The Human Pattern: Overpowering the “Enemy”
Across history and ideologies, people tend to believe that the world will be redeemed once our side wins. Both conservative and progressive movements often mirror each other in this instinct, even when their goals differ. Over the past 23 years, I’ve pastored and worked with very conservative Christians, churches, and institutions and I’ve pastored and worked with very progressive Christians, churches, and institutions. All of the examples I share below I’ve witnessed and walked through myself or with others.
Conservative Tendencies
Culture-war crusades: Seeking to “take back” the nation or impose Christian morality through legislation or school board control. The enemy becomes anyone seen as corrupting “traditional values”.
Religious nationalism: Equating faithfulness to Christ with loyalty to a political agenda, using patriotic or militaristic language to rally power.
Us vs. them rhetoric: Depicting opponents as threats to family, faith, or freedom, enemies to be defeated rather than neighbors to be loved and understood.
Progressive Tendencies
Moral superiority through outrage: Believing justice can be achieved by publicly shaming or canceling those who disagree or behave in a way that falls outside of the progressive tribe moral stances, often mirroring the exclusion they oppose.
Worldview purity tests: Using social pressure to silence dissent within their own ranks, enforcing conformity through fear rather than freedom.
Activism as domination: Viewing the goal as conquering oppressive systems rather than transforming human hearts.
Each side frames its struggle as righteous, but both operate within the same paradigm: “If we just had more power, we could make things right.”
The Ancient Version of the Same Game
The Pharisees, Sadducees, Pilate, and The Roman Empire all used the same tactics on Jesus: they frame his words and actions in the worst possible light in order to manipulate, control, and overpower. This shit has been going on for thousands of years and we still fall for it and participate.
The Pharisees called him a lawbreaker. When he healed on the Sabbath or picked grain, they accused him of rebellion. They even said his miracles came from Satan (Matthew 12:24).
The Sadducees mocked his belief in resurrection, twisting his words to make him sound foolish (Mark 12:18–27). Later, they said his movement would bring ruin to the nation (John 11:48).
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but still framed him as a political threat, “the king of the Jews”, so he could keep his own power safe (Luke 23:1–3).
The Roman Empire treated early Christians as atheists because they didn’t worship Caesar. Christians were mocked, attacked, and killed because they didn’t participate in the Roman cultural norms. How have you seen this play out in America? The American Flag has become an object of worship in our culture. What else?
Each group in Scripture told a story that made Jesus look like the problem. And when everyone agreed on that story, they felt justified in killing him. That’s the danger of framing others in the worst light: it allows us to hurt people while feeling righteous.
The Jesus Way: Loving the Enemy
Jesus consistently breaks that paradigm. His approach to enemies is neither passive nor combative…it’s redemptive.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44): Not a sentimental call, but a radical invitation to disarm hostility by refusing to return it.
The Samaritan story (Luke 10): The hero is the outsider; love crosses tribal boundaries and dismantles prejudice.
The Cross: Jesus absorbs violence instead of inflicting it. His dying words, “Father, forgive them”, expose the futility of power-driven righteousness.
Early Christians: They refused to worship Caesar, yet never plotted revolt. Their love under persecution converted an empire.
How have you seen this play out in our time and place?
