Five Wedges to Splinter the Christian Right
The Christian Right is full of uneasy alliances. Here are some of their tension points.
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One of the (many) things I love about Jesus is his consistent ability to outmaneuver his opponents when they attempt to trap him. Even more than that, he usually turns the tables on them, dividing his enemies against each other. To give just three quick examples from Mark 12:
Jesus opens with a parable railing against the Jewish leadership. The leaders then want to arrest Jesus on the spot, but they “feared the crowd.” Jesus has created an effective wedge between elites and the commoners.
Next, the pro-Roman Herodians joined with the anti-Roman Pharisees to try to trap Jesus on whether Roman taxation is just. Jesus’ response (“Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give unto God what is God’s”) deftly addresses the issue while forcing the question back onto his opponents: after all, what actually belongs to Caesar? They’re left fumbling and conflicted between themselves.
Then, some Sadducees ask Jesus a question about the resurrection from the dead (the Pharisees believed in a future resurrection, while the Sadducee faction didn’t). Jesus’ response again forces the tension back onto his opponents: he defends the concept of resurrection and he tells the Sadducees that they’re wrong–temporarily allying himself with the Pharisees who normally dislike him.1
I could list more examples, but you get the point. Jesus shows a savviness that most modern-day politicians could only aspire to. While Jesus promotes his message, he also deftly exploits his opponents’ internal divisions.
In our current moment, I think there is an urgent opportunity for centrist and leftist believers to do the same against the Christian Right. As Daniel Gullotta wrote in The Bulwark,
“Trump’s religious coalition is far from uniform, notwithstanding evangelicals’ monolithic portrayal in the media or popular literature. The reality is that Donald Trump’s Christian supporters are an uneasy alliance of factions that often disagree with one another and that each support him for different reasons and in pursuit of different goals. Prosperity gospel adherents see his wealth and power as evidence of God’s favor, while populist white evangelicals admire his Samson-like strongman persona and willingness to fight their cultural battles for them. Christian nationalists view him as a vehicle for establishing a theocratic America, while anti-abortion and pro-family conservatives tolerate his personal failings in exchange for policy gains. The evangelicals, Southern Baptists, Charismatics, Pentecostals, and Roman Catholics that belong to the core of Trump’s religious support see his leadership through their own distinct theological and political lenses.”
Given these dynamics, those of us who are not on the Christian Right have an opportunity to split this coalition if we pick our battles well. By highlighting the internal contradictions of the Republican coalition, we can expose the rotten core to the light of day and show a better way.
But before I get into what these wedge issues, one thing must be made clear: these tactics only work if the left is seen as at the very least nonthreatening, and ideally open to, practicing Christians. Otherwise, the Christian Right will continue to unite against what they see as the greater threat.
However, if we can simultaneously raise up voices from the Christian left and center, while driving wedges throughout the Christian Right’s coalition, we will have an opportunity for electoral wins and spiritual advances. I doubt we can swing right-wing Christians on every issue, but if we do it on certain issues, we may be able to make some actual progress.
Here are five wedges to splinter the Christian right.
Wedge #1: “They want to ban IVF and other fertility treatments.”
Target: To split conservative Catholics and Orthodox against Protestants and the techno Right
Many conservative Catholics and Orthodox have a strong view of the personhood of preborn babies, including embryos in cold storage after IVF treatments. If they had their way, Catholics and Orthodox would ban IVF treatments and other fertility treatments because they violate bodily sanctity and are interfering with the normal functions of human bodies. However, most Protestants and tech bros do not have the same compunction. As fertility decreases across the West, more and more people will be inclined to seek out expensive fertility treatments, and demand that insurance cover the costs associated with these procedures. Thus, Christians on the left could split this coalition by emphasizing that these fertility treatments are at danger of being banned, and invite Protestants and tech bros to ally on a provisional basis for this issue.2
Wedge #2: “They don’t care about the Christian women being raped and Christian men being tortured to death in other countries just for believing in Jesus.”
Target: To split the America First Christian Nationalists from other Christians
Many American First Christian Nationalists believe that there is no obligation to care for fellow believers around the world. But other Christians (such as evangelicals and Catholics) still have some sense of loyalty to these Christians, especially when there is some tragic story associated with it. The Nigerian girls kidnapped by radical ISIS fighters and forced to convert to Islam are one example. By highlighting these types of stories, Christians on the left may be able to rebuild support for programs like refugee resettlement and foreign aid. As Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith.”
Wedge #3: “This is fruit of the prosperity gospel.”
Target: To split prosperity gospel Christians from neo-Calvinists and other orthodox believers.
The “prosperity gospel” is a heresy that God always rewards faithful Christians with wealth, health, and happiness. It's also known as the "health and wealth gospel" or "Name It and Claim It" gospel. It’s long been the case that Donald Trump has surrounded himself by a cabal of preachers from the prosperity gospel, including Paula White Caine, Kenneth Copeland, and others. In contrast, Jesus is clear. “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
Most orthodox Christians despise the prosperity gospel, because it implies if we just behave the right way then our lives will be perfect (an obviously false belief that denies the reality of circumstances, sin, and/or Christian suffering). But that leaves an opening for Christians on the left, especially when it comes to social welfare programs: any attempt to eliminate programs for the poor, can be labeled as just an embodiment of the prosperity gospel.
Example: “No wonder Donald Trump wants to get rid of food stamps for single mothers. He believes in the prosperity gospel, due to all the false teachers around him! He thinks that if everyone just believed hard enough, they would be as successful as he is. But of course that’s not true. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and instead of blaming them for their lack of faith, we should help them out. Let’s not let this heresy spread any further!”
Wedge #4: “These wolves in sheep’s clothing say they’re Christian, but refuse to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
Target: to split cultural Christians from others on the right who take their faith seriously.
There’s been a fascinating rise of interest in Christianity among many conservatives, from young to old. Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk may be some of the most prominent examples, though I think the dynamic is a lot wider than we realize. As a Christian, I rejoice whenever someone repents of their evil ways to follow Jesus as both Savior and Lord. Yet I believe that some of these folks are not truly believers. Scripture is clear in Romans 10: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” By that definition, some of these cultural Christians might love the idea of Christianity as a defense of Western Civilization, but they are not truly saved. Christians on the left may be able to fight the influence of Elon Musk and others by pointing out this lack of faith. These “cultural Christians” don’t actually believe in Jesus, they just want to use him for their own gain.
Wedge #5: “Satan doesn’t want to see the Gospel be proclaimed to every nation, tribe, and tongue, so he’s trying to make it harder for Christians to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Target: Evangelicals who care about evangelism
Most evangelical Christians on the right have a deep desire to see more people become saved and turn to Jesus. Yet others on the right have a strong view of predestination, wherein God will save whoever he wants to without any human effort. Or others simply believe in America First, screw anyone else.
We can exploit this divide on issues like refugee resettlement, foreign aid, and domestic antipoverty initiatives. It’s a simple matter to show evangelicals that showing the love of Jesus is a way to help save more souls (especially since Christians usually take the lead on these efforts). Thus, the attack must argue that the recent DOGE cuts are not actually a matter of “saving money” or “efficiency.” Instead, the insinuation must be that Satan is trying to stop Americans from being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Example: “God brought three families from Afghanistan to our community. They never would have heard the Gospel in their home country, but we were helping them get on their feet and showing the love of Jesus. But then DOGE came in and broke our pre-approved contract to help them settle down and assimilate to America. Satan must really want to stop us from preaching the good news to the lost! Let’s pray that one way or another these contracts get re-approved…and expanded! As Jesus says, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did to me.”
These are just a few of the wedges that Christians on the left may be able to utilize against the Christian Right. But again, I must reiterate that it’s not enough to just criticize the Christian Right’s lack of faithfulness; we must also embody a realistic alternative. That means the left has to make room for faithful Christians even if that rubs some people the wrong way. That’s a whole other post.
The apostle Paul, on trial for his life, takes a similar approach in Acts 23: 6 When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)”
This opening may also be present for contraception, if Christians on the left play their cards right. Many conservative Catholics and Orthodox believe contraception is against natural law, while Protestants don’t have as much of a problem with it. As a bonus, increased contraception decreases abortion rates, leading to the possibility of a truly wild wedge issue: “Want to permanently decrease the abortion rate? Vote with us to enshrine affordable, long-lasting contraception for all!”
My problem with everything you said is that it seems you care more about winning a political battle than actually building up the Church by pointing out hypocrisies and desiring change. It also feels like you’ve assumed issues like IVF/biblical family structures are the same as welfare programs/immigration discussions. Christian’s can disagree on how a country deals with immigration, economic systems, welfare reasonably without risking heresy. You cannot, however, disagree about the sanctity of life without getting dangerously close to unbiblical positions.
In other words, triage better.
I don't understand how you can be a Christian and align yourself with the left politically. If you wanted more social services etc that's one thing, but the left is by and large antithetical to Christianity with their stance on cultural issues