In 2022, I sensed that the shaking in America was not over. It felt as though many of the things people had trusted were being tested—our democracy, our institutions, our understanding of truth, our conversations about race, our politics, and even the way we talked about faith.
It was a sobering season. But it also felt like an invitation from God: an invitation to seek Him more deeply, to listen more carefully, and to ask what our hearts were really being shaped by.
I have been reflecting on the shaking we are seeing in our nation and how important it is for believers to be formed by Christ more than by fear, anger, or ideology. I share this not as an accusation, but as a gentle invitation—for all of us, including me—to return to Scripture, humility, prayer, and the heart of Jesus.
Hebrews 12 reminds us that shaking can reveal what is temporary and what is eternal. When God allows shaking, it is not always meant to destroy us. Sometimes it helps us see what we have been leaning on. It can expose the places where our trust has slowly shifted from God to human systems, human voices, human strength, or human power.
One concern in this season is the way human ideology can quietly begin to take the place of God’s Word.
An ideology is simply a set of ideas or beliefs that shapes how we see the world. Everyone has beliefs. Everyone has opinions. And Christians can care deeply about their country, their community, justice, freedom, truth, and public life. The problem begins when any human ideology—whether from the right, the left, or anywhere else—becomes the main lens through which we read the Bible, understand people, and decide what matters most.
In recent years, many people have been drawn to political movements that promise to defend ordinary people, challenge powerful elites, restore national strength, or push back against cultural change. Some of those concerns may feel very personal and emotional. People may feel unheard, ignored, afraid, or frustrated.
But as believers, we must be very careful. No political movement should become more important to us than Jesus. No political identity should shape our hearts more than our identity in Christ. No party, leader, nation, or cultural cause should be allowed to take the place that belongs only to God and His Word.
The issue is not that people have political opinions. The deeper concern is when political loyalty begins to shape our spirit more than the Holy Spirit does.
This can happen slowly. It can happen when fear becomes our guide. It can happen when anger begins to feel righteous all the time. It can happen when we start seeing people as enemies instead of neighbors. It can happen when nationalism, racial pride, resentment, cultural outrage, or the desire to win becomes stronger in us than love, humility, mercy, and truth.
When that happens, we may still use the language of faith, but our tone, our posture, and our priorities can drift away from the heart of Jesus.
Romans 1:18–19 reminds us that people can suppress the truth and lose sight of what God has made known. This warning is not only for “other people.” It is a warning for all of us. When we move away from God’s truth, we are tempted to create a version of “god” that agrees with our fears, our preferences, our politics, or our ambitions.
That is why we need Scripture to continually bring us back to the true character of God.
Today, we can feel the weight of division in politics, race, and religion. Many people are tired. Many are afraid. Many are frustrated. Many are unsure who to trust.
But in times like these, the church has an opportunity to be different.
Not louder.
Not harsher.
Not more defensive.
But more prayerful. More truthful. More compassionate. More humble. More rooted in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This does not mean believers should be silent about truth. It does not mean we should ignore injustice, corruption, deception, or sin. It means we must speak and live in a way that looks like Jesus. We must tell the truth with grace. We must stand firm without becoming cruel. We must care about righteousness without losing compassion. We must remember that people who disagree with us are still made in the image of God.
The church must walk carefully and prayerfully in this season. We do not want any human ideology to disciple us more deeply than Jesus. We need to pay attention to what is forming our hearts.
Are we becoming more loving?
Are we becoming more patient?
Are we becoming more merciful?
Are we learning to tell the truth with grace?
Are we seeing people as image-bearers of God, even when we strongly disagree with them?
These are questions worth bringing before the Lord.
Even in the shaking, there is mercy. God can use seasons of uncertainty to draw His people back to what cannot be shaken. The answer is not panic. The answer is not despair. The answer is not blind loyalty to any human movement.
The answer is humility, repentance, discernment, prayer, and a renewed love for the truth of God’s Word.
Jesus Christ—not nationalism, not populism, not political power, not racial pride, and not cultural fear—is our firm foundation.
This is a time for believers to return to Scripture with open hearts and quiet humility. It is a time to test every voice, including the voices we prefer, by the life and teachings of Jesus. It is a time to ask whether our convictions are producing the character of Christ in us.
America may be shaking, but the kingdom of God is not.
And as we build our lives on Christ, we can become steady, gracious witnesses of His truth and peace in a troubled world.
So the question for us is simple, but important:
What is forming our hearts right now—Scripture, prayer, and the Spirit of Christ, or fear, outrage, and political identity?
Reflection Questions
· What voices or influences have been shaping my heart more than God’s Word?
· Where might fear, anger, or political loyalty be competing with my identity in Christ?
· Am I becoming more loving, patient, truthful, and gracious toward people who see things differently than I do?
· How can I return to Scripture with humility and let Jesus form my response in this season?
Minister A Francine Green I June 2026