beginning of the apocalypse. We’ve trained ourselves to live in perpetual crisis mode, and it’s killing our witness. I think this happens because we’ve failed to lead our people to worship the way Scripture demonstrates.
On a recent trip through the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, I was reminded of the long arc of American history. Much of what we’re experiencing in current politics is far from unprecedented, just look up Joseph Cannon’s ruthless political maneuvering or Wilbur Mills’ scandals, and the many like them. For every unscrupulous politician, there have been those who served with integrity and honor. The republic has weathered storms before. Yet we’ve arrived at a place where we worship “policy,” a mindset rooted in Enlightenment rationalism that elevates humanity’s collective ability to godlike status. When a policy fails to uphold what we believe is the perfect ideal, our worlds fall apart. Whether “conservative” or “liberal,” the responses are remarkably similar: “This is the most important election of our lifetime!” “Democracy itself hangs in the balance!” “If this passes, America is finished!” These are the cries of people who view policy in ontological terms of immediate gratification, as if the kingdom of God rises and falls with the latest legislative session.
Here’s the reality: the Bible is a long book with an eternal worldview. It unfolds along a sweeping arc of progressive revelation that demonstrates God’s sovereign reign superintending over His creation, even in their fallenness. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God working His redemptive plan through imperfect people, corrupt systems, and broken institutions. Consider the hermeneutic of progressive revelation: God didn’t deliver His complete word in a single moment. Instead, He revealed Himself gradually through the patriarchs, the law, the prophets, and ultimately through Christ. This pattern teaches us that God works patiently across generations, building His kingdom through what often appears to be setbacks and defeats. Abraham died before seeing the promised land. Moses glimpsed it but never entered. David was promised a throne that would last forever, yet watched his kingdom fracture. The prophets spoke of a coming Messiah they would never see with their earthly eyes. Each generation played their part in a story much larger than their immediate circumstances.
There will never be a perfect piece of legislation or policy that comes from imperfect and fallen people. Sin does not allow that. And that is precisely the point. When we implicitly or explicitly worship human institutions, we’re setting ourselves up for the very disappointment and panic we see dominating Christian discourse today. We’ve confused the City of Man with the City of God, and we’re surprised when earthly kingdoms act like earthly kingdoms.
When we gather as the church, those who lead worship must point believers to the long arc of God’s work. Christians panic because they have a short view. They unleash vitriol and sometimes violence because of fear, fear that comes from a small view of God’s work in the world. Biblical characters and honorable statesmen have always shared a similar trait: they lived (and sometimes died) for results that would often outlive them. They understood that their role was to be faithful in their generation while trusting God with the outcomes across generations. This should be true for all Christians, and that ideal is rooted in the gospel itself. The gospel teaches us that God’s ultimate victory was won not through political maneuvering or policy reform, but through the cross, an event that looked like defeat but was actually the decisive triumph over sin and death. Before we act out in panic or political rage, we should ask ourselves: Does this serve the gospel? Does this advance the eternal kingdom? Does my response demonstrate trust in the King whose kingdom cannot be shaken?
Honestly, there might come a day when American politicians pass such devastating policies that the country collapses. That would be a heartbreaking day for those of us who love this nation. But it would not be the end. Scripture calls us to an unshakeable kingdom, to worship a righteous and faithful King whose every action is just and true. Empires rise and fall, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, but God’s kingdom endures forever. America is not the first nation to face existential challenges, nor will it be the last.
The early church faced far worse political circumstances than we do, persecution, martyrdom, the complete absence of religious freedom, yet they turned the world upside down. They did it not through political activism (though they weren’t politically passive), but through radical worship that demonstrated a different way of being human. They showed the world what it looks like to live as citizens of an eternal kingdom while serving as faithful residents of temporary ones. They understood that their ultimate allegiance was to a King who rules from heaven, not from Washington or Rome. Let’s show the world this reality in how we worship. Let’s worship with the long view, with our eyes fixed on the King whose kingdom has no end.
When we do, we’ll find that the latest political crisis doesn’t have the power to steal our joy or corrupt our witness. We’ll discover that we can work for real justice and human transformation without placing our ultimate hope in human institutions. We’ll learn to be faithful in our generation while trusting God with the generations to come. True worship sees beyond the immediate to the eternal, beyond the temporal to the lasting, beyond the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. In that kingdom, there is no end to His reign, no term limits on His authority, and no possibility of political upset. And that kingdom is already here, even as we wait for its final consummation.
That’s worship that takes the long view.
Josh Cehulik 