Washington steps forward with promises: protection for the Church, and special justice by decree. But when sanctuary is guarded by Caesar, what becomes of its soul? The White House Faith Office deputizes justice not to restore righteousness, but to administer favor, and in doing so, it risks becoming a surrogate god.
Just as ancient Israel cried, “Give us a king like the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:5), today’s Church may find itself trading the voice of the Spirit for the power of the state. What began as a plea for protection can morph into patronage, a kind of political liturgy where favor becomes worship, and justice becomes idolatry.
Psalm 20:7 reminds us, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Yet what happens when the Church forgets its own anthem? When sirens replace supplication, and executive orders echo louder than intercession?
This surrogate god, political power dressed in sacred language offers safety with strings. It draws lines of brand loyalty, dispenses justice unevenly, and projects revival through enforcement rather than repentance. But revival is not decreed. It is forged in fire, “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
What we perceive as scary and persecution in the United States is often exaggerated and mainly consists of individual vandalism, rather than state-sponsored crimes. In all these very real instances the authorities took the crimes seriously, and acted in accordance with established laws to protect the victims. Even before Trump re-tooled the WHFO, Zimnako Salah was arrested for his crimes. So, why would we advocate for extra protection or special consideration, which is often viewed as ‘woke’ in Conservative/Right-Wing circles, particularly when it comes to hate crime legislation.
While I don’t intend to downplay the reality of being a crime victim or the fear and panic of evacuating children from a church due to a bomb scare, these experiences are fundamentally different from the persecution Christians face in other parts of the world. Consider this story of China as you ponder what persecution truly looks like.
The Demolition of Golden Lampstand Church – Shanxi Province, China (2018)
In January 2018, Golden Lampstand Church, a large, unregistered evangelical congregation in Shanxi Province, was forcibly demolished by the Chinese government using military-grade explosives and bulldozers. The church had been built over a decade earlier with donations from thousands of believers, and had survived years of harassment before the final crackdown.
- Why it was targeted: The church refused to register with the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which would have required it to submit sermons and leadership decisions to Communist Party oversight.
- How it happened: Armed police surrounded the building, evacuated the area, and then detonated explosives inside the sanctuary. Video footage showed the steeple collapsing in a cloud of dust.
- Aftermath: Church leaders were arrested, interrogated, and some were sentenced to prison. Congregants were warned not to gather again, and the land was seized by the state.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. It was part of a broader campaign of Sinicization, where churches are forced to align with socialist values, display portraits of Xi Jinping, and replace crosses with national flags. (www.persuction.org)
If bomb scares make us tremble, what does a bulldozer through a sanctuary demand? In Shanxi, China, the Golden Lampstand Church was reduced to rubble, not by terrorists, but by the state itself. Revival in these places does not result from law enforcement or rely on a political figure; instead, it emerges from the grassroots, forged by adversity..
How then, do we operate within a corrupt state? Do we abstain as some believe is the only Christian response, do we call out its sins like Elijah did with King Ahab, or do we work within the state as Joseph did, being careful not to compromise our faith?
Nearly all of us know the story of Joseph, sold into slavery, unjustly imprisoned, and then raised up as the second in command for all of Egypt. His faithfulness was rewarded by God, even during his exile in a hostile nation. Once in his position, his stewardship helped preserve life during a famine, showing that it is possible to work with the government without giving in to idolatry.
Not all prophets sit beside the ruler! Elijah understood Israel was God’s chosen kingdom and refused to compromise. Elijah, who called out Ahab for being a ‘troubler of Israel’, was isolated in his righteous rebellion, echoing the Apostles’ call centuries later from Acts, ‘We must obey God rather than men!’ The fire he called down did not fall due to political power, but rather after prayer, sacrifice, and radical obedience.Revival does not come to a Church that has become comfortable at the table of kings; instead, it arrives when the prophet stands alone, takes risks, and still calls down fire.
I will leave you with three ideas of what Revival Really Looks Like:
- It starts in obscurity, not Oval Offices.
- It’s forged in prayer, repentance, and Spirit-led community.
- It cannot be scheduled, funded, or declared. It’s the spark that turns ashes into movement.
Revival doesn’t flow through grants or advisory memos, or by the state attacking the perceived enemies of the church. It erupts from underground. It heals hearts, not headlines. The Church doesn’t need louder sirens; it needs clearer trumpets.
“Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that he shows Himself” -Ravenhill
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