Scripture is something I take gravely seriously. Ensuring that I am changed by God’s message and that I do not twist it to my will is paramount in my Christian walk. Looking back, I realize that for years I did the latter, and I recognize that politics and my perception of its connection to my faith had the largest impact. Although we exist in this world, we are not meant to be part of it; however, the evangelical church has largely allowed politics to become entangled with our movement.
Shortly after my salvation, I joined the U.S. Air Force. My politics already leaned conservative, and an unhealthy diet of talk radio eventually pulled me toward neoconservatism. Over the next 15 years, I cloaked my Christianity and understanding of the Word in patriotic language masquerading as faith. But Scripture, the true Word, calls us to something higher: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). The turning point came when I realized I was reading Scripture through man’s eyes rather than seeking the message God had written. That realization was the beginning of a real transformation.
“But Scripture, the true Word, calls us to something higher”
The next part of understanding God’s message through His Word was embracing the call in James to be a doer of the Word. It began with repentance. I had championed war as a just endeavor when it wasn’t. I had fought against cultural change instead of loving people who were struggling. It was painful to admit that my worldview was flawed, and worse, that I had twisted Scripture to fit it. Then came re-education: learning to separate the world from the Word and allowing myself to be challenged by history. Finally, it required courage, to resist when the world threatened to encroach upon my faith.
This work of resisting conformity and rendering our hearts fully to God is not something we can do in our strength. It demands more than conviction. It requires the Holy Spirit. Left to ourselves, we default to comfort and confirmation bias—allowing our preconceived beliefs to cloud Scripture. But the Spirit challenges, convicts, and conforms us, to Christ. Render & Resist is a place where we listen together for that still small voice, that holy disruption. This blog will not provide an action plan or a checklist to change your church. It will examine politics and Christian culture in light of Scripture.
“…We must obey God rather than men.” —Acts 5:29
The name Render & Resist comes from two biblical imperatives that sit in tension, but not contradiction. Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). Paul echoed this in Romans 13, reminding believers that governing authorities are instituted by God and that Christians are to submit to them, not out of fear, but out of conscience. This passage has often been used to justify total obedience to the state. But that’s not the full counsel of Scripture. The same Bible that calls us to honor authority also calls us to resist it when it demands what God forbids or forbids what God commands. When Peter and the apostles were ordered to stop preaching, they replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The prophets confronted kings. Daniel defied decrees. Before Pilate, Jesus stood silent, declaring, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Render & Resist lives in that tension. It affirms the Christian’s duty to obey just laws and respect legitimate authority. However, it also acknowledges that when the state oversteps its bounds, seeking to control the church, redefine righteousness, or demand loyalty that belongs solely to Christ, resistance is a form of obedience.
This is where my libertarian leanings find resonance. I believe government has a role: to protect life, liberty, and property. But when it expands beyond that, when it becomes a moral compass, a spiritual authority, or a substitute savior, it becomes a threat to both freedom and faith. So, this blog is not about rebellion for rebellion’s sake. It’s about discernment. It’s about asking the question: What belongs to Caesar? What belongs only to God? That’s why this blog bears its name and its posture. We honor authority where it reflects justice. We submit when submission doesn’t mean surrendering the truth. And we resist, not rebelliously, but reverently when the state tries to speak where only the Spirit should. This is what I mean by the non-political political voice, a voice grounded not in party platforms or national pride, but in the Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
This theme inspired my latest article, publishing today July 7 at the Libertarian Christian Institute, titled “The White House Faith Office: A Dangerous Entanglement.” It examines the consequences of the church sacrificing its prophetic distance for political influence and argues that reclaiming spiritual authority requires relinquishing the comforts of state-approved religion. So let this space begin with a laying down. Not a laying down of conviction, but of an identity that has become too crowded with other names. I’m not writing as a conservative or a libertarian. Not even as a veteran. And I’m not asking you to read this as an evangelical, a Calvinist, or any other label we’ve inherited or chosen. I’m writing as one who wants to know Christ and Him crucified. Everything else must follow or fall away.
With that, I welcome you to Render & Resist.
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