“You ARE the salt of the earth… You ARE the light of the world… Let your light shine before others.”
— Matthew 5:13–16
Jesus didn’t say “You might be salt and light if you feel comfortable.”
He said YOU ARE.
He didn’t say “Shine unless politics feels icky.”
He gave a command.
If your salt never leaves the shaker, it’s useless.
If your light stays under the basket, you’re disobeying the King.
Retreat is not a fruit of the Spirit.
The Comfortable Lie We Keep Telling Ourselves
“We’ll just preach the gospel. Politics is dirty.”
That sounds spiritual—until you realize silence is a vote for whoever’s loudest.
When Christians vacate the public square, the vacuum doesn’t stay empty.
It gets filled by people who:
- Want your 6-year-old taught that he can “choose” to be a girl
- Demand your tax dollars fund abortion up to birth
- Threaten your pastor with prison for quoting Romans 1
That’s not “staying above the fray.”
That’s unilateral surrender dressed in piety.
Silence isn’t neutrality. Silence is surrender.
The Bible Never Told Us to Retreat
- Jeremiah to the exiles: “Seek the welfare of the city” (Jer 29:7) — not “flee the city.”
- Paul: Governing authorities are God’s servants for good (Rom 13:4) — not optional institutions we ignore.
- Proverbs 31:8–9: “Open your mouth for the mute… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
It doesn’t say “pray for the mute and call it a day.”
Proverbs 31 doesn’t say “pray for the mute.” It says OPEN YOUR MOUTH.
History Proves Retreat Loses
- Wilberforce didn’t abolish the slave trade by staying quiet.
- MLK didn’t win civil rights by telling Christians to “just preach the gospel.”
- The early church didn’t end infanticide and gladiator games by hiding in catacombs.
When Christians showed up, cultures changed.
When Christians disappeared, darkness won.
Today’s Battlefield Isn't Abstract
Your daughter’s locker room.
Your grandson’s curriculum.
Your church’s tax-exempt status.
Your neighbor’s right to refuse the jab.
Your unborn child's right to life.
These are not side issues.
These are the front lines.
Your silence is someone else’s curriculum.
How to Engage Without Losing Your Soul
- Vote like your children’s future depends on it—because it does.
- Speak the truth in love, but speak.
- Run for school board, city council, statehouse—yes, you.
- If both parties hate you sometimes, you’re probably doing it right.
- Stay anchored in Scripture, not talk-radio outrage or progressive virtue signals.
Jesus didn’t call us to win the culture war. He called us to fight it faithfully.
The Mic Drop
Salt that stays in the shaker isn’t humble—it’s disobedient.
Light under a basket isn’t cautious—it’s extinguished.
The world is rotting.
The darkness is proud of itself.
Be salty.
Be bright.
Be present.
That’s not political advice.
That’s a direct command from the King.
— Mark Weimer
Still think politics is “optional” for Christians? Reread Matthew 5. Then repent and engage.